About President Haynes

Dr. Karen S. Haynes serves as the third president of California State University San Marcos. She began her tenure in 2004. Today, this modern, 21st century campus is celebrating its 20th anniversary and Dr. Haynes is leading CSUSM into its third decade with her eye continually trained on social transformation through access and education. 

Now in her second university presidency, Dr. Haynes has long championed higher education as an engine of individual opportunity and regional prosperity, drawing upon her experience as a social worker.  She is trail-blazing a new path for CSUSM, one that is paved with regional partnerships and creative solutions to regional challenges.  Among her many pioneering initiatives, Dr. Haynes has partnered with school districts, businesses, non-profits, and Native tribes to create pathways to CSUSM for underserved student populations.

Guided by a comprehensive strategic plan, Haynes has overseen tremendous growth at Cal State San Marcos, including a 25 percent increase in student population, a nearly 50 percent increase in the number of students of color, and the physical expansion of the campus.  Under her leadership, the university has won acclaim for excellence in 21st-century learning... for building educational access and equity... for institutional accountability... and for community engagement and transformational regional impact.

Dr. Haynes' thirty-year career in higher education includes academic leadership roles at the University of Houston-Victoria where she served as president for nine years and dean of the Graduate School of Social Work for ten years. She holds a doctorate in social work from the University of Texas in Austin and a MSW from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 

Dr. Haynes has authored articles on political social work and, with her husband Jim Mickelson, co-authored the landmark text, "Affecting Change: Social Workers in the Political Arena," now in its seventh edition.  She is the Presidential Sponsor for the American Council on Education's Southern California Network of Women in Higher Education, and she serves on the regional board of the San Diego Economic Development Corporation. She was honored in 2007 with the San Diego YWCA's Top Women in Industry Award for contributions to the community and the San Diego Business Journal's "Women Who Mean Business" Award.

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