Report of the Chair

To begin, I am pleased to announce our selection for president of Cal Poly Pomona. The new president will be Soraya M. Coley.

Mayor Garcia, thank you again for being here to tell your CSU story. The system as a whole is proud of your success. We all look forward to your coming remarks. I know President Conoley and her colleagues from “The Beach” are particularly thrilled with your leadership.

It speaks to the student development mission of the California State Student Association when alumni build on their experience as leaders at the CSU to serve as elected officials at the city, county, state and federal level.

As we tell the story of student and alumni success, it is important to recognize the contribution of auxiliaries. We have 90 auxiliary organizations in the CSU system. This includes the associated student organizations on campuses, giving many students the experience of advocating and managing resources for their peers. They do so with the advice and support of a dedicated professional staff. Mayor Garcia benefitted from that experience. The impact of auxiliaries is extensive, providing students with places to live, eat, meet, and study on campus. Auxiliaries also create new academic and research opportunities through fundraising and partnerships. All of this contributes to successful students.

The success of the CSU community in preparing graduates for careers is increasingly recognized in college rankings. Congratulations to the 18 CSU campuses recognized among Forbes magazine’s ranking of “America’s Top Colleges.” Forbes rates universities based on student satisfaction, career outcomes, alumni earnings, graduation rate and academic success. San Diego State in particular was recognized among the top 25 Best Value Colleges for 2014. MONEY magazine also named fourteen CSU campuses among the nation’s “Best Colleges” based on metrics such as academics, affordability and alumni success. MONEY particularly called out Northridge, San Bernardino and San Diego State among the 25 Best Colleges That Add the Most Value. Cal Maritime also received special recognition as a top-ranked, accessible university. I’ll also note that many of you may have seen US News and World Report has put out their rankings and has given high rankings for 18 of our campuses. And, I will take a moment of privilege to read them all because I think that they deserve the recognition, San Diego State, San Luis Obispo, Long Beach, Chico, San Jose, Fullerton, Sonoma, Fresno, Stanislaus, Sacramento, Humboldt, San Francisco, San Bernardino, Monterey Bay, Northridge, Channel Islands, Bakersfield, Los Angeles and San Marcos. I want to thank you all for the recognition that you bring to our students and the hard work that you do to serve them. That recognition is well deserved. Finally, I want to add that Cal Maritime also received recognition as a top ranked accessible university. So thank you for that.

When we talk about “value-added” we are really talking about transforming peoples’ lives for the better. Yesterday, we had 23 extraordinary examples of ongoing transformation in the lives of our CSU trustees’ scholars. The CSU Foundation Board of Governors has really led the effort to build support for the CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. Foundation board members helped secure many new contributions from organizations and individuals. Thank you again to the current and emeritus trustees, and to the many others in this room, who supported these scholarships. It is a privilege to hear the stories of student scholars. It is a privilege to honor them. And it is a privilege to have them in the world, representing the California State University.

I would like to conclude my remarks by thanking President Alex Gonzalez for his incredible service. President Gonzalez announced that he will retire from the California State University, Sacramento at the end of this academic year. President Gonzalez is one of the longest-serving CSU presidents in the system. He dedicated 11 years of service to Sacramento State, following six years at Cal State San Marcos. Additionally, he spent 18 years as a faculty member, department chair and provost at Fresno State. Alex, we have greatly benefitted from your leadership at the campus and at the system. You are a tremendous advocate for us in the State Capitol, and through your national engagement on issues that are important to the success of our students.

Now we begin the difficult process of identifying a successor. Trustee Glazer has volunteered to chair the presidential search committee for Sacramento State. Thank you, Steve. I know you and your fellow committee members will have our full support as you conduct the search.

That concludes the Chair’s Report.

And now for the Chancellor’s Report.