Stephen M. Trzaskoma, dean of the College of Arts and Letters and interim dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at Cal State LA, has been selected as a 2025–26 Fellow of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo. 

The HACU Leadership Academy is designed to prepare the next generation of leaders for executive and senior-level positions in higher education. As part of the one-year fellowship, Trzaskoma will participate in leadership development activities, including a series of webinars and three in-person seminars. The first seminar will be held in November 2025 during HACU’s 39th Annual Conference in Aurora, Colorado. The second seminar will take place in Washington, D.C., in April 2026 during HACU’s National Capitol Forum on Higher Education. The academy will culminate with an international seminar at a location to be announced later.  

“It is difficult to imagine an organization that has done more than HACU to support Latino success in higher education in this country and advance the missions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions,” said Trzaskoma, whose fellowship is supported by the Mellon Foundation. “Being named a fellow of the HACU Leadership Academy is an honor that reflects Cal State LA’s mission and values as a Hispanic-Serving Institution committed to equity, access, and student success. I’m proud to represent a university that has long championed inclusive excellence and provided meaningful support for our diverse communities.” 

Cal State LA is nationally recognized as a leading Hispanic-Serving Institution, currently ranked the No. 1 four-year institution in the “Best Hispanic-Serving Colleges” category by Washington Monthly. This category combines the social mobility focus of the monthly’s college rankings with the knowledge that Excelencia has built over decades of analyzing Hispanic achievement in higher education.  

In 2023, Cal State LA was certified by Excelencia in Education with the prestigious Seal of Excelencia for demonstrating through data, evidence-based practices, and leadership how it is intentionally serving Latino students. Excelencia in Education is the nation’s premier authority on efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education. 

Since 1989, Cal State LA has been a member of HACU. Cal State LA has been designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution for more than three decades. The university is also a member of American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education.  

Trzaskoma was appointed interim dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences in June 2025, while continuing his role as dean of the College of Arts and Letters. He joined Cal State LA in 2022 and brings more than two decades of academic leadership experience. 

Before coming to Cal State LA, he served as director of the Center for the Humanities at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), where he was also a professor of classics and held various faculty leadership roles. He received a Teaching Excellence Award and the Outstanding Associate Professor Award at UNH. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of many scholarly publications focusing on ancient Greek prose fiction and Greek and Roman mythology and mythography. 

Trzaskoma has been a champion of student and faculty success, and his leadership has centered on increasing access to the humanities, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and advancing equity, justice, and sustainability through work that connects scholarship to real-world communities. His work has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Loeb Classical Library Foundation. 

Trzaskoma added: “La Academia de Liderazgo is legendary for helping to shape leadership in diverse institutions. I’m enormously grateful for the opportunity both to share and learn with the rest of my cohort, and I’m thankful to Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes both for her own leadership and for the specific support that made my becoming a HACU Fellow possible.” 

Since its inception, HACU’s Leadership Academy has advanced the careers of diverse leaders across higher education, with a strong emphasis on Hispanic-Serving Institutions such as Cal State LA. The program is led by current and former presidents, chancellors, and senior administrators with over 100 years of combined experience. A key component is mentorship with a university president or senior-level administrator, along with the development of a special project designed to have an impact at the fellow’s current institution. Capital One and the Mellon Foundation provided support for fellowships awarded to selected participants of the 2025–26 HACU Leadership Academy. 

# # #

California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 22,000 students and has more than 270,000 distinguished alumni.