Haynes assumed her leadership role at San Marcos on Feb. 1. She succeeds former President Alexander Gonzalez, who became president of CSU Sacramento this past July. Roy McTarnaghan, president emeritus of Florida Gulf Coast University, has been serving as interim president.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for me to work at a campus with a diverse and growing student body, dedicated administrators, faculty and staff and robust community support. I am extremely honored to be coming to Cal State San Marcos, and especially identify with its mission of quality and access," Haynes said. "As president I look forward to working with the campus and community to further clarify the university's strategic plan and vision statement, and to better incorporate technology to provide additional student access, especially in these times of budgetary cutbacks."

"Karen Haynes will be an outstanding president who will strengthen the programs and continue the progress made at San Marcos since its founding in 1989," said Debra S. Farar, chair of the CSU Board of Trustees. "Her considerable administrative and academic skills make her the ideal person to further enhance the image and reputation of Cal State San Marcos in the region and throughout the state. We are pleased that she will become the university's third permanent president."

Haynes has served as president of the University of Houston-Victoria since 1995. From 1985 to 1995, she was the dean and a professor in the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work. Previously, she was an assistant and associate professor of social work at Indiana University. She received her Ph.D. in social work from the University of Texas at Austin.

Excerpted with permission from CSU Leader, November 20, 2003

California State Student Association (CSSA) - Working for Students

The California State Student Association (CSSA) provides a unified voice for the 414,000 students of the California State University system. The association represents each of the system's 23 campuses, which range in diversity from the northern California redwood campus of Humboldt State University to the southernmost campus of San Diego State University.

During the 2002-2003 academic year, the CSSA successfully mobilized thousands of students to advocate for CSU on several issues including:

• Supporting Proposition 47, the bond measure which provided $496 million to CSU campuses for new facilities and building repair;
  
• Conducting one of the largest campus voter registration drives and registering more than 13,000 young voters;
  
• Opposing Proposition 54, the racial privacy initiative; and
  
• Lobbying to protect student interests such as affordable fees and the reauthorization of the federal Higher Education Act.
  

The 2003 CSSA board has already accomplished a great deal. It has passed important resolutions and action plans pertaining to campus parking fees, sustainability, and the CSU budget. It has opened a dialogue with other CSU constituents on a long-term student fee policy. It has performed an assessment of shared governance practices on our campuses.

Shared governance is a collegial system of collaboration on policy that affects faculty, staff, students, and alumni, including but not limited to: curriculum, budget, fees, academic freedom, campus community, resources, long-range planning, facilities, and faculty, staff, and student affairs. Through committees and meetings, the CSU provides an avenue for faculty, staff, and students to participate in this collaboration. At its best, the collaboration is characterized by open communication, shared responsibility/shared credit, inclusiveness, equal involvement, lack of surprises, consultation, flexibility in meeting the needs of all stakeholders, diversified opinion, and equal representation.

CSSA is currently planning its systemwide annual conference. The California Higher Education Student Summit (CHESS) as well as a Cal State Cares project that will place Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) volunteers in financial aid workshops sponsored by state legislators to help high school students complete financial aid application forms.

If your students would like to join the CSSA student leaders at an upcoming conference in your area, please encourage them to review its meeting schedules and additional information at www.csustudents.org.