As a part of the CSU’s team training day, Sacramento Bee Columnist Daniel Weintraub, former Assembly Member Russ Bogh, Jerry Azevedo and Jose Hermocillo of APCO Worldwide, and Assistant Vice Chancellor Karen Y. Zamarippa addressed representatives of the 23 campuses.

Mr. Weintraub talked about the CSU being the engine of California, specifically its middle class and provided an insightful view of Sacramento’s political climate. Mr. Bogh spoke about effective strategies to communicate with elected officials and how to win them as allies. He noted that it’s easier to say "no" to someone you don’t know then it is to a friend. He also stressed the importance of staying at home: Make sure to visit your member at their district office, invite them to campus, think of ways to include them as a part of campus activities.

Mr. Azevedo and Mr. Hermocillo of APCO highlighted the four keys to successful advocacy, including the integrated approach, clear goal setting, smart planning, and disciplined execution.

The integrated approach can be seen as a web of interconnected sharing of responsibilities with the Office of the Chancellor being at the center and Government Relations, Media Relations, Community Relations, Alumni Relations, Public Affairs and Advancement working together, bridging the silos of responsibility, making the completion of the common goal more likely.

Clear goal setting allows for a focused team, but also allows the team to consider alternatives that may be acceptable. With any goal there must be an assessment of risk in achieving the goal and also consideration given to the ideal goal versus the practical goal, and how to balance the two.

Smart planning should be research driven, it should be collaborative, it should be cognizant of the environment you are working in, it should identify resources/points of leverage and it should be adaptable.

Disciplined execution requires that you stay true to the plan and your message. It also requires that your activity be consistent and ongoing, being mindful of important milestones and is dependent on all team members fulfilling their responsibilities.

APCO also suggested that a message should be personalized, the use of a good third party to help deliver the message, and the use of champions who will work hard to communicate the message. They also suggested that you should lean toward the center and tailor your message and your techniques to your audience.

Afterwards the campuses broke into seven different work groups and using Mr. Weintraub’s comments along with Assembly Member Bogh’s and APCO’s presentations, worked on campus strategies to reach out to their elected officials regarding the CSU Board of Trustee’s Student Services budget proposal.

Finally, Assistant Vice Chancellor Karen Y. Zamarripa provided an overview of 2007 by highlighting the system’s three budget priorities which include asking for $24 million for increased student services, $27 million to address salary gaps, and $77 million to provide an adequate level of financial aid to ensure that the goal of higher education continues to be within reach. Ms. Zamarripa also highlighted how the CSU delivers for California, how its students are California, and that the Trustees support CSU employees by adopting a plan to address salary lags, providing multi-year offers for salary increases, and covering the rising increase in health care costs.