Statewide Senators’ Report (Cheyne/Thobaben)
Summary of Statewide Senate Plenary Session
January 25, 2006
REPORTS:
1. Statewide Senate Chair Marshelle Thobaben:
Chair Thobaben’s reported on the formation of a new oversight committee on independent
EdDs which will include six faculty members from the Statewide Senate. In addition, a
detailed written report from Chair Thobaben is available on the web at
http://www.calstate.edu/AcadSen/Records/Chairs_Reports/jan06_chair_report.pdf. In brief,
the report contains updates on the following:
 Lower Division Transfer Pattern (LDTP) Project: Work is continuing and updates are
available on the LDTP website at http://www.calstate.edu/acadaff/ldtp.html. An LDTP
Advisory Committee has been formed that will provide general policy advice to the
Chancellor on a number of issues related to the LDTP Project.
 Campus Peer Review Visitation Teams: As part of the CSU’s Facilitating Graduation
Initiative, four Campus Peer Review Visitation Teams are being selected, each team
consisting of three faculty and two administrators. Teams will visit each campus during
the next three terms (spring and fall 2006 and spring 2007) and will provide feedback to
the Statewide Academic Affairs staff regarding distinctive features about each campus’
programs. This includes a focus on “best practices” to be presented at a conference on
Facilitating Graduation, which is planned for October 2006.
 Meeting Attendance: Chair Thobaben’s written report also includes discussion of
numerous meetings attended by members of the Executive Committee as well as other
issues, including: Future of the Institute for Teaching and Learning, meeting with
Chancellor Reed, Executive Vice Chancellor/Chief Academic Officer Search, Senate
Budget, Academic Council, Academic Technology Advisory Committee, Alumni
Council, Board of Trustees, CFA, CSSA Board, Intersegmental Committee of Academic
Senates, and Provosts’ Technology Steering Committee.
2. Associate Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs Keith Boyum
 Facilitating Graduation Initiative. Most recently he has been following the
development and training of teams who will be making campus visits related to the
Facilitating Graduation Initiative. He believes team members demonstrate great expertise
and will be helpful in providing valuable feedback on this initiative.
 EdD: Work continues on implementing the EdD. It is planned that some campuses will
begin in fall of 2006. Decisions will then be made regarding the next round of campuses
that will institute the program. One criterion for selection will be location, in order to get
good coverage throughout the state.
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 Enrollment Patterns in the LA Basin. The Chancellor’s Office is undertaking an
investigation of campuses in the LA Basin in terms of enrollment and transfer patterns.
 Admissions Advisory Committee. Offered a recent report that urges Chancellor to
reaffirm current admission policies that require that incoming freshmen must have a high
school diploma.
 ATAC. Affirmed that the system must come into conformance with federal law
regarding accommodation for individuals with disabilities. This may require a change in
some current educational practices.
3. CFA President John Travis:
 Collective Bargaining: Some major issues under negotiation include salary inversion
and compression, where CFA will propose solutions that would mitigate but not resolve
the situation. The union also intends to address workload including class size, number of
tenure-track faculty, and number of units for which a faculty member is responsible.
CFA negotiators also are facing a number of take-backs, which include certain provisions
that have provided lecturers with some job security, such as three-year contracts. In
addition, CSU is proposing changes to the FERP program that would reduce the number
of FERP years to two over the life of the contract. Travis believes that bargaining will be
contentious and prolonged.
 Department Chair Arbitration: Travis recently signed off on this arbitration. It deals
with $750,000 left after department chairs received a 7% increase during the last contract.
The additional money also will be distributed to department chairs based upon a number
of factors. Those who were chairs during the period in question will be hearing from the
union regarding this award.
 Mediation: The Chancellor has hired a mediator who has been charged with helping to
improve relations between the administration, labor unions, and faculty as a whole. This
individual will be attending some of the bargaining meetings, as well as visiting some of
the campuses.
 CFA Demonstration During Trustees Meeting: The CFA will hold a demonstration at
the February B of T meeting which they hope will be attended by representatives from
all of the campuses. CFA will focus upon misplaced priorities and the need for taking a
more realistic look at what the system needs during a growing economy. The CFA will
also focus upon some of the bargaining issues noted above.
4. Faculty Trustee Craig Smith: Trustee Smith reported on the following issues.
 Campus Visits: Trustee Smith has now visited 15 campuses and will visit the other 8 by
June. He noted that every campus visit has included meetings with Academic Senators.
He encouraged campuses to focus upon advertising what they do well, as well as
identifying areas that need improvement.
 VP for Academic Affairs: It is expected that the Chancellor will appoint a new VP for
Academic Affairs next week who will replace David Spence and Keith Boyum, who has
served in the interim.
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 Collective Bargaining: The Trustee noted that the members of the B of T are not of one
mind, that they are, in fact, very diverse, and that some positive influence will be
forthcoming relative to collective bargaining.
 Student Fee Increases: It is expected that state revenues will take an upturn and this
may mitigate future fee increases.
5. CSSA Liaison Hironao Okahana:
 Higher Education Student Summit: From March 3-6, students will be in Sacramento
undertaking a significant lobbying effort with state legislators.
 Tuition Fee Increase: Students are very pleased at the Governor’s decision to freeze the
fee increase. Students will continue to focus on this issue.
 Student Trustee Search: The students have forwarded three names to the Governor for
his consideration. No formal announcement has yet been made.
 Parking Fees: Students are requesting that parking fees be removed from collective
bargaining so that such fees can be negotiated on a more equal playing field.
RESOLUTIONS:
1. Ongoing Efforts to Shape Curricula in Institutions of Higher Learning: Reasserts the
principles of academic freedom as reflecting the fundamental mission of the University to
discover and disseminate knowledge. Objects to and deplores actions by publishers and
other external constituencies to influence published or curricular content. Affirms that
scholars have primary responsibility for determining what is appropriate for instruction,
publication, and other dissemination; and that faculty have primary responsibility for
determining the content of the curriculum and what is to be taught in the university
classroom. PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
2. Providing Newly Recruited Faculty with Necessary Support: Calls attention to CSU
campus difficulties in recruiting qualified faculty. Notes high cost-of-living in California.
Urges individual campuses to ensure that all faculty be provided with necessary office space,
technology, equipment and other facilities; and to compensate new faculty in a timely
manner to ensure that they can meet basic living and health expenses. PASSED
UNANIMOUSLY.
3. Commendation for the Early Assessment Project: Commends those responsible for
developing the Early Assessment Project (EAP), drawing attention to a number of specific
activities and outcomes that these individuals achieved. PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
4. Support of California’s Science and Mathematics Teacher Preparation Initiative:
Commends those responsible for establishing the California Science and Mathematics
Teacher Preparation Initiative, including efforts to obtain additional funding for its support
and depth of collaboration with the Senate’s Committee on Teacher Education and K-12
Relations Committee. PASSED.
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5. Amendment to the Constitution: Changes Statewide Senate membership to reduce the
number of elected senators from 58 to 52. Campuses with FTEF of 100 or less would be
allocated one senator and those with 100 or more would have two senators from each
campus. One extra senator would be elected from as many campuses as possible apportioned
on the basis of the highest FTEF. FIRST READING
6. Provision of E-Text Material to the CSU Center for Alternative Media: Endoreses the
work being done by CSU Center for Alternative Media (CAM) in making learning resources
available to students with disabilities. Urges publishers to provide e-text materials to CAM
at the time a text book is adopted. Recommends that CSU faculty consider, when selecting
textbooks, the willingness of the publisher to provide e-text material to CAM upon course
adoption. Calls upon the Chancellor’s Office to encourage publishers to routinely create etext materials as part of a course learning package. FIRST READING.
7. The Early Assessment Program: In-service and Pre-service Components: Reaffirms
support of the CSU’s Early Assessment Program (EAP). Commends those responsible for
providing faculty development to public school teachers in helping prepare students in
mathematics and English proficiencies assessed through the EAP. Encourages CSU faculty
to ensure that pre-service teacher preparation program curricula on their campuses respond to
EAP pedagogical and philosophical goals. Encourages the CSU System and faculty to
continue to participate in delivering in-service professional development opportunities to
high school teachers in conjunction with the EAP. FIRST READING.