Biography
Dr. Hamid Shirvani has been in higher education for 33 years, with 26 years in senior executive leadership and management posts.
In these positions, Dr. Shirvani has successfully led the complete restructuring of several colleges and universities, producing substantially increased productivity, including increases in enrollments, the quality of student applicants, the quality of educational offerings, funded research activities, R&D development and net revenue.
Currently, Dr. Shirvani is President of the California State University, Stanislaus. Prior to assuming this position, he served as Provost and Executive Vice President at Chapman University; Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research at Queens College of the City University of New York; Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell; and Dean of the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado at Denver. In addition, he has served on the faculties of the State University of New York at Syracuse and the Pennsylvania State University. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Princeton University, an M.L.A. from Harvard University, and an M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Dr. Shirvani is internationally well known for his contributions to the fields of architecture and urban design and planning. He has authored three books—Design Review Process (1981), The Urban Design Process (1985), Beyond Public Architecture (1990)—as well as several dozen papers in various refereed and professional journals and several dozen papers at national and international conferences. His books have been used as major texts in classrooms throughout the United States and abroad. In particular, The Urban Design Process, which has been translated into four languages, is a major classic on the subject.
In addition, Dr. Shirvani served as editor and/or on the editorial board of Journal of Architectural Education (1988-94); Avant Garde (1988-94); Journal of Planning Education and Research (1987-93); Urban Design and Presentation Quarterly (1987-89); Journal of the American Planning Association (1983-85); UD Review (1982-87); and Art and Architecture (1974-78). In October of 2004, he was awarded the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and was invested as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. He was invested as a Knight in the Order of Malta in 2009. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, Recipient of Special Commendation by the American Institute of Architects (2003) for his contributions in the fields of architecture and urban design, Recipient of the Seikyo Culture Award of Japan (1999) and is listed in the Who's Who in the World. He has lectured at 27 international and 48 U.S. universities, several dozen public and private agencies, and professional societies. He is the recipient of grants from National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Education, DeWitt Wallace – Reader's Digest Fund and Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation. For his distinguished service and significant scholarly and academic achievements, Soka University of Japan bestowed upon him the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2003. In 2007 and again in 2009, the statewide student government body of the 23-campus California State University system recognized Dr. Shirvani as "President of the Year." Most recently, Rotary International named him the Paul Harris Fellow for his meritorious public service.
Currently Dr. Shirvani serves as the Chair of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Presidents/Chancellors’ Group, Chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Committee on Economic and Workforce Development, and Chair of the Turlock Business Council. He is a member of the United Nations Commission for Disarmament Education, Conflict Resolution and Peace, the Executive Committee of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), the Governing Board of the Stockton Site Authority, and the Executive Committee of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC).
He previously served on the Board of Directors of Competition Inc. and ICMT, Inc.; and as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Presidents Council, the American Council on Education (ACE) Commission on International Initiatives, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Committee on Professional Development, the Higher Education Consortium of Central California (HECCC), the Stanislaus County Children’s Council, the Gallo Center for the Arts, the Modesto Chamber of Commerce and the Turlock Chamber of Commerce.
He has also overseen successful reaccreditation of four major public institutions, including California State University, Stanislaus. He served as chair or member of accreditation visiting teams at several universities, including Rutgers, Syracuse and Hunter College.
