President Michael Ortiz Named to California Student Aid Commission

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President Michael Ortiz Named to California Student Aid Commission
President Michael Ortiz was recently named to the California Student Aid Commission and the Commission on No Child Left Behind.

President Michael Ortiz has been named to the California Student Aid Commission, which administers more than $2.4 billion in grants and loans, as the California State University representative. The appointment was announced by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on March 15.

“For many Californians, financial aid is the primary conduit to a college degree,” says President Ortiz. “With the rising cost of education and the growing need for skilled professionals, this commission can make a significant difference in improving the economic and social health of our state.”

The Student Aid Commission consists of members appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly and Senate Rules Committee who represent segments of the state’s higher education community, students and the general public. Commissioners include:

  • Josefina Baltodano, executive vice president for strategic planning & advancement, Alliant International University
  • Rory Diamond, law student, University of San Diego
  • Michele Dyke, early academic outreach program/partnership coordinator, University of California, Davis
  • James Fousekis, attorney at law, DLAPiper/Rudnick
  • Sally Furay, attorney at law and consultant for higher education
  • Dean Johnston, president, Santa Barbara Business College
  • Adele Levine, professor emeritus, San Jose State University
  • Louise McClain, head counselor, Granite Hills High School
  • J. Michael Ortiz, president, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
  • David Roth, director of community education programs, Occidental College
  • James Sandoval, vice chancellor of student affairs, University of California, Riverside

The California Student Aid Commission is the primary state agency for the administration of financial aid programs available to students attending all public and private universities, colleges and vocational schools in California. These programs include grant, work-study, loan assumption and loan programs supported by the state and the federal government.

Since its creation by the legislature in 1955, the commission has continued to evolve in response to the changing needs of California students and postsecondary institutions. Once a small state scholarship agency with a handful of employees, the commission has become a highly complex financial aid organization.

The commission and its nonprofit loan auxiliary, EDFUND, administer more than $2.4 billion in grants and loan guarantees. The commission also provides financial aid policy analysis and leadership, in partnership with California’s colleges, universities, financial institutions and financial aid associations.

Ortiz was also recently named to the bi-partisan independent Commission on No Child Left Behind. Congress is scheduled to begin reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2007, and over the next 12 to 18 months the commission will conduct a high level, independent and bipartisan analysis of No Child Left Behind.

The Commission on No Child Left Left Behind is co-chaired by former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and former Georgia Governor Roy E. Barnes. The commission represents a vast cross section of Americas key education stakeholders.  Commission members include:

  • Craig Barrett, chairman of the board, Intel Corporation
  • Christopher Edley, Jr., dean, University of California, Berkeley School of Law
  • Eugene Garcia, dean, Arizona State University, School of Education
  • Judith E. Heumann, adviser on Disability and Development, World Bank Group
  • Thomas Y. Hobart, Jr.,  former New York State United Teachers president
  • Jaymie Reeber Kosa, middle school teacher, West Windsor-Plainsboro School District, Princeton, New Jersey
  • Andrea Messina, vice chairman, Charlotte County Schools, School Board, Florida
  • J. Michael Ortiz, president, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
  • James Pughsley, former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Edward B. Rust Jr., chairman and CEO, State Farm Insurance Companies
  • John Theodore Sanders, executive chairman Cardean Learning Group and co-chair of the National Commission on Teaching and Americas Future
  • Jennifer Smith, director, Principal Leadership Initiative, District of Columbia Public Schools
  • Ed Sontag, senior adviser and acting deputy director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

The NCLB commission will use several means to gather information and public input for its recommendations. This includes hosting five national hearings focusing on teachers, assessments, accountability, and sanctions and incentives. Another key element in the commission’s efforts will be its Web site: www.nclbcommission.org, which includes background information on the No Child Left Behind Act, updates on Commission activities, and state-by-state academic achievement data. The Web site allows users to submit their concerns, ideas and thoughts about NCLB directly to the commission. Lastly, the commission staff will issue a series of white papers that highlight key NCLB policy issues. These papers will be available on the Commission Web site.

Housed at the Aspen Institute, the commission is funded by some of the top education foundations in the nation, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Spencer Foundation.

President Ortiz joined Cal Poly Pomona in August 2003. He was previously provost and vice president of academic affairs for California State University, Fresno from 1997 to 2003 and associate provost and professor of special education in 1996. He was interim and associate provost at the University of Southern Colorado from 1993 to 1996 and dean of continuing education and director of the summer school from 1990 to 1993. Ortiz was a professor with Appalachian State University from 1972 to 1990, concluding his tenure as director of the Office Extension Instruction and professor of language, reading and exceptionalities. He also was a special education teacher in Albuquerque, NM. Ortiz received a Ph.D. in early childhood special education from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His master’s is in special education from the University of New Mexico, where he also received a bachelor’s degree in English, secondary education and coaching.