Gala Honoree Spotlight: Ruben Armiñana, Citizen of the Year
Ruben Armiñana has spent the past 24 years transforming Sonoma State University. Throughout his tenure as president, SSU went from an institution on the brink of closure to being one of the most popular campuses in the California State University system—and nearly doubling the student population of the campus, now at 9,400. Ruben changed the culture of the campus from a commuter school of largely part-time students to a residential campus with a more traditional college-aged, full-time student population. He has worked tirelessly to enhance the reputation of the university, establishing new partnerships with the business community and raising the university's academic profile.
Ruben’s vision led to a campus makeover through renovations and new facilities including a complete update of Charles Darwin Hall (science and technology); Ruben Salazar Hall (one-stop for student services, classrooms and high technology laboratories); Environmental Technology Center; Sauvignon, Beaujolais and Tuscany student suites and apartments, housing more than 3,000 students; a new Recreation Center, and most recently a new Student Center which has become the center of campus. SSU partnered with the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District, and others, to create the Schulz Information Center which houses a state-of-the-art library and technology and learning center. The partnership led to the establishment of Technology High School, a perennial California Distinguished School, on the Sonoma State campus. While it’s important to create new and upgraded facilities for SSU’s students, Ruben says it is what goes on in those facilities that matters. The 2,000 students who graduate each May would agree and have benefitted from Sonoma State’s growth.
The opening in 2012 of the Green Music Center has brought world-class performing artists to the North Bay, created educational opportunities for students from K-12 to college-aged and given the Santa Rosa Symphony a stunning concert hall to call home.
There are countless stories of the ripple effects of Ruben’s leadership, such as the creation and expansion of the university’s Wine Business Institute and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, but a forward-looking community-based example is actually located off-campus.
When Roseland University Prep was looking to open its doors as a charter school in an underserved, unincorporated area of Santa Rosa, Ruben stepped up and offered guaranteed admission to the school's students if they graduated with all the requirements of the California State University system. His support was key in rallying the community around what was at the time, a controversial project. Today, RUP is one of the best high schools in the state and its students graduate with the expectation of attending college. A similar program called Compact For Success with Santa Rosa's Elsie Allen High School and Cook Middle School has since been created and will see its first students enter Sonoma State or another university in 2017.
Ruben is and has been on several boards and committees in the North Bay, including (but not limited to):
- Community Foundation of Sonoma County
- North Bay Leadership Council
- Business Education Leadership Council
- Sonoma County Business Education Roundtable
- Santa Rosa Chamber CEO's Roundtable
- Sonoma County Economic Vitality Partnership
The Chamber's most prestigious event, the Annual Gala sells out every year. Celebrate how the Chamber made a difference in 2015 and get inspired about how we'll continue making a difference for our members and our community in 2016!
See the list of honorees | Click here to register
Annual Gala
When: Thursday, March 31st, 5:30-9:00 pm
Reception 5:30 pm • Dinner 7:00 pm
Live & Silent Auction • Cocktail Attire Suggested
Where: Santa Rosa Golf & Country Club
333 Country Club Drive, Santa Rosa
Individual tickets: $125 for members | $175 for non-members
Table of 8: $1200 | Table of 10: $1500
