Along his journey from first-generation college student to higher education thought leader, Charles Lu learned well the value of collaboration.
“I didn't accomplish anything by doing it in isolation,” Lu said. “I studied with people, built alongside people, brainstormed with people. I had people who had my back.”
Now a member of the External Advisory Board to the Dean for the College of Education at San Diego State University, Lu has made a significant gift to foster the spirit of collaboration in the College for years to come. The gift creates an endowment to support the Dean’s Excellence Fund, which provides flexible funding to address critical needs.
In recognition, COE’s Collaboration Hub in Lamden Hall — a state-of-the-art space for meetings, workshops, mini-conferences, receptions and small gatherings opened in 2024 — will henceforth be known as the Lu Family Collaboration Hub.
“It’s truly meaningful that the first named space in the College recognizes a family whose values so closely align with our own," said College of Education Dean Y. Barry Chung. "Since our first meeting in 2018, Charles and I have forged a wonderful collaborative relationship rooted in shared values — equity, access, and the belief that education can change lives.
“We are grateful for his support and for the Lu family’s commitment to our mission.”
A longtime leader in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in STEM, Lu has worked at The University of Texas at Austin, UC San Diego and Johns Hopkins University. Most recently, he served as Branch Chief of Strategic Initiatives and Engagement at the National Institutes of Health. Now, Lu works with top educational policy and advocacy organizations, creating strategies for the future of higher education.
But teaching in PK-12 education was where he cut his teeth, beginning his career as a middle school science teacher.
“Teaching is really just getting up day-in and day-out in front of pretty brilliant but judgy 12- to 13-year-olds … and failing a lot,” Lu said, with a laugh. “It taught me pretty much everything I know today about public speaking, leadership, planning and how to communicate clearly."
"I’m not an alum, but San Diego is home,” Lu added. “Giving to the College of Education is my way of backing the educators who shape our community.”
Lu was raised in the Washington, DC, area by Taiwanese immigrant parents who cared deeply about education. His mother was a paraeducator who also taught Chinese language classes and ensured her sons would be the first in their family to graduate from college.
“She didn't speak English fluently, but someone took a chance on her, and she was able to work in the lunchroom and help out teachers as needed,” Lu recalls. “That influenced my career trajectory."
Lu’s engagement with SDSU began by chance while working up the road at UCSD. He attended a reception hosted by Chancellor Pradeep Khosla to welcome newly-appointed SDSU President Adela de la Torre. At the reception, Lu and Chung met and began talking, finding common ground in their areas of research and their approaches to education.
The two stayed in touch, and Chung invited Lu to the External Advisory Board in 2020. He accepted an appointment to a second term in 2024.
“At the end of the day, this hub is about people,” Lu said. “When you invest in educators and in the spaces where they can learn from each other, you’re investing in students, families and the future of this region.”
