Following a nationwide search, Cal State Monterey Bay announced the selection of Dr. Andrew Lawson as permanent provost and vice president for Academic Affairs in May 2024. Lawson has served as the dean of the College of Science at Cal State Monterey Bay since 2016. In an announcement to the campus, President Vanya Quiñones said, “He has shown a deep commitment to the mission of the CSU and to CSUMB in particular. He has a wealth of institutional knowledge that will guide us forward, and he will provide strong leadership during a transformational period.”

Appointed as Interim Provost in July 2023, Lawson focused on increasing transparency within his division, collaborating across divisions to support student success and engaging with community partners on and off campus. He created a new program to support leadership development for faculty and staff within the division, has been instrumental in moving the university toward a new budget model, redesigned and streamlined the process for approval of new degrees, and supported the university through a successful WASC special visit in the fall. 

In his role as dean for the College of Science, he proved effective at garnering philanthropic, corporate and grant funding to support capital funds, endowments and scholarships. He also oversaw the increase of graduation rates and supported the redesign of bottleneck courses within the college along with the launch of three new undergraduate degrees.

Prior to joining Cal State Monterey Bay, Lawson worked at Fresno State for 15 years as a professor and, eventually, interim dean. He has a bachelor’s in biology from Dalhousie University and a doctorate in entomology from the University of California, Berkeley.