One day after International Women’s Day, Dr. Gayle E. Hutchinson was appointed as the first female president of Chico State.

“I think it’s great that we have a woman president now after 127 years,” said Analicia Hawkins, the women’s program coordinator for the Gender and Sexuality Equity Center.

Hawkins said the new appointment can encourage women both at Chico State and in the community to reach new aspirations.

“I think it’s really important to see that representation for people who maybe want to work in that field after college or people that want to work in higher education,” she said. “Especially for female students on this campus.”

Fifty-three percent of Chico State’s current student population is female and 47 percent is male. In addition, the Associated Students president, Deanna Jarquin, is also a woman.

Jarquin is the representative for Chico State students and holds a seat in several academic committees composed of faculty and administration.

Hutchinson spoke with The Orion about her thoughts on this historical moment.

Elizabeth Castillo can be reached at [email protected] or @ElizabethC718 on Twitter.