The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees has appointed Ming-Tung “Mike" Lee to serve as president of Sonoma State University. Lee has served as the university's interim president since August 2022.
“During his interim appointment, Dr. Lee has taken bold, meaningful and collaborative steps to enhance Sonoma State's enrollment management policies and practices and to strengthen vital pipelines with area high schools and community colleges," said Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester. “He has demonstrated himself to be a prudent steward of university resources, while maintaining the institution's unwavering focus on academic excellence and student success."
Lee joined Sonoma State in 2022 after a long and distinguished career at Sacramento State where he led university divisions on different occasions. From 2010 to 2018, he served as the vice president for Administration and Business Affairs/chief financial officer. He also led the Academic Affairs division while serving as the interim provost and vice president in 2016-17. His additional experience in that division includes service as the associate vice president and dean/vice provost for academic programs from 2005 to 2010. Lee initially joined Sacramento State as an associate professor of marketing in 1990 before being promoted to professor in 1997. Since retiring from Sacramento State in 2018, Lee has held emeritus status on the campus as a professor of business administration.
“I am honored to continue leading Sonoma State and to help bring transformative, world-class educational opportunities to the students of the North Bay," said Lee. “As the first member of my family to earn a college degree, I understand the profound impact it can make on the life of a student and on their family."
Lee earned a bachelor's degree in literature from Tunghai University in Taichung, Taiwan, and a master's degree in international commerce and a Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Kentucky.
About the California State University
The California State University is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, nearly 460,000 students, and 56,000 faculty and staff. Nearly 40 percent of the CSU's undergraduate students transfer from California Community Colleges. The CSU was created in 1960 with a mission of providing high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity and student success, the CSU is renowned for superb teaching, innovative research and for producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards nearly 130,000 degrees. One in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU and our alumni are 4 million strong. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU NewsCenter.