Next steps for a new CSUEB
- December 8, 2006
With the successful conclusion of our fall Town Hall Meetings, we have been hard at work analyzing the results. Each of the more than 1,300 student, faculty, staff, and alumni comments, notes, and e-mails from 21 meetings has now been reviewed and coded for ongoing analysis and reference.
I attended every Town Hall Meeting and listened intently. The deep sense of pride and shared concern for CSUEB the participants expressed moved me. Moreover, everyone seemed to understand clearly that the objective was to inform and guide a strategic planning process that will shape the future of CSUEB.
As a result, not only were the discussions lively, but they were also earnest, thoughtful and infused with great insight and a remarkable sense of determined optimism that left me feeling both grateful and proud of our community.
Additional analysis remains to be done before a full report of meeting comments linked to goals is published online next quarter. Nonetheless, I want to share with you now the key themes that have emerged from this important dialogue. These themes are a distillation of what you told me of your aspirations for Cal State East Bay. They represent the dream we have envisioned together - and the vision we must now work to make real. Not only do they express your expectations of my administration, but also the future for which you have committed to work.
Here's what I heard you say that you expect of - and envision for - CSUEB:
An efficient, well-run university with a culture of accountability. We must create, sustain, and reward a culture of excellence, efficiency, accountability, and continuous quality improvement - a university that works - as a requirement for survival as well as the foundation for growth and future success.
Strong growth and full enrollment with personalized learning and expanded access. We must aggressively grow and strategically manage our enrollment, benefiting all of our campuses and locations, while increasing access for students from all backgrounds and also strengthening our hallmark personalized teaching and learning environment.
Vibrant university villages. We must plan, develop, and build the infrastructure for a lively, vibrant, and sustainable university village at each of our campuses, where 24/7 activities and facilities promote the quality of life and well-being of students, faculty, and staff, as well as surrounding communities.
An inclusive campus climate that fosters multicultural learning and competence. We value and insist upon a campus climate characterized by a welcoming, inclusive, and caring atmosphere, responsive to the unique needs of all community members and where multicultural competence and learning experiences infuse our curriculum, policies and practices.
A tradition of teaching, learning, and academic quality emphasized and reinforced. Our core mission of teaching, learning, and commitment to the success of students of all backgrounds must be honored, reinforced and reflected through our academic programs, our practices, our student services, and our faculty, who play a central role in delivering on this mission. We understand that these are the measures by which our quality is defined and judged.
Our quest for distinction realized. We must identify, develop, cultivate and invest in the programs and aspects of a CSUEB education we wish to be known for - and promote them consistently and creatively.
University of choice through regional stewardship. Our goal is to be a destination, widely recognized as the East Bay's "own CSU" and the region's high-access public university of choice by building visibility, affinity and support through greatly increased community and regional service, engagement and leadership.
Next steps. Now that our collective vision has begun to coalesce, we must add structure and form to our dreams. The next steps involve the leadership of the university's five vice presidents: academic affairs, administration and business affairs, advancement, student affairs, and planning and enrollment management. Each will carefully consider the themes that have emerged from our discussions and develop five-year plans to achieve the goals that these themes embody. Their plans will include specific strategies and actions for the next year and beyond, together with targets and metrics to ensure accountability and measurable progress.
Transparency and accountability to mark a new era. Not only must our planning and budgeting be integrated, but the decision-making and oversight process associated with them must also be clearly visible and understood by all. Without this, we cannot judge and measure our progress, and our stakeholders will be unable to hold us accountable. As a result of consultation with the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate and the Committee on Budget Resource and Allocation (COBRA), I am forming a new
University Planning, Assessment, and Budget Committee. This committee will include faculty, staff and student representation. It will advise me in prioritizing campus goals, allocating resources, and reviewing campus progress toward key objectives.
I hope you share my optimism and growing sense of a turning point and new possibilities for CSUEB. I am increasingly confident that through our continuing collaboration, dialogue, and cooperation, our vision for a new CSUEB will not only take form, but also take hold and thrive.
