Supporting ACR 193 (Liu and Scott):
High-quality Higher Education

AS-2656-04/FGA - March 6-7, 2004

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of the California State University (CSU) support the emphasis on access, high quality, and equity among the general policy goals proposed in ACR 193; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate CSU applaud the statement in ACR 193:

"The California State Legislature declares that a top priority in future state policy and budgets is the provision of opportunities for high-quality education"; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate CSU urge Senator Scott and Assembly Member Liu to emphasize the importance of high quality by amending the third resolve clause, subsection (c) as follows:

The State of California, and its taxpayers, shall provide adequate and appropriate public investment in higher education to accomplish the policy goal of high-quality teaching and programs of excellence on the campuses of California's public community colleges and universities and to ensure that all California high school graduates can attend a public college or university to secure the benefits of a college education.

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate forward this resolution to the Chancellor and Board of Trustees and to Senator Scott and Assembly Member Liu.

RATIONALE: The Academic Senate Chair Robert Cherny advised the Assembly of Higher Education Committee in fall 2003 of the Academic Senate's deep concern with the erosion of quality in the CSU since the early 1990s. Many key indicators of quality were seriously eroded at that time, and most have not yet recovered. We are now experiencing a new round of budget-cutting, estimated at nearly 22% over three years (2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05), even though we have not yet recovered from the cuts of a decade ago.

This joint resolution by the chairs of legislative policy committees in both Houses of the California legislature declares "that a top priority in future state policy and budgets would be the provision of opportunities for high-quality higher education consistent with the Master Plan for Higher Education in California." The resolution sets forth the dimensions of the enrollment growth expected between 2005 and 2015, the short and long term deficit in revenues compared with current and projected expenditures and the resulting expectation to serve increasing numbers of students without a comparable increase in state funding, and the critical role of higher education in the economic growth and prosperity of the state. The resolution further recommits to the provision of opportunities consistent with the Master Plan including "all feasible steps" to provide access, the resources to support student success, and "ensure the most efficient use of limited state resources."