Kerschner is Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the California State University. He currently serves as Special Assistant to the President of the California Maritime Academy. He also serves as consultant with the National Policy Center for Higher Education. He received his M.A. from The Johns Hopkins, School of Advanced International Studies and Ph.D. in Political Science from Georgetown University. He is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

His administrative service included appointments as Executive Vice Chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; Interim President, CSU Stanislaus; Senior Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, CSU; and Executive Director, The California Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education. His career began at CSU Fullerton in 1961, where he was a founding member of the Department of Political Science.