CSU chancellor: Public, private collaboration key

EGNECKOW

February 24, 2014

California State University Chancellor Timothy White, who oversees the largest four-year university system in the country, was the keynote presenter at the 2014 Sonoma State University Economic Outlook Conference.

He addressed the role of education in helping to shape the present and future workforce.

CSU is facing some key challenges and shifting use of the system. The limited availability of funding for public education in California has remained a central concern for universities, community colleges and K--12 systems throughout the state for several years, so the distinctiveness of each level is becoming paramount. There also is a concern about aligning academic programs to job skills in demand.

And related to capital projects, student utilization of CSU campuses has changed in recent years, as once commuter-centric SSU and such schools have taken strides to serve a growing population of on- or near-campus residents.

Mr. White shared thoughts on these issues with North Bay Business Journal.H0w does CSU fit with other education systems in the state?

TIMOTHY WHITE: The CSU's tripartite mission of teaching, research and service was established in California's Educational Master Plan, a visionary document published in 1960. It was created as a regional university designed to serve the top third of all high school graduates in the state and transfer students from the California Community College. Over the last 54 years, the CSU has remained true to its mission.

Today, the CSU is an expansive regional university stretching from Humboldt to San Diego. It is the largest publicly funded comprehensive university system in the world, serving 437,000 students at 23 campuses with 44,000 faculty and staff and nearly 3 million alumni. The CSU is California's greatest producer of bachelor's degrees in high-impact fields that drive the state's economy, including business, hospitality, life sciences, healthcare, public administration, agriculture, information technology, education, media and entertainment.

Ninety-six percent of all enrolled students are from California. Of those, 87 percent of our first-time freshmen graduated from California public high schools. Ninety-one percent of all new undergraduate transfers are from the California Community Colleges.

The core of our business hasn't changed in all these years. We are still about teaching and learning, discovering and creating new knowledge through research and creative activity, applying knowledge through active student engagement, and preserving knowledge so that it is accessible to future generations. But, what has changed is our impact on California as a key economic driver. We have magnified the vision, depth and reach of higher education across the state and nation.

Our programs and services have evolved to meet workforce demands and the learning needs of our students who are among the most economically and ethnically diverse in the nation. In addition to awarding more than half of all the bachelor's degrees in the state, we award 35 percent of all master's degrees, and offer doctoral programs in education, nursing practice and physical therapy. Our students access more than 100 fully online degrees, 3,250 online courses and an expansive Extended Education program offering professional certificates and degrees at eight regional education centers.

Today, our mission encompasses the full scope of educational solutions to ensure that our graduates are competitive and equipped to lead in today's ever-changing and dynamic global economy.

The state's educational systems were designed to be distinctive with unique missions. Yet, each is part of an educational ecosystem that works together to address the state's key educational challenges. At a statewide level, the collaboration and connection between the systems is evidenced by the Associate Degree for Transfer with the community colleges, Early Assessment Program with the public school system, and joint research endeavors with the University of California.

In your region, The Compact for Success Program is helping to improve high school graduation rates and college readiness among underrepresented youngsters from South West Santa Rosa. Seventh graders from Lawrence Cook Middle School receive tutoring and mentoring as they advance to Elsie Allen High School, graduate and enroll in Sonoma State. This is a perfect example of how the systems are helping students succeed through a multi-system response.

Looking forward, my vision for the CSU is for the university to revitalize its priorities with a focus on the 21st century and the unique needs of the students we serve today. We are looking past the current buildings, past the current curriculum and past the current teaching models to envision a future that is more digital, connective and interactive. We are on the right path. Many efforts are already underway to bolster student achievement and degree completion -- and yet our state is facing an unprecedented need for baccalaureate degreed professionals. Last month, in my first “State of the CSU” address, I announced a $50 million investment across seven key areas that will help us address this enormous need with the highest standards of quality and accountability. While this is an aggressive plan, it is both necessary and truly possible. I am confident that our superb faculty, staff and campus leadership will be successful in moving California forward with continued support from the business community and our many other partners. How is CSU aligning programs with skills employers want?

MR. WHITE: One of the ways the CSU maintains the high value of its degrees is through the active involvement of the business community with our campuses at a regional level and industry sector leaders with the Chancellor's Office at a state level. For example, the Chancellors Office oversees system-wide initiatives, including the CSU Entertainment Initiative and Hospitality Management Initiative. Each initiative is led by a volunteer industry advisory board that convenes annually to discuss industry trends, and the skillsets and knowledge needed for entry-level and managerial jobs. The meetings provide an opportunity for us to preview new educational programs, industry collaborations and research efforts, and glean advice from industry leaders, many of whom are our alumni.

Sonoma State is especially active in the Hospitality Industry Advisory Board as it was the first university in the nation to offer a wine business degree. Through continued input and advisement from business partners, the campus now also offers industry-driven certificates in subjects including Wine Industry Finance and Accounting. This is a perfect illustration of how we align, refine and expand our curriculum to address workforce needs.

In addition, each campus and many of our faculty members partner with the local business community. We involve local professionals on campus-level advisory boards to ensure that our departmental programs meet regional workforce needs. Local partners also provide internships, undergraduate applied research and service learning opportunities for our students, which gives them a strategic advantage in the job market. At Sonoma State, 65 percent of students are engaged in an internship or research opportunity.

Our campuses also engage in research initiatives that relate to their region. At Sonoma State, these activities are as varied as the WATERS Collaborative with Sonoma County Water Agency and Engineering Science Program supported by Agilent to the Wine Business Institute, which partners with many high-profile names in the region's iconic industry.

Finally, we leverage the talents and resources of all 23 campuses in applied research initiatives that address critical state and national needs -- three examples include: the Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology, Agricultural Research Institute and Council for Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

The quality of the education we give our students today will determine the quality of our workforce, communities and economy tomorrow. I am optimistic that the value of our degrees will continue to remain high through the continued involvement of the business community on our campuses. Through this continued close collaboration, we will continue to adapt our curriculum and expand our program offerings to ensure our students are workforce ready and prepared to lead in the high-demand industries that drive California's economy. How are CSU finances affecting programs, staffing and student costs?

MR. WHITE: The Great Recession fundamentally damaged the physical and academic infrastructure of the CSU, and negatively impacted students. Fortunately, through the support of voters, the Governor and Legislature, revenue is coming back into the CSU through the passage of Proposition 30. The recent budget situation is much more encouraging. It will enable the CSU to hold tuition constant (now a four-year trend), hire more faculty and expand programs to support degree completion.

Funding levels are still below what they were 13 years ago when the CSU served 56,000 fewer students with many more faculty and staff. Yet, through the expertise, ingenuity and commitment of our faculty and the support of strategic partners, the CSU has managed to maintain the quality of our programs.

That said, we continue to struggle with a growing access problem. Since the onset of the Great Recession, the university has consistently turned away 20-25,000 fully eligible students due to the lack of resources. In November 2013, the Chancellor's Office received a record number of applications for the fall 2014 term -- roughly 760,000 from more than 284,000 students -- about a 10 percent increase from two years ago.

The demand for a CSU education is increasing and exceeds our capacity. Most campuses are impacted and can only accept a limited number of fully-eligible first-time freshmen and community college transfer students. The CSU and the state are at a critical juncture. Academic attainment is at crisis levels, necessitating innovation, entrepreneurialism and new investments.

This is why in my “State of the CSU” address I pledged that the university will revitalize and invest in efforts to improve access and degree completion. We will invest $50 million to:hire more full-time faculty;enhance student advising;increase the number of online and concurrent enrollment classes;expand the application of technology and scale the instructional practices that reduce the course roadblocks that hinder students from earning degrees in a timely manner;grow Early Start and other measures that ensure college readiness among first-time freshmen;expand data collection and data-driven decision making;support two-year degree completion among community college transfer students; andexpand high-impact practices that support persistence to degree such as Sonoma State's Freshman Learning Communities and The Sophomore Year Experience that provides direction for second-year and transfer students.

As we are actively redesigning how we deliver instruction and re-imagining the best strategies to help students achieve, we are also actively working to continue to trim expenditures to maximize the state's investment and keep tuition low. Since the onset of the recession, we have instituted a wide range of cost-cutting measures that have saved millions of dollars, which we have redirected toward sustaining the quality of our programs and serving more students.

Another way that we are being good stewards of taxpayer dollars is to increase business collaborations with the University of California and California Community Colleges. I am a product of all three higher education systems, and I was surprised, upon joining the CSU, that we didn't collaborate more on the “business side of the house.” We have, of course, worked successfully together for many years on educational attainment issues relating to student success. But, we had not consistently shared services or leveraged our collective purchasing power to save money.

In July, we convened the first-ever UC--CSU Shared Services Conference to identify the many ways the two systems can share services, streamline costs and implement best business practices. As a result of that effort, we are sharing some legal services and have initiated strategic sourcing, which is enabling us to collaborate on bidding, rebidding and contracts for commodities. Under my watch going forward, we will actively look for more ways to share resources and cut costs. What's the effect of the shift from commuters to on- or near-campus students?

MR. WHITE: Student housing gives students a sense of belonging to a campus community and has proven to be a key element in helping them persist to degree and graduate. Many of our campuses are actively working on improving the campus experience, and the increase in student housing on or near our campuses reflects this priority to increase student retention rates.

Throughout the CSU, campuses like Sonoma State have increased the number of bed spaces to serve student demand for on-campus housing. From fall 2004 to fall 2012, the CSU increased the number of bed spaces by 47 percent from 33,045 to 48,545.

The Board of Trustees approves campus physical master plans to accommodate new academic and instructional support facilities, along with facilities to support student life such as student housing, student unions, health centers, child care centers, etc. The last major revision to Sonoma State's long-range physical master plan was approved in May 2000. This plan has served as the road map for the campus development. It included additional student housing, the construction of a Student Center and other new facilities, as well as the development of 55 acres that have recently been acquired by the campus.

The new Student Center enhances student life on campus -- which is a need when campuses increase the amount of students residing on campus. The students need food services, activity space and access to convenient retail goods. The new Student Center provides excellent space to support these student needs and is conveniently located adjacent to the Student Recreation Center.

Modernized facilities are essential to providing quality educational programs and delivering high-value degrees to CSU students. The fiscal constraints of recent years have added to the growing backlog of maintenance and modernization needs across the system. The campuses have done their best to maintain facilities during the budget reductions, and prioritized the available funds to offer course sections and serve the student enrollment demand.

The state owns 1,524 buildings throughout the CSU system. With minimal state support to maintain these facilities, much of that critical education and research space is in need of serious repair and replacement. The state investment in capital projects remains near record lows. Our deferred maintenance and capital renewal backlog has grown to $1.8 billion, which includes $473 million in priority deferred maintenance projects. Despite this challenge with state facilities, campuses have been able to move forward on non-state projects that meet campus and community needs. Sonoma State's Green Music Center, International Hall and Student Center are all prime examples.

Student housing gives students a sense of belonging to a campus community and has proven to be a key element in helping them persist to degree and graduate. Many of our campuses are actively working on improving the campus experience, and the increase in student housing on or near our campuses reflects this priority to increase student retention rates. Throughout the CSU, campuses like Sonoma State, have increased the number of bed spaces to serve student demand for on-campus housing. From fall 2004 to fall 2012, the CSU increased the number of bed spaces by 47 percent from 33,045 to 48,545.The Board of Trustees approves campus physical master plans to accommodate new academic and instructional support facilities, along with facilities to support student life such as student housing, student unions, health centers, child care centers, etc. The last major revision to Sonoma State's long-range physical master plan was approved in May 2000. This plan has served as the road map for the campus development. It included additional student housing, the construction of a Student Center and other new facilities, as well as the development of 55 acres that have recently been acquired by the campus.The new Student Center enhances student life on campus -- which is a need when campuses increase the amount of students residing on campus. The students need food services, activity space and access to convenient retail goods. The new Student Center provides excellent space to support these student needs and is conveniently located adjacent to the Student Recreation Center. Modernized facilities are essential to providing quality educational programs and delivering high-value degrees to CSU students. The fiscal constraints of recent years have added to the growing backlog of maintenance and modernization needs across the system. The campuses have done their best to maintain facilities during the budget reductions, and prioritized the available funds to offer course sections and serve the student enrollment demand.The state owns 1,524 buildings throughout the CSU system. With minimal state support to maintain these facilities, much of that critical education and research space is in need of serious repair and replacement. The state investment in capital projects remains near record lows. Our deferred maintenance and capital renewal backlog has grown to $1.8 billion, which includes $473 million in priority deferred maintenance projects. Despite this challenge with state facilities, campuses have been able to move forward on non-state projects that meet campus and community needs. Sonoma State's Green Music Center, International Hall and Student Center are all prime examples.