Cal State Fullerton faculty member Alexandro Gradilla is known for bringing people together to advance student success.
“Most of Alexandro’s work can really be summed up in one phrase — consensus builder,” said Stephen Stambough, professor of political science. “He has an incredible ability to get people moving in the same direction, rooted in the core principles of what we do here at Cal State Fullerton.”
For his leadership, team player mindset, commitment to community service and focus on student voices, Gradilla was honored with the 2025 John W. “Jack” Bedell Leadership in Collegial Governance Award.
The award recognizes a faculty member who has gone above and beyond to serve the Titan community through their work in collegial governance. It is named in honor of John (Jack) Bedell, the late professor of sociology who exemplified campus leadership through his dedicated service and passion for helping others.
Gradilla, an associate professor of Chicana and Chicano studies, joined the Titan community in 2005 and found that his passion for campus collaboration was ideally suited for CSUF’s Academic Senate.
“I have seen the results of my leadership with the faculty, students, college, university and community, but none of these results would be possible without the authentic collegiality and partnership that must be part of any faculty governance process. Titans reach higher because we are committed to lifting and supporting one another,” said Gradilla.
With a senate career spanning 14 years, Gradilla has lent his expertise to multiple university committees and stepped into various leadership roles, including serving as an at-large senator and an executive committee member. His leadership was instrumental in adding an ethnic studies requirement to the California State University general education package.
“We had one of the best, most substantive and smooth transitions to the new requirement of all the campuses in the system. That success is because of the work of a lot of people, including and especially Alexandro Gradilla,” said Stambough, former chair of the Academic Senate and 2024 recipient of the Jack Bedell Leadership in Collegial Governance Award.
Inspired to enact change on a larger scale, Gradilla also serves on the Academic Senate of the CSU system. As a systemwide senator, he works with other CSU campus leaders to approve courses for the Social Justice Transfer Degree, which will ease the transfer process for community college students.
“Dr. Gradilla embodies the spirit of collaborative and impactful leadership in collegial governance. His unwavering commitment to academic excellence, student advocacy and community engagement makes him an exceptional candidate for this award,” said Nick Henning, professor of secondary education.
Whether he’s meeting with the senate or teaching in the classroom, Gradilla keeps his focus on student success and empowerment. In 2022, he worked with Patricia Perez, professor of Chicana and Chicano studies, and Gabriela Nunez, associate professor of Chicana and Chicano studies, to secure a $1.2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation for The Latinx Lab for Storytelling and Social Justice, which provides students with opportunities to engage their communities through narrative storytelling.
As a co-principal investigator of the grant, Gradilla helped develop Escritores Promotores, a tutoring and mentoring program that connects students with faculty experts so they can conduct research, explore graduate school options and plan for future careers. Gradilla also leads the Latinx Lab’s Social Justice and Storytelling Summer Institute. This two-week program empowers students to develop their research skills in humanities as they explore social justice issues through personal narratives.
“Dr. Gradilla’s passionate and holistic leadership supports students and others in their educational journeys. It can be seen in their growth as researchers and storytellers of their personal and community experiences,” said Barbara Miller, associate librarian.