The incoming chancellor of the California State University system was granted his wish Wednesday to have his future salary reduced by 10 percent.

The salary decrease for Timothy White to a new total of $410,000 per year was approved Wednesday by the university's Board of Trustees at a meeting at the CSU headquarters in Long Beach.

White said he asked for the reduction because "there remain grave economic issues to solve in California and the California State University," despite voters' passage of Proposition 30, a tax increase, on Nov. 6.

"As I join the faculty, staff and students who have experienced cuts, salary freezes, and increased fees, I too must do my part," White said.

White, 63, is currently chancellor of the University of California at Riverside and will take office as the leader of CSU in late December.

The university educates 427,000 students at 23 campuses. Bay Area campuses include California State University East Bay, the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University and Sonoma State University. 

White's salary will be made up of $380,000 in state funds plus a $30,000 supplement from the donor-funded CSU Foundation.

He was originally scheduled to receive the same salary as outgoing Chancellor Charles Reed, which was $421,500 in state money plus the $30,000 foundation supplement. The 10 percent reduction applies only to the state-funded portion of the salary.

White noted in his statement that most CSU employees, including campus presidents, have seen no pay increase since 2007.

CSU Board Chair Bob Linscheid said, "Tim was not obligated to make the request to reduce his compensation, but it is a testament to his commitment to the CSU and a demonstration of his leadership."

White, a biology and biomedical sciences professor who earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, has been chancellor at UC Riverside since 2008.

Before that, he was president of the University of Idaho from 2004 to 2008 and was a professor and administrator at Oregon State University, UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan.