In an email sent to students Wednesday afternoon, President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval formally recommended that the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees approve the removal of Henry Madden’s name from the university’s library.
“Given the deeply hurtful and disturbing views expressed by Dr. Madden in his writings, it is now imperative that Dr. Madden’s name be removed from the library as an important and necessary step toward healing for our community,” Jiménez-Sandoval said in a letter to Steven Relyea, executive vice chancellor and chief financial officer of the CSU.
The Board of Trustees will act on the recommendation at its July 12 meeting, according to Jiménez-Sandoval.
This recommendation comes after the Task Force to Review the Naming of the University Library presented a 74-page report in April detailing Henry Madden’s antisemitic and pro-Nazi views.
“The task force’s 74-page report exposes Dr. Madden’s hateful views, their demonstrable impact on his career as a university administrator, and the profound negative impact that his legacy has on the community,” Jiménez-Sandoval said in the letter.
Jiménez-Sandoval established a library task force to review its name after being informed of Madden’s beliefs in fall 2021.
The task force, composed of Fresno State researchers, scholars and 12 students, reviewed over 53 boxes and more than 100,000 documents. It also reviewed other materials from third-party sources and contacted living staff who knew Madden.
In April, the task force presented its findings in a preliminary report.
This included a picture of Madden in the summer of 1936 during his time as a student, in which he can be seen “giving the Hitler salute.”
“Again, this is Dr. Madden posing for this photo. Presumably, if he did not caption it, he was fully aware of the caption and he preserved this photograph that he donated to the university in 1982,” Ethan J. Kytle, Fresno State professor, said during the presentations.
The task force also unanimously found that Madden made racist remarks while an administrator at Fresno State. Madden also stated in writing that some policies and actions were influenced by his racist views, and he never apologized or expressed remorse for his antisemitic views at any point.
The library task force, Associated Students Inc. (ASI) and Academic Senate are all in support of the request to remove Henry Madden’s name from the library, according to Jiménez-Sandoval.
“A name associated with Nazism and racist views is antithetical to a center of learning and academic exploration,” he said. “I firmly believe that the naming of a building or any key campus area must align with our communal values and reflect our shared spirit of discovery, diversity and distinction.”
