Vanya Quiñones talks about her first year as CSUMB president

Topics included the university’s continuing rise in national college rankings, student graduation and success, and new Otter traditions like The Plunge.

Student with President Vanya QuiƱones
CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones with a student during Move-in 2023 | Photo by Brent Dundore-Arias

Last November, Vanya Quiñones gave a wide-ranging interview to education reporter Hillary Ojeda of Lookout Santa Cruz just months into her term as president of CSU Monterey Bay. They covered topics such as Quiñones’ upbringing in Puerto Rico, her professional background, declining college enrollments, regional industry needs, and more. 

Quiñones spoke again to Ojeda recently, from the vantage point of having lived and worked as CSUMB’s president for one year. This time topics included the university’s continuing rise in national college rankings for U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges and The Wall Street Journal’s 2024 Best Colleges, student graduation and success, future goals for the university, and new Otter traditions like The Plunge.  

Read the full interview at Lookout Santa Cruz.