Statewide Access to California State University

AS-3015-11/FGA (Rev)

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of the California State University (ASCSU) recognize that the
individual CSU campuses were brought together as a system by the Donahoe Higher Education Act of 1960; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the ASCSU recognize that the universities which comprise the CSU are public
institutions of higher education dedicated to serving students drawn from the entire state of California and beyond, and are not, nor should they be, considered solely regional institutions; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the ASCSU recognize that a shift to a mandated regionalization of CSU campuses
would diminish the broad diversity of the CSU campuses, thereby diminishing the quality of the educational experience for their students as well as making it more difficult for the CSU campuses to navigate the difficult fiscal situation; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the ASCSU distribute this resolution to the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, campus Presidents, campus Provosts/Vice Presidents Academic Affairs, California State Student Association, and campus Senate Chairs.

RATIONALE: On February 14, 2011, the Legislative Analyst issued a report called,“The Master Plan at 50: Guaranteed Regional Access Needed for State Universities” (http://lao.ca.gov/reports/2011/edu/regional_access/regional_access_021411.pdf). The ASCSU disagrees with the premise and conclusion of that document. The report stated that, “While the Master Plan did not specifically assign to the California State University (CSU) a regional role, CSU campuses—through their admissions policies and other practices—largely focused on regional education needs." In response the LAO recommended that, “…the Legislature (1) formalize a regional education role for CSU in statute, (2) codify its expectations for CSU’s eligibility pool, and (3) direct CSU to adjust its enrollment policies accordingly.”

California has changed dramatically in the 50 years since the passage of the Donahoe
Act. The CSU and its campuses must be allowed reasonable flexibility in dealing with the new demographic and fiscal realities that they operate under. The ASCSU strongly believe that far-reaching policy changes such as those proposed in the LAO report are best left within the purview of the faculty and administrations, the individual CSU campuses, and the CSU Chancellor’s Office.

The ASCSU notes that the California Community Colleges are so named to reflect their
inherently local constituencies; the California State University is so named to reflect its
service to the entire state population.

Approved – May 5-6, 2011