Assembly Higher Education Committee Draft Report On
Proposed Master Plan Revisions: Opposition To The Recommended
Common Mission Statement For California Public Higher Education

AS-2143-93/AA - May 6-7, 1993

WHEREAS, The 1993 draft report of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education on Proposed Master Plan Revisions includes a recommendation (#1) to adopt a common mission statement for California Public Higher Education that would:

1. specify that the "primary mission of the California public higher education system shall be to provide access to the highest quality post secondary educational opportunity at the lowest cost to residents of the state,"



2. define the "essential functions" of the system to be "the education of first time students at the vocational and baccalaureate levels the creation and application of new knowledge and technology, occupational retraining, and the instruction of graduate and professional students," and



3. call for the "enhancement of diversity, and equity" as a critical element in the system's performance of its essential elements.

WHEREAS, The draft report includes the following proposed strategies for implementation of the common mission:

1. (1) disaggragation of appropriations in the annual budget for each of the "essential functions" of the system, and designation of allocations to specific items,



2. (2) focusing resources for lower division enrollment at the Community Colleges,



3. (3) ensure enrollment priority at Community Colleges for students who have a declared objective and approved program of transfer, vocational, academic, basic skills study, and



4. (4) ensure enrollment priority for enrollment in the CSU and UC for transfer students from the Community Colleges if enrollment in the four year segments is to be "rational"

WHEREAS, The Academic Senate of the California State University is committed to access, quality, and enhancement of diversity and equity; and

WHEREAS, The Academic Senate CSU, in its resolution opposing duplicate degree tuition (AS-2136-93/AA) identified the importance of providing continued access to students who have already completed a baccalaureate degree; and

WHEREAS, The proposed common mission statement, by its specification of education of first time students as the "essential function" of the system, would detract from, rather than enhance, achievement of diversity and equity and is inconsistent with the essential function of providing occupational retraining to meet the work force needs of the state; and

WHEREAS, For the reasons stated in the Academic Senate CSU's position statement on "The Necessity of Lower Division Education to the CSU," (AS-2134-93/AA), the Academic Senate believes that substantial involvement in lower division instruction by the four year segments is essential to maintaining quality in higher education and the achievement of diversity and equity; and

WHEREAS, The proposed strategies to focus lower division enrollment growth at the Community Colleges and ensure enrollment priority for transfer students will reduce lower division enrollment in the CSU below the level necessary to sustain the essential role of lower division instruction in the CSU; and

WHEREAS, The relationship between quality and cost specified in the proposed common mission statement in the Draft Report, and corresponding strategy recommendation on line item budgeting fail to recognize differences among the segments and across institutions within the same segment and the need for greater budget flexibility at the local level to achieve policy goals appropriate to individual situations; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Academic Senate of the California State University oppose the recommended common mission statement and strategies for implementation of the proposed common mission specified in the Assembly Higher Education Committee's Draft Report on Proposed Master Plan Revisions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Academic Senate CSU urge the Legislature to refrain from prescribing absolute enrollment priorities for the segments on the basis of student status (i.e., first time students, upper division, transfer students) that mitigate against maintaining an appropriate balance and mix of students, fail to address the educational, social and economic needs of California's citizens, and limit the ability of the segments to provide for the work force needs of the state; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Academic Senate CSU urge the Legislature to refrain from further limiting budget flexibility in the segments of public higher education and separate the integrated functions performed by educational program elements offered by the segments of public higher education.

APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY -- May 7, 1993