Dear Titan Community,

With sincere appreciation for his leadership and service, I write to share that Dr. Amir Dabirian will retire from his position as interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs on March 15, 2026. Last year, Dr. Dabirian announced his plans to retire and graciously agreed to extend his service while we continued the search for a permanent provost.

As interim chief academic officer, Dr. Dabirian has been a dedicated leader and strong advocate for our students, faculty, and staff at Cal State Fullerton. I am grateful to have worked with him.

I also want to thank members of the search committee and Titans across campus for contributing their time and insight to the provost search. After careful consideration, I have decided not to identify a provost at this time. Instead, I will appoint deputy provost Sean Walker to serve as executive-in-charge to lead the Office of the Provost and oversight of Academic Affairs.

I am immensely grateful for Dr. Walker’s willingness to step into this role and confident in his ability to provide steady leadership as we continue to search for a permanent provost.

Dr. Walker brings deep institutional knowledge, respected academic leadership, and an unwavering commitment to student success. He understands our mission, values, and shared governance, and he has earned the trust of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners.

An outstanding academic, Dr. Walker has gone above and beyond to advise and mentor scientists and students alike at Cal State Fullerton, serving also as chair of the Academic Senate, associate dean for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, as well as vice chair and chair of the Department of Biological Science.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Walker for his service and his dedication.

Sincerely,
Ronald S. Rochon
President