Harold Hellenbrand  Harold Hellenbrand (born 1953) is a retired American college professor, scholar, administrator, and author. He has held several faculty and administrative roles at various institutions, such as the Chair of the English department at California State University, San Bernardino, Dean at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Dean at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and most notably, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at California State University, Northridge, where until his retirement he taught in the English department. He is known especially for his biography of Thomas Jefferson, "". Hellenbrand was the only child of Julius A. Hellenbrand, an attorney and justice of the New York State Supreme Court, and Gail Hellenbrand, a politician. According to a 2012 interview with Cal State Northridge's student newspaper, The Sundial, Hellenbrand wanted be an architect when he was a kid, because he always liked design and mathematics. He played soccer, baseball, and football, with soccer being his favorite sport. His favorite novel is "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison. Raymond Chandler is his favorite author, and his favorite film is "Dog Day Afternoon", starring Al Pacino  Harold Hellenbrand attended Poly Prep in Brooklyn, graduating in 1971. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and American literature from Harvard College in 1975. He later received his doctorate in modern thought and literature from Stanford University in 1980. Hellenbrand started his career as a faculty member in the English Department, and later as Chair, at California State University, San Bernardino from 1982 to 1994. He later moved to Minnesota where he served as Dean and Professor at the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, Duluth from 1994 to 1998. He served as Dean and Professor at the College of Liberal Arts at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo from 1998 to 2004. He currently serves as Professor in the English Department at California State University, Northridge, where he had earlier served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for eleven years, during which time he implemented several major changes on campus. Hellenbrand became Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at California State University, Northridge in 2004. He served in this capacity until January 2012, when he was appointed Interim President at CSUN by the Chancellor of the California State University (CSU) system. Hellenbrand served in the interim role until Dianne F. Harrison was appointed as the president of CSUN in June 2012, when he returned to the provost and vice president position.