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 Dr.
Harold H. Haak, president of California State University, Fresno for 12
years, was honored posthumously with the Foundation Award for his
outstanding leadership, dedication to educational advancement and
ability to bring people together.
Dr. Haak, who was president from 1980 to 1992 and died in 2003, was
recognized during the presentation of the award to his wife, Betty, at
the Pinnacle Society Dinner on Friday, May 11.
Fresno County Superior Court Judge Robert H. Oliver, chair of the
Foundation Board of Governors, made the presentation at the annual event
that honors those who have contributed $500,000 or more to Fresno State.
Nearly 200 people attended the dinner.
Dr. Haak, a Wisconsin native, was awarded a Ph.D. in political science
by Princeton University.
He taught political science at San Diego State University, then moved to
Fresno State in 1971, to serve as vice president for academic affairs.
He was appointed vice president at the University of Colorado, returning
to Fresno State in 1980 as president.
As president, Dr. Haak was known for spending time with students and
faculty and for smoothing relations between faculty and administrators.
He was an advocate of diversity, too, reflected in an 87 percent
increase in ethnic faculty members and 61 percent increase in women
faculty.
Dr. Haak also led Fresno State’s dramatic growth in athletics, including
the university’s entrance into the Western Athletic Conference, and
shepherded the opening and planning of more than a quarter-billion
dollars worth of campus construction.
He built bridges between the campus and the community, laying important
groundwork for recent recognition of Fresno State by the Carnegie
Foundation as one of just 76 universities across the nation to achieve
Community Engagement designation.
In retirement, Dr. Haak served as California State University senior
vice chancellor of academic affairs; taught public administration at
Fresno State; directed the university’s fledgling Maddy Institute; and
was president of Fresno Pacific University.
Dr. Haak also wrote several books and articles published in several
publications. He was the author of a children’s book, “The Mudox Bugs.”
Before his death in 2003, Dr. Haak enjoyed a national reputation for his
achievements in education and public service. In his private life, he
was married 48 years and he and his wife raised two daughters, Alison
Kaiser and Janet Suniga, and had six grandsons.
The award recognizes service to the university and to the community as a
whole. It is bestowed by the Foundation, an auxiliary corporation of
Fresno State that manages university financial activities for grants,
contracts, trust accounts, investments, endowments, scholarships, loans,
gifts and donations.
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