Chancellor's Recent Speeches

Remarks by Dr. Charles B. Reed
Chancellor, California State University
State of the CSU Address - CSU Legislative Day
Sacramento, CA
April 11, 2005

Good morning, and thank you to all of you for coming here today.

Special thanks to the teams who organized today's events: the CSU Alumni Council, the CSU's Office of Advocacy and Institutional Relations, and all of our campus representatives and friends.

We talk a lot about how the California State University is the university that "works for California." But in order to work for California, the CSU has to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of individuals.

A few weeks ago, I had a chance to talk with one of those individuals at length. I sat next to one of our alums during a cross-country flight. We were not in first class like some other universities. We were in coach, way in the back - and I was in the middle seat. During that flight she told me her story and how her experience with the CSU essentially changed her life:

Geri MacPhee was originally from Guam but grew up in China Lake, California. After graduating from high school, and after a brief return to Guam, she found work as a clerk/typist in China Lake. Soon she realized that she would need to get a higher degree for a more promising future. While she was working full-time, she became a part-time student. She attended community college and then transferred to Cal State Bakersfield, where she earned her bachelor's degree in business administration.

She never actually had to go to Bakersfield to take a class. Professors traveled to China Lake two times per week, and many of her courses were offered via distance technology.

She now works for the U.S. Navy as a technical specialist and contracting officer's representative for the Navy Marine Corps Intranet program, the single largest intranet in the world. She is also a part-time student at Cal Poly Pomona pursuing an MBA through the Professional MBA program.

I really liked her story because I thought it was a powerful example of how the CSU helps make a difference in the lives of thousands of people. She did not live close to a four-year university, but with her commitment to her future, and with the CSU's flexibility, she was able to complete the degree of her dreams - and she is determined to keep going.

We are very fortunate that she was able to join us today. Please join me in welcoming Geri MacPhee.

There are thousands more people like Geri all around the state who have turned to the CSU to help them achieve their dreams. This story could be told in countless different ways, about how this great university has helped millions of students make California what it is today.

The bottom line is that the CSU is the university that is shaping California.

The CSU represents California's future because of the people like Geri MacPhee who help strengthen California every day.

CSU Impact

You and I know about the major impact that our campuses have on individuals and on our local communities. But now we have tangible proof that the work we do has a massive impact across the state of California.

In November, the CSU released a report showing how our university system dramatically affects the economic, social, intellectual and cultural life of our state. This is the first systemwide analysis of this magnitude. The results show that:

• The CSU provides a four-fold return on investment. For every $1 the state puts into the CSU, we generate $4.41 in spending. This means that the CSU more than pays for itself. Few other public entities can make that claim.



• CSU-related expenditures create over $13 billion annually in economic activity and support more than 200,000 jobs in the state.



• When you take into account the impact that our 1.7 million alumni have on California, we have a $53 billion impact.



• The CSU provides the majority of the professional workers that are critical to the state's knowledge-based industries: agriculture, engineering, business, technology, media, and computer science. We graduate more students in these fields than all other California universities and colleges combined.



• The CSU is the state's leading provider of graduates in services that are critical to the state, providing more than 80 percent of the college degrees in criminal justice, education, social work and public administration.



• The CSU educates a diverse population: More than half of all undergraduate degrees granted to Latino, African American and Native American students in California were awarded by the CSU.



• The CSU improves local communities and residents' quality of life: CSU students contribute 30 million hours a year to community service activities including education and health projects.

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