By News and Communications Staff

September 27, 2024

Robert “BJ” Snowden began his college career in the California State University system. He attended Sacramento State before transferring to San Jose State where he earned his undergraduate degree.

Snowden said that during his first semester at Sac State, he lacked focus and found himself on academic probation. He worked to improve his grades, then transferred to San Jose State to study film production. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree there and teaching media production, Snowden earned a master’s degree in Educational Technology from Pepperdine University and a doctorate in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco.

“Spending time teaching motivated me toward a path where I could thrive and motivate others,” he said.

Snowden built his career in the community college system, advocating for issues of racial equity and ascending through the leadership ranks in the Los Rios Community College District.

Now, Snowden will begin his new role as the interim leader of the new CSU Statewide Central Office for the Advancement of Black Excellence. This center will serve all 23 campuses in the California State University system.

“It is a phenomenal set of circumstances that brought us here,” said Snowden. “It really is a dream come true for me.”

“Under Dr. Snowden’s leadership, we are confident that this center will have a transformative impact and get off to a powerful start” said Michael V. Nguyen, chief diversity officer at Sacramento State.

The center will oversee and implement recommendations in the CSU’s 2023 Black Student Success Report. The report, which reflected information from all 23 of the system’s universities, identified barriers to Black student success and strategies to address them. Its recommendations include creating comprehensive strategies to enroll and retain Black students, developing an inclusive and culturally relevant curriculum, and investing in the recruitment and retention of Black faculty and staff.

Snowden, who most recently served as associate vice president of Equity, Institutional Effectiveness, and Innovation at American River College, has just begun his new interim position at Sac State.

His wife, Michele Foss-Snowden, is a Sac State professor of Communication Studies and a Black Honors College faculty member.

Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, BJ Snowden moved to the Sacramento area at age 13 and attended Elk Grove schools.

Snowden said the new center’s mission will focus on ideas and issues highlighted in the Black Student Success Report. Contributors cited the need for safe spaces on campus, increased support for faculty and staff members, and innovative ways for Black students to “find community, and find themselves in the curriculum,” he said.

“We want to create a perfect ecosystem for students to be successful.” 

Snowden, who plans to connect with leaders at all 23 CSU campuses to better understand specific projects and ideas, said he is thrilled to also support the implementation of SB 1348 (Bradford) that allows colleges and universities in the state to be designated as Black Serving Institutions.

“Dr. Snowden’s leadership will be pivotal in identifying and scaling effective practices across the CSU system, fostering cross-campus collaboration, and ensuring that Black students have the resources and support they need to thrive,” said Nguyen.