Dr. Milton A. Gordon is a lifelong educator who, since becoming president in August 1990, has led California State University, Fullerton into prominence as one of the nation's largest and most inclusive senior institutions of higher learning. Dr. Gordon's many accomplishments at Cal State Fullerton include awarding the university's 143,000th degree; strengthening student recruitment and retention programs; expanding the President's Scholars Program and the Honors Program; creating a Guardian Scholars Program; establishing new avenues of communication with faculty, staff, students and the community; opening a new state-of-the-art science laboratory center and general classroom building; overseeing a major library expansion, the building of new residence halls and addition to the student health & counseling center; establishing The El Toro Campus and three off-campus satellite centers; becoming the first university of the CSU system to install a totally fiber infrastructure that has improved the use of technology throughout the campus; dedicating new stadiums in the Titan Sports Complex; and forming new partnerships with public and private entities in the community. Currently, President Gordon is overseeing a university planning process that has established mission and goals for the university into the 21st century.

Gordon holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the Illinois Institute of Technology, an M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Detroit, and a B.S. in Mathematics and Secondary Education from Xavier University of Louisiana.

His academic background includes serving as vice president for Academic Affairs and professor of Mathematics at Sonoma State University; Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, Chicago State University and director of the Afro-American Studies Program at Loyola University of Chicago. He also served as an instructor of mathematics at the Illinois Institute of Technology, was a mathematician in the Laboratory of Applied Sciences at the University of Chicago, and served as an elementary and secondary teacher in the Chicago public schools.

President Gordon served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and was a member of the NCAA Presidential search committee to select a replacement for retiring NCAA President Cedric Dempsey. In addition, President Gordon currently is a member of the Division I Board Task Force.

He is the chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Committee on International Education and the chair of the Trustees' Subcommittee on Honorary Degrees for The California State University system. Gordon serves as a member of the Governing Board of Directors of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and is a member of the National ROTC Program Subcommittee, U.S. Army. President Gordon is active in civic affairs and currently serves on the boards of the Orange County Business Council, the Orange County Workforce Investment Board, and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. He has recently been appointed chair of The California State University Admissions Advisory Committee and is a member of the California State University, San Marcos Presidential Search Committee.

Dr. Gordon's awards include The 2003 Education Partnership Award by the Orange County Business Council, The National Conference of Community and Justice (NCCJ) 2000 Humanitarian Award, the 1999 Cesar Chavez Community Service Award by the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County, the 1998 Manager of the Year Award by the Orange County Chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Management, the 1998 Orange County NAACP African-American Citizens of Distinction Award (Education), the 1997 Education Award, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the 1995 North Orange County YMCA Humanitarian of the Year, and the 1994 Tree of Life Award from the Jewish National Fund. Chicago State University honored him with Milton A. Gordon Day on September 22, 1992.