What they're saying about Ham Shirvani

'He's a very passionate, inspirational leader'

-- Andrew Janz, public policy master's student and student body president

'He's very strong, very focused, very purposeful. ... The buzz is he's going to make a difference on this campus.'

-- Carol Whiteside, former president of the Great Valley Center, a Modesto-based think tank

'He's very proactive. Not only is he working toward university prosperity, but the city's prosperity as well.'

-- John Lazar, alumnus and Turlock mayor

'I knew he knows what quality meant in an academic institution. He knows how to recruit outstanding academic leaders. ... It seems like yesterday when he got there, but he's got a lot to do.'

-- Charles B. Reed, CSU chancellor

'Shirvani knows people in the mailroom. I've never ever seen someone who is so personable with people -- this is with everyone -- from the executive level down to the mailroom. He's a very genuine person.'

-- Frank Borrelli, financial services worker and president of the classified employees union

'He's very, very committed to the success of the university. His leadership is very strong; he has a really clear picture of what he'd like to see happen to the university.'

-- Stephen Mort, alumnus, university foundation board member and head of Don's Mobile Glass

'He is impatient because he's action-oriented. Marvalene (Hughes, past president) was dependent on and had a lot of respect for structure. Ham wants to do and fix. That's enabled change so quickly, he avoided mindless bureaucracy.'

-- Stephen Filling, accounting professor and faculty union president

'He's raised the visibility of the institution of Stanislaus State in the region. It's more important as a campus students look to.'

-- Carol Chandler, CSU trustee and Selma farmer

This story was originally published March 25, 2008 at 9:17 AM with the headline "What they're saying about Ham Shirvani."