Power was elected at the foundation's annual meeting in July.

"We're thrilled that David Power agreed to take on the volunteer leadership of the board," said Judy C. Knudson, CSUN's vice president for university advancement. "We choose to think of it as the university getting the J.D. Power seal of approval."

Debra K. Papageorge, vice president and senior trust consultant for Morgan Stanley Trust and a CSUN alum, was elected vice chair of the foundation.

Made up of volunteers from the community, the foundation is a nonprofit auxiliary of Cal State Northridge that receives and oversees the management of private donations to the university. Among its roles is to raise money for the enhancement and support of programs that normally would not be funded by the state.

The 29-member board includes community and business leaders from across Southern California, including Wayne-Kent Bradshaw, president and CEO of Family Savings Bank; David W. Fleming, a partner with the law firm of Latham & Watkins; Charles H. Noski, executive vice president and CFO for AT&T and a CSUN alum; Philip S. Magaram, principal partner of the law firm Valensi, Rose & Magaram, PLC; former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joy Picus; and Irene Tovar, executive director of the Latin American Civic Association and a CSUN alum.

California State University, Northridge has more than 31,500 full- and part-time students and offers 59 bachelor's and 41 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the third largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges recently said CSUN "stands as a model to other public urban institutions of higher education."