Report of the Chair

I want to extend a warm welcome to our newest student trustee, Talar Alexanian, who was appointed to our board earlier this month. Talar is a student at CSU Northridge pursuing a degree in journalism and public relations. She has served as vice president of CSU Northridge Associated Students since 2013 and was an upper-division senator from 2012 to 2013. She has been a student representative for the CSU Admission Advisory Council since 2012. Welcome, Talar.

Congratulations to four of our trustees who have been confirmed by the Senate: Trustees Eisen, Garcia, Morales, and Norton.

Also I know that the entire board joins me in sending our best wishes to Trustee Bill Hauck, who has been such an integral part of this board for such a long time. He has been very ill and we are all keeping him in our thoughts and prayers.

The Board of Trustees will be holding a planning conference on November 4th, a day in advance of our November 5/6 board meeting. With the appointment of several new board members over the past several years and a new chancellor, we think it would be a timely and worthwhile investment of our time and expertise to gather, with the assistance of an expert from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB). This will be a reflective and educational session; no board business will be conducted.

In general, the goal of the planning session is to affirm and clarify the policy and fiduciary role of the Board of Trustees as well as the relationship with the Chancellor and Chancellor's Office staff during−and in between−board meetings, including communications.

Earlier this month we had an outstanding alumni event aboard the Cal Maritime training ship Golden Bear in Seattle. This event brought together alumni from multiple campuses for the first time outside of California and the East Coast. The Cal Maritime cadets gave tours of the ship's Bridge, Nav-Lab, Power Lab, Engine Room, Ballast Waste Water System, and general common areas to the more than 300 guests. A special thanks to Cal Maritime for opening the Golden Bear's Captain's Reception to alumni from throughout the system.

Congratulations are due to San Francisco State on its reaccreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) for 10 years, the maximum time period for which WASC issues reaccreditation. WASC praised the progress made on the three themes chosen for emphasis during the review -- social justice and civic engagement, the changing university, and student success−as well as the university's collaboration and focus during the review process. In particular, the Commission commended San Francisco State for maintaining the quality of its academic programs during the budget crisis and for its steady increase in graduation rates, especially among minority students. Congratulations to you and your team, President Wong.

This is the time of the year when under Trustee policy, the Board Chair approves and reports on the annual operating budget for the State University House. I approve an operating budget of $73,830 for 2013/14 with provisions for supplies and services, insurance and utilities. The funding, all of which is non-state money, is derived from the proceeds of the sale of the previous State University House in Bel-Air. The trust fund is restricted to supporting the operation, furnishing, and maintenance of the State University House. When the trust was established in 1991, two spending rules were instituted to protect the structure and ensure there are sufficient interest earnings in the future to cover operational and maintenance costs without using General Fund dollars. We have held true to this commitment. Do any board members have questions?

Last but not least, I wanted to announce our search committee for the Cal State Long Beach Presidential search:

Roberta Achtenberg, Chair
Speaker John Perez
Lupe Garcia
Margaret Fortune
Bob Linscheid, (Ex-officio)

That concludes the Chair's Report. It is now time for the Chancellor's Report.