Joseph Rizza

Interview Outline

00:00:46 What were the circumstances that brought you to Cal Maritime?
00:04:14 How did Cal Maritime locate you and ask you to come interview?
00:10:37 When you received a call from Governor Reagan, had you already interviewed with some people at Cal Maritime?
00:11:50 What attracted you to the job as the President of the Academy?
00:14:15 Who else did you talk to besides state legislators about your plans to improve the academic program?
00:16:19 What shape was the Academy in when you arrived, what were the pluses and minuses?
00:19:02 What were the biggest challenges you had when you came in the door?
00:20:30 How did you convince the state legislature to support improvements to the school?
00:23:52 How did you and your wife like living in the president's house on campus?
00:28:17 Just before you became president, the Academy admitted its first African American and Filipino students. Did you have any challenges in administering that transition?
00:29:36 During WWII in the Navy, African Americans and Filipinos tended to work as stewards on board the ships and weren't given opportunities. Did you encounter any climate of resistance because of that tradition?
00:30:41 The next big step about a year after you came in was the admission of the first women to the Academy. What role did you play in that change?
00:32:29 Where did the women live when they first came on campus?
00:33:11 Were there some students and faculty who were resistant to having women on campus?
00:33:43 Between 1976-78 there was a lot of construction on campus. Who did you enlist to help lay the groundwork for funding support?
00:35:56 Getting help from the Navy and Crowley when California didn't have money to fuel the training ship
00:40:07 What was the state of the maritime industry while you were at the Academy?
00:41:49 Did you have challenges recruiting faculty with a combination of practical skills and educational skills?
00:43:34 What kind of skills were you looking for during this evolution of the Academy?
00:46:41 Lobbying for new Training Ship Golden Bea
00:47:00 How well did the previous training ship work out during the years you were there?
00:48:21 Enrollment of the school was about 200 when you started as president. What was it by the time you left?
00:49:25 What was the cycle for training cruises and where did they go?
00:50:12 1977, the school went from a 3-year to a 4-year program and got WASC and ABET accreditation. What was some of the work you did to make those changes?
00:54:00 How did you work to forge ties with the Vallejo community?
00:54:42 Awards and Commendations
00:56:13 Relationship with the unions
00:59:49 You were very generous in creating an endowment for the Academy. What was your thinking behind that?
01:01:33 What's your proudest accomplishment as President of the Academy?
01:03:25 What were some of your most enjoyable moments as President?