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Memorial service to honor former dean

By Shannon Milliken
The Collegian

A memorial service honoring Fresno State’s former dean of the College of Arts and Humanities will be held on campus Thursday.

Dr. Luis F. Costa, former dean of Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities, died Aug. 26 from cancer. Costa, 63, was dean of the college for 14 years, from 1990 until his retirement in 2004. During his time at Fresno State, he made several contributions to the College of Arts and Humanities as well as to the university. Vida Samiian, Costa’s successor as dean, worked alongside him as Associate Dean for nearly 10 years. She said Costa taught her a lot. “He moved the college to a level of excellence,” Samiian said.

“He valued the process of education and his door was always open.” During his tenure at Fresno State, Costa approved the Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing, and he was key in two program mergers. In these tasks, Samiian said, he provided a great deal of leadership. “He made sure all the faculty was on board,” Samiian said. He wanted a positive climate.”

Also during the time Costa served at Fresno State, he founded University High School and was a leader in bringing the CSU Summer Arts program to Fresno. Although the Summer Arts program was previously held at such locations as Long Beach and San Luis Obispo, Samiian said it has really flourished at Fresno State. The program just completed its eighth season at the campus, and is guaranteed to remain in Fresno for four more years. In addition to his list of contributions to the Fresno State campus, Costa was also a past President of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences.

“This shows his leadership at a national level and his leadership in that organization really put Fresno State on the map,” Samiian said. “He really was a leader.” Before becoming such an established leader, Costa received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the University of California at Berkeley.

He then came to Fresno State, where he earned master’s degrees in Spanish and mathematics, before continuing to UC Los Angeles to obtain his doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese literature. Costa taught at Vassar College and was head of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Texas A&M University, before returning to Fresno State to work. “He always believed and respected people he worked with,” Samiian said. “As a result, he gained trust and respect of many people on campus, especially the faculty and staff of the college.” The memorial will be held for Costa at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, in the Music Building Concert Hall.