Born in the mountains of Zacatecas, México, Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval would fish with his brother, Alfonso Jiménez Jr., in the river that surrounded their hometown when they were children. 

Jiménez-Sandoval was raised in a home built by his father’s family in 1780 until he suffered the “trauma of immigrating [to the United States] as a 10-year-old boy,” he said. 

“That’s a long time ago, and the history of the land ran deep in our bones. I tell you my story because it manifested the trauma of moving to a new land, of being an immigrant,” Jiménez-Sandoval said. 

The university president looked at Alfonso Jr. in the crowd and asked him if he remembered that time, and then he looked toward his wife and kids. All of them sat in the audience before him and listened as Jiménez-Sandoval shared his life story and gave his thanks for his position as president.

On Friday, Sept. 9, Fresno State hosted its Presidential Investiture of Jiménez-Sandoval at the Save Mart Center at 1 p.m. 

An investiture is a traditional ceremony held to honor each university president during their first year in the position, which Fresno State has participated in since its inception in 1911. 

After the event’s postponement due to COVID-19, the campus community gathered to honor Jiménez-Sandoval’s first completed year. 

The president, faculty and staff dressed in formal regalia for the ceremonial event and honored Jiménez-Sandoval with the presidential medallion toward its conclusion. 

Although Jiménez-Sandoval took center stage, his speech focused on everything except himself, as he said he was grateful for the people and events in his life. 

“In the grander scheme of things, I was one of the lucky ones,” Jiménez-Sandoval said. “I came with my entire family. I came without being a refugee or without having lost family members to genocide, or without having been displaced. This story is repeated in the many communities of our valley.”

He then transitioned into the history of the Mono and Yokuts people, whose land Fresno State is built on. Both are Native American tribes who lost their homes due to colonialism. 

Jiménez-Sandoval emphasized his goal to be a progressive president who prioritizes diversity and to “form a complex network of multicultural, visionary and determined leaders who fuel the future of our California,” he said. 

He listed movements throughout history that he said he feels “indebted to” because it allowed him the opportunity to be in the position he is today.

From African Americans who “pioneer human rights and open doors,” to Chicanx and Latinx communities fighting for “belonging and ownership,” to the Native American people and the American Asian Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Jiménez-Sandoval thanked them all in his speech for his upbringing. 

He also thanked women who “took up hammers and broke glass ceilings, calling out double standards and unfair treatment,” he said. 

“As an immigrant with deep roots in the land, I’m also immensely grateful to those individuals who fought discrimination… All of these threads are woven together so someone like me can today lead one of the most dynamic and diverse campuses within the CSU system,” Jiménez-Sandoval said.

The investiture hosted many guest speakers, including administrators from other universities like Lynnette Zelezny, the president of the California State University (CSU) Bakersfield and former vice president of academic affairs for Fresno State, the Interim CSU Chancellor Jolene Koester and administrators from Fresno Pacific University and Fresno City College. 

Each speaker provided their own reasons for why they believe Jiménez-Sandoval is well suited to be Fresno State’s president, and many were in tears by the second half of his speech, which ended the investiture.

Jiménez-Sandoval gave his final thanks to his late father, Alfonso Jiménez, and mother, Tila Sandoval. 

“I know that they’re both looking down from heaven. I’m grateful,” he said. 

He then thanked his seven siblings, five sisters and two brothers, as he is the youngest of them all. 

Jiménez-Sandoval then transitioned to talking about his wife, Mariana Anagnostopoulos, and his two sons, Arion and Leo, who both also performed the national anthem in the beginning of the investiture.

“Mariana, thank you for being the rock and thank you for being my life partner in everything. You inspire me to be a better man each and every day. My life is a testament of love for the three of you,” Jiménez-Sandoval said. 

As the investiture came to an end, Jiménez-Sandoval walked to the podium to a standing ovation and was honored with the presidential medallion, which was laid around his neck by Koester.

Days prior to the investiture, Jiménez-Sandoval told The Collegian in a previous interview that the event was about a “new era of Fresno State,” and that one of his goals as president is to make the university the “foreground of agriculture.” These same sentiments were emphasized as he finished his speech. . 

“As Fresno State impacts every facet of Valley life, the more we excel, the more our region will thrive,” he said.