Dr. Francine Oputa, who retired from Fresno State in 2020 after a long and distinguished career, died unexpectedly on Sept. 14 in Fresno at the age of 70.
Her time at Fresno State — most recently as the director of the Cross Cultural and Gender Center — spanned more than 30 years, during which she led campus efforts in the areas of human relations, equity, conflict resolution and diversity.
For most of her time on campus, she worked in the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, where her legacy is still felt on campus today. She was a champion not only for staff and faculty, but she had a profound impact on the innumerable students she advised, counseled and mentored.
“Dr. Oputa was Fresno State’s unwavering champion for diversity, equity and inclusion, serving as the guiding light for discussions on challenging issues with integrity, resolve and visionary leadership,” said university President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. “Her impact on our campus community, both personally and professionally, is immeasurable. Dr. Oputa was a mentor and a source of inspiration to many of us. While we are collectively heartbroken over this tremendous loss, we are also deeply grateful for Dr. Oputa’s legacy of bridge-building, dialogue and fellowship.”
She first came to Fresno State as a graduate student in 1979 and worked as a teaching assistant in what is now the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism. In 1990, Oputa was hired as adjunct faculty in Africana studies and later taught women’s studies.
In August 1991, she was named the founding director of the Women’s Resource Center on campus. Over the years, the name and focus of the center broadened its scope beyond women’s issues, devoting resources to issues of diversity, culture and heritage. Oputa continued to lead the center and related efforts on campus. She remained a steadfast champion, ensuring Fresno State became a campus rooted in diversity and equity.
“I honor Dr. Francine for her humility, commitment to social justice, and for paving the way for me,,” said Dr. Rashanda Booker, the inaugural university diversity officer. “She is the giant whose shoulders I proudly stand on in an effort to continue the pursuit of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging for Fresno State and beyond. She was my coach, my sister, my safe space, my friend.”
Oputa was instrumental in bringing diversity training to campus in 2001 through the National Coalition Building Institute. In June 2015, the Center for Women and Culture, which included the Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute and the Women’s Resource Center, evolved into the Cross Cultural and Gender Center.
Estevan Parra Guerrero Jr., now director of Fresno State’s Upward Bound programs, was the coordinator of LGBTQ+ and Gender Programs and Services under Oputa’s leadership in the Cross Cultural and Gender Center. He said her example taught him to lead authentically and unapologetically.
He wrote this on her tribute site: “Being in your presence, I felt safe, heard and belonged. You equipped me to advocate for myself and speak up for what is right, no matter who is in the room. During tough conversations, I now ask myself, ‘What would Dr. Francine Oputa do?’”
Oputa was instrumental in reviving the publication of Uhuru Na Umoja, the African American student newspaper supplement, in 2017. That same year, then-University President Joseph I. Castro appointed Oputa as chair of the President’s Commission on Human Relations and Equity, established in 1991 by then-President John D. Welty.
Oputa’s work extended into the greater Fresno community. She served on the city of Fresno’s Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission.
Fresno Metro Ministry honored her in 2006 for her work in promoting diversity and cultural inclusion throughout the Fresno community.
In 2020, the African American Historical and Cultural Museum of the San Joaquin Valley honored Oputa as a trailblazer, a distinction given to members of the African American community for their “grand efforts, contributions and ‘first’ that they have endured for the good of the community.”
“Dr. Oputa touched the lives of thousands of people at the university and in the Central Valley,” said Welty, who served as Fresno State’s president from 1991 to 2013. “She launched the Cultural Heritage Center and was a leader in the establishment of the Women’s Center, which she expanded to serve many other groups. Her commitment to equity and justice was evident in everything that she did. She served as a role model for many students, staff and faculty. Her energetic and selfless commitment to others should never be forgotten. She truly made the university a better place as a result of her service.”
Jiménez-Sandoval ordered Fresno State’s national and state flags to be posted at half-staff on Friday, Sept. 29, to honor Oputa’s legacy. Details about services honoring Oputa’s life can be found on this memorial site.
