Chancellor, California State University
CSU Board of Trustees - Chancellor's Report
Long Beach, CA
September 20, 2006
Thank you, Chair Achtenberg. I want to join you in welcoming Trustee Glen Toney.
Congratulations are also in order for Debra Farar and Lou Monville on your recent confirmations.
Executive Compensation
We held a good discussion yesterday on executive compensation. We had several good recommendations on policy and procedure and we will bring those recommendations back before the board in November.
Budget
We are moving forward on the 2007/08 budget. As you heard from Patrick yesterday, we will be asking for funding above the Compact - about seven percent above - for the first time since our agreement with Governor Schwarzenegger.
Cornerstones
Also you heard today from Gary Reichard about our plans for going forward with Cornerstones follow-up.
During my nearly nine years at the California State University, Cornerstones has served as an important strategic framework for all of the priorities we set and projects we pursue.
I think it's important at this point to take a step back and evaluate where we need to go in the next decade. I know that the new strategic plan will serve as a critical tool in helping us figure out how to get there.
Bargaining
On the bargaining front, I appreciate getting the agreements that we have reached, and I hope we can reach a successful conclusion with our other bargaining units.
Communications and Advocacy
As you heard yesterday, we have received a $50,000 gift from the Boeing Company to help us continue to distribute our popular "How to Get to College" posters.
We have redesigned the posters to make them more reader-friendly, especially for younger students.
We will be distributing half a million posters this year as a result of our partnership with Boeing. The mailings will begin next week.
Looking ahead, we are planning to host two more "Super Sunday" college information events this winter.
Our previous "Super Sunday" events at African-American churches in Northern and Southern California reached more than 30,000 people.
We are also continuing to reach out to California's key industry leaders. We are preparing for another special discussion forum in November, this time with the criminal justice industry. The forum will be held on November 3 at Cal State L.A., which is building one of the most significant crime labs in the country.
The CSU is a major player in the criminal justice field in California. Statewide, we prepare 89 percent of the total graduates in criminal justice-related disciplines.
Last but not least, on the Veterans Education Opportunities Partnership program, we are making important progress statewide:
- Every CSU campus has identified a veterans support team that includes liaisons for admissions, outreach, and in several cases, services for students with disabilities;
- The CSU has created a dedicated web site with more information for veterans: www.calstate.edu/veterans. This page offers information on admissions, applications, transferring credits, and financial aid.
Commission Report
The last thing I want to mention is the new report from the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, chaired by Charles Miller. The report was released yesterday, and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will hold a press release on the report next Tuesday.
The report cites the CSU's EAP and our college opportunity outreach efforts as models for the rest of the country.
The report has received some criticism from many universities and higher education groups for its position on accountability and transparency. However, I am proud that the CSU is on the record as supporters of this report.
Chair Achtenberg, that concludes my report.