A Summary of the March 11-12, 2003, Board of Trustees Meeting

CSU Teacher Preparation Programs Highly Effective

CSU realized even greater improvements in preparing high school teachers. Ninety percent of CSU graduates teaching in grades 9-12 received high "preparation grades" from their supervisors, up from 86 percent last year.

In 2000-01, almost 10,500 teachers graduated from 21 CSU campuses located throughout California, and 95 percent of CSU students who earned credentials in 2000-01 served as full- time teachers in California public schools one year later.

Other results of the CSU evaluation:

• 89 percent of CSU teaching graduates know and understand the subjects of the curriculum, according to their supervisors, up from 87 percent.
• 85 percent communicate effectively with parents, up from 84 percent.
• 89 percent prepared good lesson plans and 83 percent used a good "mix" of teaching strategies – two important aspects of teaching that were evaluated for the first time this year.

Task Force Aims to Boost Graduation Rates

"Students arrive at the CSU with the goal of graduation in mind," said Statewide Academic Senate Chair Jacquelyn Kegley, who co-chaired the task force along with CSU Northridge Provost Louanne Kennedy. "While we cannot control students' individual decisions about how they juggle the relative priorities of family, work, and school, we can provide clear and accessible roadmaps to help them navigate the path to graduation," she said.

In addition to the graduation roadmaps, the report urges campuses to develop projected master class schedules that accommodate those roadmaps, and to ensure that the required courses are available during the specified terms. The report also calls on campuses to create specific checkpoints at which students would be advised on their progress to degree.

Trustee Roberta Achtenberg has made increasing progress to a degree the focus of the Educational Policy Committee this year.

Placer County Center Proposed

Meeting Enrollment Demand

While some campuses will be able to increase their physical capacity through bond funding, other measures will be needed.

The options available to campuses include expanding summer term enrollments, maximizing space through scheduling changes, using academic technology more widely, and using new or expanded off-campus centers.

It is also proposed that selected campuses be permitted to lift their existing enrollment ceilings to better reflect their actual capacity.

Major Student Housing Project Proposed

Under the proposal, Capstone would develop campus land to provide some 2,700 beds in student apartment residences by fall 2006. Another 2,000 parking spaces would also be developed.

To replace the land that is currently being used for agricultural programs, Capstone would transfer to the university a 1,254-acre property, which includes a vineyard, equestrian center, barn and stables, and recreational facilities.

Agricultural programs in viticulture, crop and animal sciences will use the new facilities to provide students and faculty with hands-on experience in wine grape growing and farm management.

More items dealing with the partnership will come back to the trustees at appropriate times during the process.

The Trustees Approved:

• Issuing systemwide revenue bonds and related debt instruments for two projects: expansion of the Pomona Student Union and the CSU Channel Islands Student Housing, Phase I, providing 351 beds and 230 parking spaces.
• Amending the 2002/2003 Capital Outlay Program, Nonstate-Funded to add four projects: Student Housing, Phase I at CSU Channel Islands; a solar photovoltaic project at CSU Hayward; a student recreation center at CSU San Bernardino; and a tennis and softball complex at San Diego State.
• The Preliminary State and Nonstate Funded Five-Year Capital Improvement Program 2004/2005 through 2008/2009.
• Schematic Plans for Student Housing, Phase I at CSU Channel Islands.
• 2003/2004 Legislative Report No. 2.
• Naming a center at CSU Northridge the Wells Fargo Center for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Wells Fargo's $1 million gift will create two university endowments to support teacher preparation and to fund a library, training materials, a speaker series and a mentoring program to connect students with community businesses.
• Naming of the Velodrome at CSU Dominguez Hills the ADT Event Center. The new enclosed, Olympic standard velodrome is being fully paid for by a private organization, the Anschutz Southern California Sports Complex.
• Academic Planning and Program Review, covering current and projected academic plans at the campuses.

The Trustees Also Heard:

• A status report on the 2003/2004 Support Budget, covering the budget analysis by the Legislative Analyst's Office and the CSU response.
• A status report on the 2003/2004 State Funded Capital Outlay Program.
• A proposed schedule of Board of Trustees meetings for 2004. It will be voted upon at the May meeting.
• Litigation Report No. 17 (the twice yearly report on the status of significant litigation confronting the CSU).
• A status report on current and follow-up Internal Audit assignments.
• The report of the Systemwide Audit in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles including the report to the management.
• The single audit report of federal funds.
• A report on University Advancement activities.
• A report on community service learning in the CSU.
• A presentation on notable accomplishments in CSU teaching, research, and scholarship: Study at Sea on the Training Ship Golden Bear.

Contact: Clara Potes-Fellow (562) 951-4806, cpotes-fellow@calstate.edu