Chancellor's Report

to the Board of Trustees

May 15, 2002

I would like to thank Trustee Farar for her thoughtful words about the California State University system. Her reference to the CSU as the largest, most diverse, fastest growing university system is true. In fact, this fall we expect to welcome 20,000 new students. Letters have gone out to those 20,000 students and they will show up on our campuses in August.

Sometimes we tend to be caught up in the day-to-day details that we work on and we do not think about what the CSU does. What is does is it reaches out to all kinds of people who would not ordinarily have a chance at higher education. Those students come to our campuses and learn from our faculty. Then they go back out there and really become the economic engine that drives this great state. This is truly a great university. So thank you again for those kind words, Trustee Farar.

I also want to thank the many dedicated individuals and leaders whose terms are ending for their dedication and support of the CSU. Dan Cartrwright, thank you for your work and for your kind words. Alistair McCrone, thank you for your leadership and for being the gentleman's gentlemen that you are. Robert Garcia, you and your board have had another outstanding year representing 400,000 students. Thank you for your leadership and your boards' leadership. Also, as Debra said, the Academic Senate leadership is turning over. Thank you all for your dedication and leadership in making the CSU a better place.

I have spent most of the time in the last couple of months talking about three areas, budget, bonds, and bargaining. Yesterday you heard a report from Richard West on the budget so I do not need to say too much about that. The only thing that I said back in September that is still true today is that whatever we say yesterday or today is going to change next week and it is going to change again in July, and maybe even in August or September. This is going to be a continuing effort that we have to stay very close to.

The governor has supported the CSU in the May Revise. We can manage the recommendation that the governor has made at least on a one-time basis. We also have to manage those 20,000 students that I mentioned earlier. That was the big surprise for Richard and me when the governor's May Revise came out. They called us day before yesterday and said, "The governor is going to put 1% more students into the CSU." He knows the pressure that our institutions are under to provide access.

As for the bond, I have asked Louis Caldera to take the leadership on behalf of the CSU. We are going to have to educate millions of Californians. As others have said, we have 400,000 students and 44,000 employees and that can be the difference on a bond, so we really have got to get the word out and do that work. This bond will be extremely important in providing access and capacity for our system.

As for bargaining, we have successfully come to conclusion with our bargaining units. I think that these are fair contracts. I think that it is time that we all come together and support the CSU in the state and in Sacramento. I think if we can do that on the bond and on the budget, we can be successful.

We will be putting out a press release announcing that the alcohol project that President Welty and other presidents and vice presidents headed up will receive $2 million in grants this year in addition to the money that we are putting into the program. Eight of our institutions will participate in two $360,000 grants. Fresno State will take the lead in a $770,000 grant to look at sober driving initiatives for all of our institutions. Humboldt, San Diego and Chico have each received $100,000 to focus on the problems on those campuses. Again, the CSU has served as a national model in taking the initiative and putting together a systemwide comprehensive plan to attack this problem. This morning, Sen. Joe Lieberman is holding a hearing of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee and he asked the California State University to present its model for the rest of the nation. President Welty took the red eye last night so that he could testify, and I know that he will represent us well there.

Last, I want to thank the board for its support of commencements at the CSU. This is truly the most important part of our year. The most important thing that we do is to see these students accomplish their objectives and walk across that stage and change their lives, their families' lives, and their communities forever. We have board members attending commencements on each of our campuses. I know that Trustee Fallgatter is a commencement speaker at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and it will be a very special celebration because her son is graduating. And I know that Trustee Farar is going back to be a commencement speaker at Northridge, where she went to school.

As for famous graduates, I don't know anybody that can outdo CSU Long Beach with Steven Spielberg. It has taken him 25 years but he has sustained that effort and he will be just like the rest of the CSU students, sitting in the audience waiting to walk across the stage.

One more thing: I believe President McCrone has shaken every hand of every student who has graduated from Humboldt State after they have taken the Humboldt pledge. President McCrone will go over the 37,000-student count this year.

Thank you again to all who are participating in commencements. Chair Farar, that concludes my report.