California State University, Northridge
Trustee Emerita Debra Farar was the longest-serving trustee of the California State University in recent history; she also served as the board’s chair for two years. A first-generation college graduate, she earned both a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in childhood education from California State University, Northridge and went on to earn a doctoral degree in education from Pepperdine University.
Dr. Farar has long been an influential leader in education, with an unwavering commitment to social justice and quality education for all California students. A former elementary school teacher and educational consultant, she served as the senior advisor on educational policy for then-Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis from 1995 to 1998. She was appointed to the CSU Board of Trustees in 1999 and served on the board until 2022.
She has extended her dedication to community service by serving as a board member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project, the CSU Channel Islands Site Authority, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, the Grant Advisory Committee of the California Student Aid Commission, and College: Make It Happen, a statewide initiative to encourage middle-school students to attend college.
Dr. Farar is an active member of the CSUN alumni association and has dedicated many hours to fundraising for the university. She chaired CSUN’s last presidential search committee and has served on the executive committee for the Valley Performing Arts Center (now known as the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts) campaign. In 2009, she was honored with CSUN’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
In recognition of her commitment to quality public education and her dedication to increasing postsecondary education options for disadvantaged students, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University, Northridge are proud to confer upon Dr. Debra Farar the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.