White's academic background is in physiology, kinesiology, and human biodynamics, with an emphasis on work in muscle plasticity, injury, and aging. He was a first-generation college student who attended public institutions in California. He began his college career at Diablo Valley Community College in Pleasant Hill, then received his B.A. from Fresno State University, his master's degree from Cal State Hayward, and earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. After earning his Ph.D., White spent two years as a post-doctoral scholar in physiology at the University of Michigan before starting his academic career at Ann Arbor.
Career
White held positions as professor and chair of the Department of Human Biodynamics at UC Berkeley, and as professor and chair of the Department of Movement Science and research scientist in the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Michigan. He served at Oregon State University in Corvallis as provost and executive vice president, with an interim appointment White was named the 16th president of the University of Idaho in February 2004, and took office His leadership on the Moscow campus entailed reinvesting resources in support of five key academic priorities: science and technology, liberal arts and sciences, entrepreneurial innovation, the environment, and sustainable design and lifestyle. In 2012 he became chancellor of the 23-campus California State University system - the largest 4-year public university system in the United States. He launched Graduation Initiative 2025, aimed at increasing graduation rates for first-time and transfer students. In 2019 CSU reported that graduation rates for these groups had hit an all-time high. In October 2019 White announced that he would retire effective June 30, 2020.
Personal
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, White immigrated to Canada and then to California with his parents when he was young. He was the first in his family to go to college. In May 2011 he appeared on the CBS show Undercover Boss. During his transition to Idaho in 2004, White had unplanned heart surgery in late May in Corvallis. Experiencing chest pains, he checked himself into Good Samaritan Hospital, had a heart attack, and was rushed into emergency quintuple bypass surgery. His recovery delayed his start in Moscow from July
