New President Fram Virjee Takes the Helm at Cal State Fullerton

NEW PRESIDENT FRAM VIRJEE TAKES THE HELM AT CAL STATE FULLERTON

It was a deep belief in equality, fairness, and social justice that drew CSUF President Framroze (Fram) Virjee to the study of law, and a lengthy career at the law firm O’Melveny & Myers, and that allowed him to put his passion for education to work.

Representing Fortune 500 companies and meeting with clientsaround the world “was intellectual, challenging, and heady stuff,”said Virjee. “But, as fulfilling as it was, during my entire legal careerI was always on the lookout for a way to pursue my dedication toeducation and social mobility.”

“I was drawn to representing educational institutions because, in so doing, I felt I was pursuing the social good,” he explained. “To be sure, there is nothing wrong with working hard for shareholders and businesses; I understand that. It’s what makes the economy run,and in many ways, creates a rising tide that lifts all boats. But when I worked for education, I went home believing that what I was doing was having a direct and positive impact on society.”

Virjee became the first in his family to earn a college degree, double majoring in political science and sociology and graduating summa cum laude from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He went on to earn a Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of California,Hastings College of Law.

He spent 30 years at O’Melveny & Myers, the oldest law firm in Los Angeles and one of the largest in the country, where he became one of the nation’s leading labor and employment lawyers.

Virjee joined the California State University in 2014 as executive vice chancellor and general counsel. In this position, he also served as secretary to the system’s board of trustees.

This past December, CSU Chancellor Timothy White named him president of California State University, Fullerton effective January 1, 2018.

“When I joined the CSU, Chancellor White issued me a challenge to visit all 23 campuses within that first year, and so I did … You walk onto a university campus, and it’s all energy and promise. I’m really excited about that,” said Virjee. “My time at the Chancellor’s Office was an amazing experience. I really enjoyed it, but you don’t get to directly interact with students or faculty too often. Coming to Fullerton is an opportunity to have much greater interaction and, hopefully, a more direct impact.”

As he takes the helm of Cal State Fullerton, Virjee says he’s incredibly excited to turn his passion into action, even as he’s aware of the challenges the institution faces — primarily those related to funding. But, he notes, CSUF has “so much momentum.”