Haynes, Karen S.

Scope Note: Term of office: 2004-2019 Karen Haynes began her tenure as the third and longest-serving president of CSUSM in 2004. In the summer of 2016, she became the senior president of the 23-campus CSU system — the first woman ever to serve in that role. She has served for over 30 years as an academic administrator.

At CSUSM, Haynes led advances in serving traditionally underrepresented student populations — in spring 2019, 55 percent of graduating students were first in their families to achieve a four-year degree. The university’s student population now mirrors the rich diversity of the region; over half the student body identifies as being a minority. During her tenure, CSUSM notably served the highest per-capita numbers of both military-affiliated and American Indian students in the CSU system and more former foster youth per capita than any institution of higher education in the United States.

Haynes oversaw tremendous growth at CSUSM, including the construction of 14 new facilities, the addition of a Temecula campus and the doubling of relevant new academic programs and career certificates.

Before coming to CSUSM, Haynes was the president of the University of Houston-Victoria for 8½ years. A first-generation college student, she earned a master’s in social work from McGill University in Montreal and a doctorate in social work from the University of Texas at Austin.

Her husband, Jim Mickelson, was the founding director of CSUSM’s ACE Scholars Services, a unique program that provides support to former foster youth.

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