CSU Alumni Council appoints CSUSB grad Lou Monville to CSU Board of Trustees

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Lou Monville, a graduate of Cal State San Bernardino who has a long history of service to the university and the Inland Empire, has been appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees as the Alumni Trustee.

Monville, who is the vice president of Riverside-based O’Reilly Public Relations, was appointed by the California State University Alumni Council and will begin serving a two-year term in May. The Alumni Trustee is the only trustee appointed to the 25-member CSU Board of Trustees without review by the governor or Legislature.

“Lou is a long-time advocate and champion for the CSU and higher education in the state,” said Kristin Crellin, president of the CSU Alumni Council. “His leadership, focus on student success and dedication to the CSU mission are all invaluable assets to the board.”

“I am first and foremost a CSUSB alum and to be chosen to represent my peers is a distinct honor,” said Monville. “I look forward to continuing to serve my fellow alumni and the Inland Empire while serving on the CSU Board of Trustees.”

Cal State San Bernardino President Tomás Morales praised Monville’s appointment.

“We are delighted for Lou, who has proven time and time again to be a good and dedicated friend in his service to his alma mater, the people of our region, and ultimately higher education in California,” Morales said. “He has shown himself to be a trusted advisor and leader in the CSUSB Philanthropic Foundation Board, and I am proud to call him my friend.”

Monville has served as a member of the CSU Board of Trustees since being appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, and currently serves as the board’s vice chair, while also chairing the committee on collective bargaining. His gubernatorial appointment was scheduled to end this year, but with this appointment, Monville will succeed Trustee Bob Linschied, who is the current Alumni Trustee and outgoing chair of the CSU Board of Trustees.

Monville, who earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies in 1994 and was student body president, has a long history of volunteer service to Cal State San Bernardino, the CSU and the inland region. His activities have included the CSUSB Alumni Association Board of Directors, which also involved a year as its president; the CSUSB representative to the CSU Alumni Council; the Coyote Athletics Association; the Ambassadors for Higher Education and CSUSB Philanthropic Foundation Board of Directors.

He is a member and former president of the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce.  For Monville’s service to the business community, he was named the “Small Business Advocate of the Year” by the California Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on Inland Action, which seeks to improve the economic well-being of the Inland Empire.

The CSU Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance of the 23-campus system. Under present law, there are 25 Trustees (24 voting, one non-voting). Five trustees are ex officio members: the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the Assembly, state superintendent of public instruction and the chancellor. No trustee, with the exception of the chancellor and the faculty trustee, receives any salary for his or her service.

The CSU Alumni Council is the voice of the CSU’s 2.9 million alumni and it plays an active role in helping to shape CSU policy and participate in strategic decision making. The council is made up of alumni directors and representatives from all 23 CSU campuses. Alumni council members meet regularly with CSU leaders and participate on systemwide committees to ensure that alumni are represented.

For more information on the CSU Board of Trustees, contact Mike Uhlenkamp at (562) 951-4834 or by email at muhlenkamp@calstate.edu.

For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s office of Public Affairs at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.