The CSU Board of Trustees commemorated the system’s 50th anniversary at their Sept. 21 meeting. California State Assemblymember Ricardo Lara presented a resolution on behalf of the California Legislature, James Postma, chair of the CSU’s Academic Senate, and Guy Heston, president of the CSU’s Alumni Council were also on hand to recognize a half-century of the CSU working for California.

...23 Outstanding Scholars

The CSU celebrated the accomplishments of the 23 recipients of the 2011 William Randolph Hearst/CSU Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement, which is given each year to students who have overcome significant challenges to demonstrate superior academic performance, exemplary community service and significant personal achievements.

From a CSU East Bay student who plans on establishing an organization to assist women in abusive relationships, to a Cal State L.A. student who emigrated from Guatemala to pursue a career in Mayan archaeology, each story is unique. However, every one of them share the determination to overcome adversity and the passion to make a difference in California and the world.

Budget Plan Addresses Needed Funding

An overview of the CSU’s 2012-13 budget request, which was presented at the Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 21, accounts for $315 million in needed ongoing revenue increases. In the preliminary plan, which will be finalized and brought to the board for action at its November meeting, the CSU has asked for an 8.25 percent year-over-year increase which includes funding for a 3 percent compensation increase for all employees and enrollment growth of 5 percent. It also assumes that any additional "trigger cuts" occurring in the 2011-12 fiscal year will be one-time, which would not affect the CSU’s ongoing base of state support. More.

Welcoming a New Academic Year

CSU presidents welcome the beginning of a new academic year by addressing campus faculty, staff and students—outlining goals, celebrating accomplishments, and focusing on the future. This year’s convocation addresses were both optimistic and realistic. Despite the challenges imposed by an unprecedented cut in state funding, and the threat of an additional $100 million trigger cut to the CSU system this fiscal year, the themes remained positive. After all, the CSU’s faculty, staff and employees are engaged in creating California's future. More.

CSUs Answer Obama's Call to Service

Fresno State, CSU San Marcos, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo were chosen to join select colleges and universities nationwide in President Barack Obama’s recently launched Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. The initiative calls on institutions of higher learning to advance interfaith cooperation through service projects that strengthen communities and unite people across religious and cultural lines.

A Stellar Summer

This summer, CSU students had the opportunity to participate in NASA research projects. A team of eight Fresno State students was one of 14 undergraduate teams to conduct experiments aboard the agency’s “Weightless Wonder” aircraft at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. In addition, two Cal State Long Beach physics students were among a group of only five interns at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. They were involved in a research project to measure the moments of inertia for the DROID III, a radio-controlled experimental aircraft.