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CONVOCATION  (SEPTEMBER 16, 1999)

WELCOME BACK TO THIS THE VERY FINAL CONVOCATION OF THIS CENTURY.  DO I HEAR ANY CHEERING OR APPLAUSE? 

 

I HOPE YOU’VE ALL HAD PRODUCTIVE AND REFRESHING SUMMERS.

 

AS I BEGIN MY THIRD YEAR AT CAL STATE, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE WARM SUPPORT AND WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT YOU’VE GIVEN TO ME AND MARILYN.

I HOPE YOU ALL KNOW WE’RE PROUD TO BE A PART OF CAL STATE, SAN BERNARDINO – WHERE INSTITUTIONAL EXCELLENCE RANGES FROM HAVING THE # 1 RANKED GROUNDS AMONG THE 23 CSU CAMPUSES TO HAVING, IN DIANE HALPERN,  ONE THE FIRST FIVE WANG FAMILY PROFESSORS, AND IN PETE FAIRCHILD THE WINNER OF THE KINGSLEY TUFTS AWARD FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY. 

 

AND I HOPE YOU ALSO KNOW THAT IN CONTRAST TO MOST INSTITUTIONS, THIS IS A UNIVERSITY WHOSE BEST DAYS STILL LIE IN THE FUTURE.

 

LET’S BEGIN TODAY’S CONVOCATION BY SUSTAINING A MOMENT OF SILENCE, TO BOTH REMEMBER AND TO HONOR THE LIVES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF X COLLEAGUES WHO DIED THIS PAST YEAR, INCLUDING:

A. J.C. ROBINSON

B.

C.

THANK YOU.

 

I ‘D LIKE TO DO SEVERAL THINGS TODAY:

 

@ FIRST, I’LL ANNOUNCE AND CALL TO THE PODIUM WINNERS OF STAFF AWARDS.

 

@SECOND, I’LL NAME FACULTY AND STAFF WHO EARNED DEGREES LAST YEAR.

 

@ THEN I’LL DISCUSS THE STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY, INCLUDING A SKETCH OF OUR ENROLLMENTS AND BUDGET.

 

@AFTER THAT, I’LL REVIEW THE PRIORITIES DISCUSSED AT PAST CONVOCATIONS – INCLUDING WHAT’S BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.

 

@NEXT, I’LL OUTLINE A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF ISSUES TO BE HANDLED THIS YEAR – AND HOW I ANTICIPATE THEY’LL BE TREATED.

 

FINALLY, WE’LL SHOW A BRIEF VIDEO CLIP DEALING WITH OUR FACILITIES MASTER PLAN. 

 

IF THERE’S TIME, I’LL ANSWER QUESTIONS.  I’LL ALSO ADDRESS INQUIRIES AT FOUR ADDITIONAL SESSIONS THAT ARE ALREADY SCHEDULED:

 

1. TOMORROW AT THE LEADERSHIP RETREAT WITH ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT HEADS, DIRECTORS, DEANS, VICE PRESIDENTS, THE F.S. EXEC., AND STUDENT LEADERS.

 

2. AT A MEETING FOR FACULTY FROM 11:30 TO 1:30 ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1.

 

3.      AT 11:30 TO 1:30 NEXT FRIDAY,

SEPTEMBER 25 FOR STAFF. 

 

4.       AND AT THE FIRST ASI MEETING OF THE  YEAR ON SEPTEMBER 29, AT NOON.

I READ RECENTLY THAT TO BE A GOOD PRESIDENT YOU NEED THE PATIENCE OF JOB, THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THE STOMACH OF A GOAT.  I’VE GOT THE LATTER.  IN FACT, IF WE ARE WHAT WE EAT, IT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY MOST UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS ARE MOSTLY CHICKEN.

 

I’M REALLY PLEASED AT THIS POINT TO PRESENT THE 9TH ANNUAL STAFF RECOGNITION AWARDS – WHICH GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS BY OUR STAFF.  IN ALL, OVER 30 EMPLOYEES HAVE RECEIVED THESE RECOGNITIONS SINCE THE PROGRAM’S INCEPTION. WOULD PAST WINNERS PLEASE STAND?  THANK YOU.

 

AS SOME OF YOU KNOW, I’VE BELIEVED THAT WE HAD TOO FEW STAFF AWARDS AND STIPENDS THAT WERE TOO SMALL. WE SIMPLY NEEDED TO BETTER RECOGNIZE STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS.

 

AS A RESULT, LAST YEAR, I ASKED FOR RECOMMENDATIONS ON IMPROVING BOTH THE NUMBER OF AWARDS AND THE STIPEND LEVELS.  I ACCEPTED A PROPOSAL TO INCREASE THE PRIZES FROM FOUR, LAST YEAR, TO 14 THIS YEAR – WITH STIPENDS RISING FROM A MAXIMUM OF $200 IN THE PAST TO A CURRENT RANGE OF $500 - $1000. 

 

WINNERS OF THE 10 NEW DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS, EACH OF $500, WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN THE DIVISIONS.

 

THERE REMAIN FOUR UNIVERSITY-WIDE STAFF RECOGNITIONS – TWO NAMED “THE PRESIDENT’S OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE AWARD” AND THE OTHER TWO “THE PRESIDENT’S SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.” WINNERS WERE CHOSEN BY THE UNIVERSITY STAFF AWARDS COMMITTEE.

DESCRIBE AWARDS & INTRODUCE WINNERS:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AT THIS JUNCTURE, IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO RECOGNIZE FACULTY AND STAFF WHO GRADUATED FROM A DEGREE PROGRAM LAST YEAR. AS I CALL YOUR NAME, WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND – AND REMAIN STANDING – UNTIL ALL THE NAMES HAVE BEEN CALLED.  IF YOU CAN, PLEASE HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE UNTIL I’M FINISHED; OTHERWISE, GIVE IN TO YOUR URGES AND APPLAUD IF YOU MUST.

 

NAMES:

 

NOW LET’S TURN TO THE STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY.

 

FIRST, ENROLLMENTS.  CURRENTLY WE’RE ON TRACK TO BREAK LAST YEAR’S RECORD. 14XXX STUDENTS ARE REGISTERED, WHILE LAST YEAR’S HEADCOUNT WAS 13,600.  MORE CRITICALLY, WE HAVE ____FTES AGAINST 10,600 LAST YEAR.

 

THE INCREASES WILL STRETCH US, ONCE AGAIN, AS OTHER GROWTH IN THE PAST HAS PRESSED BOTH FACULTY AND STAFF.  HOWEVER, GIVEN EXCEPTIONAL BUDGET CONDITIONS, AND THE CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF GROWING WHILE THE STATE BUDGET PICTURE IS ROSY, WE’LL BE ABLE TO RECRUIT IN MANY PROGRAMS SQUEEZED BY ENROLLMENT SIZE.

 

LAST YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, WE SOUGHT TO ADD 30 NEW FACULTY – AND RECRUITED SUCCESSFULLY ON OVER 20 NEW POSITIONS.  IF OUR ENROLLMENTS MEET THE TARGET OF 11,200 FTES, WE WILL RECRUIT ON ABOUT 30 FACULTY POSITIONS THIS YEAR, AS WELL. 

 

MOREOVER, THE ENROLLMENTS ARE ESSENTIAL TO JUSTIFY NEW FACILITIES.  WITHOUT SUCH INCREASES, WE WOULDN’T BE BREAKING GROUND LATER THIS FALL ON THE NEW SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES BUILDING.

 

AND, EVENTUALLY, WE NEED THE ENROLLMENTS TO JUSTIFY THE SCIENCE ADDITION, EDUCATION BUILDING, THEATER AND OTHER FACILITIES IDENTIFIED IN THE MASTER PLAN VIDEO WE’LL SEE LATER THIS MORNING.  

 

BUT MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN OUR FACILITY NEEDS, WE SHOULD BE ECSTATIC ABOUT THE GROWTH BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT MORE STUDENTS FROM THE INLAND EMPIRE, WHICH HAS THE STATE’S LOWEST COLLEGE ATTENDANCE RATE, ARE PURSUING HIGHER EDUCATION.

 

IF UNIVERSITY ENROLLMENTS LOOM  BRIGHT, THE BUDGET PICTURE ALSO HAS A HIGH SHINE.  LAST YEAR WE HAD THE LARGEST BUDGET INCREASE EVER; AND WHILE WE WON’T KNOW PRECISELY UNTIL AFTER THE OCTOBER X CENSUS DATE, WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT GAIN. 

 

THE BUDGET WILL PERMIT RECRUITMENT ON MANY FACULTY AND STAFF POSITIONS. BUT GIVEN OUR NEW DECENTRALIZED BUDGETAPPROACH, FOR THE MOST PART, THOSE WILL BE COLLEGE AND DIVISION -- NOT PRESIDENTIAL – DECISIONS.

 

THE HIGHER FUNDING LEVEL WILL ALLOW US TO MEET VARIOUS FACETS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND, IF DIVISIONS AND UNITS CHOOSE, TO IMPROVE BASIC OPERATING BUDGETS, AS WELL.

 

IN ADDITION, THE FIRST ACADEMIC AFFAIRS MONETARY PRIORITY IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS IS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FACULTY MERIT INCREASE AGREEMENT NEGOTIATED BY THE CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE AND CFA. OVERALL, THE TWO-YEAR RAISES HAVE A COMPOUND RATE OF 12%.

 

AT BOTH MY FIRST AND SECOND CONVOCATIONS, I STRESSED BEHAVIORAL, PROCESS AND POLICY PRINCIPLES – AS FOUND ON THE HANDOUTS THAT I DISTRIBUTED.  I EMPHASIZE THEM AGAIN, AS I WILL AT EACH CONVOCATION, BECAUSE THEY REMAIN FAR MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN ANY POLICY ISSUE. 

 

IT’S UP TO YOU TO ASSESS WHETHER I’M LIVING UP TO THE STANDARDS – AND WHETHER YOU ARE, AS WELL.

 

THE PRINCIPLES, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE WITH OTHER MATERIAL AS YOU LEAVE THE CONVOCATION, INCLUDE BEHAVIORS MARKED BY:

1. INTEGRITY  -- MEANING WHAT WE SAY AND SAYING WHAT WE MEAN – AND

DOING SO CONSISTENTLY, DIRECTLY, HONESTLY, AND FAIRLY.

 

2.      AMICABILITY—WHICH IS MUCH BETTER THAN USELESS RANCOR AND HOSTILITY.

 

3.       RESPONSIVENESS–A PROMISE OF ACCESS, ACCURACY AND TIMELY TURNAROUND. 

 

4.      CARING AND CELEBRATION –A PLACE

RECOGNIZING OUR COMMON HUMANITY.

PROCESSES THAT:

5.      PROMOTE COMMUNITY – WITH EVENTS, RECEPTIONS AND OTHER FUNCTIONS

 

6.      THAT ARE COLLEGIAL, PARTICIPATORY

AND CONSULTATIVE – INVOLVING THE CAMPUS IN THE UNIVERSITY’S DIRECTIONS.

 

7.      THAT ENGAGE AND EMPOWER – REAL,

NOT JUST PERFUNCTORY AND SYMBOLIC.

 

8.      AND THAT REFLECT CAMPUS DIVERSITY –  ACROSS ITS VARIED DIMENSIONS

 

FINALLY, POLICIES. AND THESE POINTS ARE WORTH CONSIDERING IN LIGHT OF OUR NEW UNIVERSITY PLAN AND GROWING BUDGETS.  POLICIES THAT:

 

9.       CONCENTRATE ON LONG – AS WELL AS

SHORT–TERM OBJECTIVES – NOT TOSSING HARD DECISIONS ONTO SOMEONE ELSE’S WATCH OR PLAYING SHORT-TERM POLITICS WITH DECISIONS.

 

10.  THAT HAVE CLEAR GOALS AND

OUTCOMES IN MIND – NOT FUZZED AND MURKY IN ORDER TO SECURE SUPPORT; THE GOALS AND OUTCOMES SHOULD LEAVE THE UNIVERSITY A BETTER PLACE THAN IT WAS.

 

11.            POLICIES THAT EMPHASIZE STUDENT,

FACULTY AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT –

BECAUSE STUDENTS ARE THE VERY REASONS FOR THE UNIVERSITY’S EXISTENCE AND FACULTY AND STAFF

ARE THE REASONS FOR ANY SUCCESSES. 

     

12.            POLICIES THAT DECENTRALIZE

DECISIONS TO LEVELS ACCOUNTABLE

FOR OUTCOMES – WHICH AS YOU’VE

HEARD ME SAY WILL BE CENTRAL TO THE UNIVERSITY MEETING ITS GOALS.

 

13. AND FINALLY, POLICIES THAT ARE FAITHFULLY AND SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTED–WITH AS MUCH ATTENTION DEVOTED TO IMPLEMENTATION AT THE END AS TO PROCESS IN THE BEGINNING.

 

TO IMPROVE THE CAMPUS CLIMATE, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR UNIVERSITY AND TO CREATE STRONG LINKAGES WITH THE GOVERNANCE SYSTEM, I’VE SOUGHT TO EMPHASIZE AND SUSTAIN THE BEHAVIORS, THE PROCESSES AND THE POLICY PRINCIPLES THAT I JUST OUTLINED.

 

TO THOSE ENDS, I’VE ATTENDED FACULTY SENATE, SENATE EXECUTIVE AND OTHER FACULTY MEETINGS; I’VE VISITED EACH COLLEGE, DIVISION AND ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT TO LEARN ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY; I’VE MET WITH EACH UNIT – PROBABLY ABOUT 100; AND EACH QUARTER I’VE HELD SEPARATE SESSIONS WITH FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS. 

 

AND BASED ON EVENTS, I’M REALLY QUITE HAPPY TO MEET TO DISCUSS ANY VITAL ISSUES – EVEN THE SEVEN OR EIGHT TIMES I MET LAST YEAR WITH EACH COLLEGE AND THEN WITH ALL-UNIVERSITY FACULTY TO DISCUSS SUCH UPLIFTING AND HARMONY-GENERATING TOPICS AS PERFORMANCE PAY

 

WE’VE  ALSO RECRAFTED THE ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL TO INCLUDE THE CHAIR OF THE FACULTY SENATE, SCHOOL DEANS AND OTHERS.  AND WE’VE PLACED MEETING AGENDAS AND MINUTES ON THE WEB.

NEXT, I SAID I’D ASSIST IN DEVELOPING A STAFF COUNCIL IF THERE WAS INTEREST.  TO THAT END, I APPOINTED A WORKING COMMITTEE, AND AFTER VARIOUS MEETINGS, IT PLACED A PROPOSAL ON FORUM FOR COMMENT. 

 

ALTHOUGH THE COMMITTEE WORKED EXCEEDINGLY WELL, THE PROPOSAL HAS LANGUISHED.  IF THE STAFF WANT A COUNCIL, I WILL HAPPILY SUPPORT IT.  HOWEVER, IF THE STAFF IS NOT ENTHUSIASTIC, THAT’S OK – AND IT’S ENTIRELY UP TO THE STAFF TO DECIDE.

I ALSO SAID I’D TRY TO PROMOTE A

STUDENT-CENTERED ORIENTATION. WE’VE INSTITUTED VARIOUS CHANGES, BASED ON SURVEY RESULTS, TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO STUDENTS – INCLUDING THE EXTENSION INTO THE EVENING OF SERVICE HOURS IN MANY OFFICES, INCREASES IN STAFF, AND RELOCATION OF THE BURSOR’S OFFICE.  

 

WE’LL CONTINUE THIS EMPHASIS BY CO-LOCATING SERVICES AND FOCUSING ON RETENTION THIS COMING YEAR.  IN FACT, THE DUAL ISSUES OF RETENTION AND ADVISING ARE CRITICAL IF WE ARE TO IMPROVE GRADUATION OPPORTUNITIES WITHOUT COMPROMISING STANDARDS. 

 

FURTHER, WE’LL TRY TO ACCELERATE OUR K-12 OUTREACH PROGRAMS TO DIAGNOSE SHORTCOMINGS IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE NEED FOR ON-CAMPUS REMEDIATION, AND WE’LL LOOK FOR EARLY INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND COLLEGE ATTENDANCE.

 

AND TO PROMOTE BOTH THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF TEACHERS SO DESPERATELY IN DEMAND ACROSS OUR REGION, WE WILL FULY DEVELOP THE BLENDED BACHELOR’S-POST-BACCALAUREATE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM.

 

IN THE WASC ACCREDITATION REVIEW, RECEIVED OVER A YEAR AGO, WE WERE ASKED US TO CONCENTRATE ON THREE AREAS:

 

FIRST, TO FORMULATE STUDENT-GRIEVANCE POLICIES THAT WERE CLEAR AND WELL DISTRIBUTED.  THAT’S DONE.

 

THE OTHER TWO AREAS WILL ALWAYS BE IN A STATE OF UNFLODING.  THEY ARE DIVERSITY AND PLANNING.

 

IN RESPONSE TO THE SECOND WASC CHARGE, I APPOINTED A COMMITTEE TO DRAFT A PLAN ON HOW WE MIGHT PROMOTE DIVERSITY  -- BROADLY DEFINED TO INCLUDE RACIAL, ETHNIC, GENDER, LIFE STYLE, AGE, AND LIFE-CONDITION.

 

WHILE I BELIEVE OUR DIVERSITY CIRCUMSTANCES ARE ACTUALLY BETTER THAN AT MOST OTHER UNIVERSITIES, WE STILL HAVE MUCH ROOM TO IMPROVE. 

 

AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES – ESPECIALLY IN LATINO ENROLLMENTS – ARE IN OUR DESTINY.  IN FACT, WE DOUBLE IN THE PERCENT LATINO EVERY 10-12 YEARS.  BECAUSE WE’RE NOW OVER 25% HISPANIC, WE QUALIFY AS AN HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION – WITH ELIGIBILITY FOR SPECIAL FEDERAL GRANTS.

 

AS A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE, WE WERE INFORMED JUST A MONTH AGO THAT WE WERE AWARDED A $2 MILLION TITLE 5 GRANT OPEN ONLY TO HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS.  WE’RE THANKFUL FOR THE EXQUISITIVE GRANT WORK OF MANY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY PROF. JUDY RYMER, OUR FORMER V.P. FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT, AND SUSAN COOPER, DIRECTOR OF DISTRIBUTIVE LEARNING, WHO IS ALSO A PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION.

 

TO MEET ITS CHARGE, THE DIVERSITY PLANNING COUNCIL RECOMMENDED A “VISION STATEMENT” AND A SET OF GOALS. BOTH THE VISION AND THE GOALS ARE AVAILABLE AS YOU LEAVE, AND I ASK FOR YOUR COMMENTS.  IF WE’RE TO BECOME A BEACON FOR OTHERS ON ISSUES OF DIVERSITY, THE VISION AND GOALS MUST BE OURS AS A COMMUNITY.

 

THE COUNCIL WILL HOLD OPEN SESSIONS THIS QUARTER TO DISCUSS THE VISION STATEMENT, GOALS AND STRATEGIES

 

SUCCESS IN TREATING THE COMPLEX, SOMETIMES CONTENTIOUS SET OF CHALLENGES AND GRAND OPPORTUNITIES ASSOCIATED WITH DIVERSITY – BOTH ON AND OFF CAMPUS – WILL BE CENTRAL TO OUR EFFECTIVENESS AS A UNIVERSITY. WE NEED CLEAR GOALS AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE GOALS IF WE’RE TO SUCCEED.

 

THIS BUDGET CYCLE, WE’LL ALLOCATE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO TRAINING AND PROGRAMMING IN DIVERSITY. 

 

MOREOVER, AS WE DISCUSSED LAST YEAR, WE NEED TO ADVANCE INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY, AND THE NEW INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE IS AN ALREADY-ACTIVE, PROMISING APPROACH.

IN ADDITION, WE HAD GREAT SUCCESS IN RECRUITING A DIVERSE SET OF NEW FACULTY: OUT OF 21, 14 ARE WOMEN AND 9 ARE MEMBERS OF MINORITY GROUPS.

 

I’M ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING REGULAR MEETINGS WITH OFF-CAMPUS MINORITY COMMUNITIES TO DISCUSS ISSUES OF MUTUAL CONCERN. 

 

AND I’VE APPOINTED CLIFFORD YOUNG, FORMERLY CHAIR OF P.A, AS EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT.  PART OF HIS WORK WILL BE TO SERVE AS AN OMBUDSPERSON FOR STUDENTS, STAFF AND FACULTY. 

 

FINALLY, I’D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THOSE WHO WON AWARDS LAST YEAR FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO DIVERSITY: NAMES

 

THE THIRD WASC DIRECTIVE WAS TO PLACE GREATER STRESS ON PLANNING.

 

THIS RECOMMENDATION ACTUALLY CONVERGED WITH A PROCESS FOR A LONG-TERM PLAN THAT HAD BEEN UNDER DEVELOPMENT BY THE UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLANNING COUNCIL.  THE PROPOSED PLAN CIRCULATED BROADLY ON CAMPUS – AND WAS ADOPTED. 

 

MANY AREAS OF UNIVERSITY LIFE ARE TREATED IN THE PLAN.  I’D LIKE TO SPEND A BIT OF TIME FOCUSING ON A FEW OF THEM:

 

@MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE SITE BOUND;

@ IMPROVING THE CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT–

     INTELLECTUALLY, SOCIALLY AND

     PHYSICALLY; AND

@COMMUNITY-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS.

 

WE WILL, THIS YEAR, CONCENTRATE ON THESE ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN.  FOR EXAMPLE, WE WILL WORK TO INFORM AND ENHANCE OUR STRATEGIES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SITE BOUND–WHO ARE MOST OFTEN SINGLE MOMS AND MINORITIES.

 

TO GEBIN, WE’LL RECEIVE 40 ACRES OF LAND OFF I-10 AND COOK IN PALM DESERT FOR OUR PERMANENT COACHELLA CAMPUS.  AS A RESULT, WE’LL ACCELERATE FUNDRAISING WITH RESIDENTS, AS WELL AS WITH FOUNDATIONS AND OTHER ENTITIES. 

IN ADDITION, WE’RE IN THE MIDST OF A MAJOR REGIONAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT – UNDERTAKEN BY PROFESSORS SHEL BOCKMAN AND BARBARA SIROTNIK -- TO IDENTIFY BETTER THE “WHAT, WHERE, WHEN AND HOW” OF EDUCATIONAL NEEDS THROUGHOUT THE INLAND EMPIRE. 

 

AND AS YOU MAY KNOW, MOST OF THE $2 MILLION HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION GRANT IS TO HELP MEET THE NEEDS OF LATINOS WHO CAN’T EASILY GET TO OUR CAMPUS – ULTIMATELY WITH CENTERS ESTABLISHED AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES.

WITH REGARD TO IMPROVING THE CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT, AT THE LEADERSHIP RETREAT TOMORROW WE WILL START A PROCESS TO IDENTIFY WAYS TO MAKE THE CAMPUS A MORE FRIENDLY AND RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT.

 

IN MOST INSTANCES, WE ARE ONE ANOTHER’S CLIENTS – SEEKING INFORMATION, SERVICE, COOPERATION, ASSISTANCE AND THE LIKE FROM SOMEONE ELSE ON CAMPUS.  CONSISTENT WITH THE PRINCIPLES I JUST DISCUSSED, WE NEED TO MAKE THE CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT AS RESPONSIVE AND AFFIRMING AS POSSIBLE – FOR ALL OF US. 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE RETREAT WILL CIRCULATE WIDELY, AND I’LL ASK UNITS TO RESPOND TO RELEVANT RECOMMENDATIONS IN A TIMELY MANNER.

 

TO PROMOTE ON-CAMPUS LIFE, WE’LL BUILD APARTMENT STYLE RESIDENCES, WHICH WILL BE PIVOTAL IN RECRUITING MORE FULL-TIME AND FRESHMAN STUDENTS – WHO, IN TURN, WILL HELP PROVIDE ATTENDANCE AND SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATIONS AND EVENTS ON CAMPUS.

IN ADDITION, WE’LL WORK ON SIGNAGE TO MAKE THE CAMPUS MORE HOSPITABLE.

 

PLANS FOR IMPROVED SIGNAGE HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED, AND WE’LL LET RFPs FOR APARTMENT-STYLE RESIDENCES LATER THIS QUARTER.

 

 

TO PROMOTE THE NUMBER OF FULL-TIME AND RESIDENTIAL ENROLLMENTS, WE’LL ALSO INITIATE A SCHOLARSHIP CAMPAIGN NEXT MONTH WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SECURING BOTH NEED- AND MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS. 

 

THE PERSON ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR GUIDING OUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY AND THE SCHOLARSHIP CAMPAIGN, AS WELL AS NAMING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE BUILDING AND A HOST OF OTHER TARGETS IS OUR NEW V.P. FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT.  SHE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS V.P. OF THE FOUNDATION AT UCLA AND V.P. FOR ADMINISTRATION AT WHITTIER COLLEGE: JO ANN HANKIN. 

 

ONE OF THE EMPHASIS AREAS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN CONSISTS OF  COMMUNITY-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS THAT PROMOTE EDUCATIONAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL ADVANCEMENT.

 

WITH THAT GOAL IN MIND, PROVOST FERNANDEZ WORKED WITH A COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE CREATION OF A NEW COMMUNITY-UNIVERSITY-PARTNERSHIP UNIT THAT WILL  FACILITATE AND BROKER PARTNERSHIPS.  RICK EBERST AND TERESA MORRIS WILL CO-CHAIR THE NEW ENTITY, WHICH WILL BE OF GREAT ASSISTANCE IN IDENTIFYING AND HELPING TO FUND INITIATIVES. 

 

IN ADDITION, WE WILL CREATE A NEW WATER RESOURCE INSTITUTE, WITH A FOCUS ON ARCHIVAL MATERIALS, APPLIED RESEARCH, COMMUNITY LINKAGES AND POSSIBLY INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSEWORK IN DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT. 

 

DUE TO THE GOOD WORK OF V.P. WILLIAM AGUILAR AND OUR NEW COORDINATOR OF LEGISLATIVE RELATIONS – AMINA CARTER, WHO PREVIOUSLY DIRECTED CONG. GEORGE BROWN’S DISTRICT OFFICE – WE HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED $200,000 FROM THE STATE AND $700,000 FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO START-UP THE WATER INSTITUTE.

 

THE TRUTH IS, AS WELCOME AS OUR GENERAL FUND INCREASES HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, THERE NEVER WILL  BE ENOUGH IN STATE ALLOCATIONS TO FULLY COVER OUR NEEDS.  THEREFORE, WE MUST BE INCREASINGLY AGGRESSIVE IN SEEKING OTHER FUNDING STREAMS – FROM STATE AND FEDERAL COMPETITIVE GRANTS AND CONTRACTS; TO LEGISLATIVE SET-ASIDES; TO INDIVIDUAL, ALUMNI, CORPORATE, AND FOUNDATION SOURCES. 

 

AND THAT AGGRESSIVENESS IN RAISING FUNDS FOR THE UNIVERSITY NEEDS TO BE MATCHED BY OUR WILLINGNESS TO BE FASTER, FRIENDLIER, MORE FLEXIBLE AND MORE ENTREPRENEURIAL IN TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES.

THE UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLAN IS MERELY THE NORMATIVE GOAL STATEMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY – OUTLINING WHAT WE BELIEVE IS VALUABLE TO ACHIEVE. 

 

IT SHOULD BE A LIVING PLAN – WITH IMPROVEMENTS REGULARLY MADE.  IT CANNOT MERELY SIT AND COLLECT DUST ON A SHELF – OR ELSE THE HIGHEST AND BEST GOALS OF THE UNIVERSITY ARE ALSO APT TO SIT AND GATHER DUST.

 

CONSISTENT WITH MY INITIAL REMARKS WHEN I ARRIVED IN 1997, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A NEW APPROACH WHICH PUSHES BUDGET FLEXIBILITY OUT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. 

 

LINE ITEMS HAVE BEEN REMOVED, POSITION CONTROL ABOLISHED, AND UNLESS THERE IS A FISCAL CRISIS, MONEY MAY BE ROLLED FROM ONE TO THE NEXT YEAR – ALLOWING EXPENDITURE OVER A TWO-YEAR TIME FRAME.   IN ADDITION, 80% OF NEW UNCOMMITTED PERMANENT FUNDING GOES DIRECTLY BACK TO THE DIVISIONS FOR ALLOCATION.

 

GIVEN BUDGET DECENRALIZATION, WE CLEARLY NEED TO CONNECT THE PLAN AND THE BUDGET. DIVISIONS HAVE EACH SOUGHT TO LINK BUDGETS TO RELEVANT FACETS OF THE PLAN.  AND EACH DIVISION NOW PRODUCES AN ANNUAL REPORT INDICATING HOW FUNDS HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED IN MEETING THE GOALS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLAN.

 

TO BUILD ON THOSE EFFORTS, I WILL,  APPOINT A NEW PLANNING COUNCIL TO HELP IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES AND GIVE FEEDBACK TO EACH DIVISION ON ITS PROGRESS.  THE COUNCIL, WITH BROAD CAMPUS REPRESENTATION, MAY ALSO RECOMMEND CHANGES IN THE PLAN.

 

THERE ARE FOUR ADDITIONAL AREAS THAT WE’LL WORK ON – EACH DRIVEN BY THE CSU SYSTEM – BUT EACH HOLDING POTENTIAL VALUE TO OUR CAMPUS:

 

FIRST, YEAR-ROUND OPERATIONS, WHICH WOULD HELP ASSURE ACCESS TO RAPIDLY GROWING NUMBERS OF STUDENTS.  FIVE CSU CAMPUSES NOW OPERATE YEAR ROUND, AND THE PROVOST IS WORKING WITH THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION TO FRAME TEACHER PREP AS OUR INITIAL YRO INITIATIVE.

 

AS AN INDICATOR OF THE TIDAL WAVE NATURE OF INCREASES IN NEW STUDENTS, THE CSU THIS YEAR ALONE GREW BY 11,000, THE ENROLLMENT OF A MID-SIZED CAMPUS.

SECOND, WE WILL CLOSELY REVIEW AND GIVE FEEDBACK ON THE CORNERSTONES STRATEGIC PLAN DEVELOPED AT THE SYSTEM LEVEL.  WE NEED TO MOVE SWIFTLY HERE, SINCE THE DEADLINE FOR INPUT IS OCTOBER 1.

 

THIRD, WE WILL NEED TO DEVELOP OVER THE NEXT DECADE FINANCIAL, HUMAN RESOURCES AND STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM SOFTWARES THAT ARE INTEGRATED ACROSS THE CSU. 

 

THE NEED FOR THESE SYSTEMS IS GREAT, AND THE COST WILL BE SUBSTANTIAL. WE MUST BE AS THOUGHTFUL AND AS TOUGH-MINDED AS POSSIBLE AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN WHAT’S APT TO BE UP TO A TEN-YEAR PROCESS.

 

FINALLY, LAST YEAR I SAID WE SHOULD ASSESS IN HARD ANALYTIC WAYS THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE QUARTER AND SEMESTER SYSTEMS.

 

I SAID I STILL WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ACTUAL INSTRUCTIONAL LOADS; THE EXTRA COSTS OF BULLETINS, ADVISEMENT, REGISTRATION, AND AN ADDITIONAL WEEK OF FINALS, ETC.; THE BENEFITS OF EARLIER GRADUATION FOR JOB PLACEMENT; AND WHETHER THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT TRANSFER-CREDIT AND OTHER COSTS EXPERIENCED BY STUDENTS WHO, FOR US, OVERWHELMINGLY COME FROM SEMESTER-BASED COMMUNITY COLLEGES. 

 

SINCE THERE ARE ONLY FOUR QUARTER SCHOOLS LEFT IN THE CSU, OUR DISCRETION IS APT TO BE SUPERCEDED IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS BY AN EFFORT TO BETTER LINK STARTING AND CLOSING DATES WITHIN THE CSU, ACROSS COMMUNITY COLLEGES, AND WHERE POSSIBLE K-12. 

 

I’VE ASKED THE CHANCELLOR TO CONSIDER OFFERING THE QUARTER SCHOOLS  FUNDING TO PLAN FOR THE CHANGE; AND AT THIS POINT, IN THE ABSENCE OF PLANNING SUPPORT, WE HAVE ENOUGH ON OUR PLATE WITHOUT ADDING THIS CHANGE.  WE WILL, HOWEVER, CONTINUE TO GATHER INFORMATION ON BENEFITS AS WELL AS COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH A SHIFT TO SEMESTERS.

 

IF WE CHOOSE TO ADOPT A SEMESTER SYSTEM – OR IF IS REQUIRED OF US –IT WILL HAVE THE LATENT BENEFIT OF ALLOWING US TO CONSIDER WAYS TO MOVE FROM A 12-HOUR TEACHING LOAD TO ONE OF NINE OR PERHAPS AN AVERAGE OVER TWO YEARS OF TEN HOURS. 

 

THERE ARE ALWAYS TRADE-OFFS IN SUCH CHOICES.  BUT WITH NEW FACULTY COMING ON BOARD AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE BREADTH AND FREQUENCY OF OUR OFFERINGS, I BELIEVE WE COULD MAKE THE TRANSITION – OR MOVE CLOSELY TO IT. 

 

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY WOULD BE FACILITATED BY FEWER HOURS IN THE CLASSROOM AND FEWER HOURS SPENT PREPARING FOR THE ADDITIONAL HOURS.

 

IT’S MY VIEW THAT, IN GENERAL, 12 HOURS IS MORE THAN WE SHOULD TEACH.  AND IF WE SPEND TWO OR MORE HOURS OUT OF CLASS FOR EVERY ONE IN CLASS, ROLLING DOWN TO NINE HOURS SHOULD LIBERATE 9 TO 10 HOURS A WEEK FOR A HOST OF VALUABLE ACTIVITY – FROM MORE ATTENTION TO STUDENTS OUT OF CLASS, TO BETTER PRESENTATIONS, TO CONCENTRATION ON OTHER FACETS OF THE PROFESSION – FOR INSTANCE, ADVISING, SCHOLARSHIP, COMMUNITY SERVICE, ETC.

 

WE’LL KEEP THE DIALOGUE GOING ON THE QUESTION OF SEMESTERS AND QUARTERS – AND AS WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION, WE’LL SHARE IT BROADLY.   

 

NOW A FINAL ASPECT OF THE CONVOCATION.  IN FACT, A FINAL ASPECT OF THE FINAL CONVOCATION.  LAST FEBRUARY, WE HAD OUR 20,000 FTE STUDENT MASTER PLAN ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.  IN ADDITION TO MOUNTAINS OF PAPER TO CONSIDER, WE ALSO DEVELOPED A VIDEO OUTLINING PROPOSED CHANGES.  WE’VE REMOVED EXTRANEOUS PARTS TO MAKE IT BRIEF.

 

YOU KNOW, IN PROMOS, THEY SAY FILM AT 9. WELL, YOU‘RE GETTING FILM AT 9.  THIS ONE DUE TO THE FINE EFFORTS OF KERRY VAN LOON AND CINDI PRINGLE.

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NOW I CAN’T IMAGINE THAT I MIGHT HAVE SAID ANYTHING THIS MORNING THAT WOULD TRIGGER A QUESTION. 

 

BUT IF I’M WRONG, I’LL BE PLEASED TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.