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October 24, 2006

Oscar F. Porter has been selected as the new Executive Director for California's Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program. Porter served as the MESA Interim Chief Operating Officer since 2003 and directed MESA's Research, Evaluation and Information Management Division since 1995.

Porter succeeds Michael Aldaco, who is vacating the executive directorship to assume greater responsibilities as UC Assistant Vice President of Student Development and Academic Services, where he has responsibility for overseeing a number of student development efforts.  Aldaco will continue as MESA's Principal Investigator. 

"I am pleased to turn the helm over to Oscar. His broad national experience, leadership ability, and clear vision for the future are tremendous assets that will ensure the positive growth and development of MESA," said Aldaco.

As Executive Director, Porter will oversee and guide a $7.659 million statewide program whose mission is to increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students who succeed in math and science, go on to college in math-based majors, and assume careers in science, engineering and other math-based fields.  MESA operates over 70 centers and serves 22,000 students from pre-college through undergraduate levels. MESA has been replicated in seven other states. A pilot program with Hewlett-Packard has established nine community college centers in eight states that are based on California MESA.

While its statewide office is housed at the UC Office of the President, MESA is an intersegmental program with partnerships that include UC, CSU, the California Community Colleges, independent colleges and universities, and school districts and individual schools.

MESA has received national recognition for its partnerships with industry and education. It was named in 2001 as one of the nation's top five innovative public programs by Innovations in American Government, an initiative of the Ford Foundation and the JFK School of Government. In 2000 MESA received the White House's Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.

Porter is a former Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Redlands in California, where he was responsible for policy development and management of university-wide enrollment strategy and institutional research. Porter also has served as Assistant Executive Director for the National Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., and was Assistant to the President at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi.

Porter received his Ph.D. in higher education at UCLA and his M.A. in political science from Michigan State University. Porter majored in history/political science at Tufts University where he received his B.A.

For more information about MESA, visit http://mesa.ucop.edu