Former Fresno State Vice President Deborah Adishian-Astone received a substantial raise and took home more state pay than anyone on campus in 2024, the year the Fresno State Foundation she led was riddled with governance and operational weaknesses that left it vulnerable to abuse and fraud, according to a critical CSU report released this month.
A California State University review, which generated a 32-page report, found 46 areas requiring remedial action at the nonprofit, which manages more than $315 million in university gifts and endowments, as well as awards and post-grant programs. The review, which looked at fiscal year 2024, found problems in budget and financial practices, indirect cost recovery, endowment management and internal controls, among others.
Adishian-Astone’s total pay in fiscal year 2024 was $461,319, which included $97,213 in “other payments,” a one-time payout from paid vacation, vacation or sick leave. She retired at the end of 2024. Her base salary was $364,107, an 18.4 percent increase from fiscal year 2023, according to a state employee salary database maintained by the Sacramento Bee. That pay rise was not a one-time increase. It included 5 percent systemwide general salary increases in 2023 and 2024 and an 8 percent equity increase that took effect in 2023, according to the university.
With the one-time retirement, Adishian-Astone was the highest-paid, non-presidential administrator anywhere in the 23-campus Cal-State system, the nation’s largest public 4-year university. Her total salary for fiscal year 2024 was higher than Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval.
Jiménez-Sandoval, who was in his third year as president at the time of the review, was paid $446,580 in fiscal year 2024. CSU’s board of trustees in November approved sizable raises for campus presidents, along with increased housing allowances, performance bonuses and deferred compensation for some, even as campuses across the system face budget cuts. Fresno State’s president will now receive $523,617, a 17.3 percent increase.
The salary increases for presidents and top administrators, along with the critical review of the Foundation by CSU Audit and Advisory Services, has rattled faculty and staff at a time when budgets are under stress from state cuts.
“Fresno State’s failed administrative oversight of university finances and the exorbitant pay of administrators is no surprise,” Vang Vang, Fresno State librarian and California Faculty Association treasurer, said in a statement to The Fresno Bee.
“This is just one of many attempts by administrations to treat the university like a business rather than a public education system. I love working at Fresno State – the mission, the values and the differences we can make for our students and communities. So I hope that what the auditor found and recommended will be implemented. It’s not too late. Fresno State deserves better and our members will know how to be responsible for our students. spent.”
Adishian-Astone, who now works for San José State as a special assistant to the president, did not respond to requests for comment from The Bee about the CSU review or for this article. Fresno State released a copy of CSU’s review on Jan. 9, and aside from releasing a written statement, Jiménez-Sandoval did not respond to requests for further comment.
Here is a list of Fresno State’s highest paid in FY 2024
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Former football coach Jeff Tedford had the third-highest state salary at Fresno State at $390,634 — with total payment at 1.8 million dollarswhich included additional compensation through the university’s Athletic Corporation, performance bonuses and benefits.
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Kent Willisthe university’s former vice president for student affairs, ranked fourth at $380,133 including a one-time withdrawal of benefits. Willis left the university in 2024.
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Rector Xuanning Fu was fifth at $333,844.
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Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Bao Johari ranked sixth at $287,767 and vice president for university advancement Brady Cook ranked ninth at $275,883.
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The other three spots in the top 10 were filled by athletic trainers — former women’s basketball coach Jaime White ranked seventh at $285,975former basketball coach Justin Hutson ranked eighth at $273,804 and former football defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle ranked 10th at $263,834.
The Fresno State Foundation, according to the CSU report, had a number of problems that ran counter to industry best practices.
It did not have an adequate system to oversee its 22 operating and investment accounts – seven of these accounts were balanced and reconciled only once a year at the end of the year. That, according to the CSU report, increased the risk of fraud or embezzlement.
The review also found that the Foundation sometimes had the same person both prepare and approve wire transfers and other payments, some from scholarship and trust accounts, that ranged from $2.2 million to $5.3 million.