Report of the Chair

I'd like to welcome back faculty, students and other members of the CSU community from summer break. While summer always seems too short, thousands of students have arrived on our campuses to begin or continue their path toward a college degree.

Several of our campuses have wonderful new facilities that will enrich the student experience. Just yesterday, Cal State Long Beach had the grand opening of its new Student Recreation and Wellness Center featuring celebrity guest fitness expert and CSULB alumna Denise Austin who earned her bachelor's degree in physical education at the university in 1979. I understand former Long Beach president Bob Maxson and Mayor Bob Foster where also on hand. The $61 million, 126,000 square foot facility features weight and fitness machines, cardio theater, a wellness center, rock-climbing wall, indoor running track, basketball/volleyball court, outside recreation pool and spa, sand volleyball, and personal trainers and group fitness classes. So, while student are exercising their mind, they can also keep fit on campus. Congratulations to CSULB President King Alexander and his campus community.

Sacramento State also officially opened The WELL – the University's new recreation and wellness center for students. The WELL was paid for with a student fee approved by the students in a campus-wide referendum, and features a 151,000 square foot building combining health and fitness under one roof. Health offerings include primary and urgent care clinics, pharmacy, retail optometry and a nutrition center. Recreation and fitness opportunities include four basketball and racquetball courts, weight training, bouldering and rock-climbing walls.

Those seem to a popular item among students. Many congratulations go to Sacramento State President Alex Gonzalez and his campus.

Humboldt State reopened its Natural History Museum to the public last week with a broader academic mission and solid financial backing from recent grants. The museum is meeting additional student needs in the K-12 arena, and reinforcing its educational mission through math and science teacher preparation. The facility remained opened to school children, but was closed to other visitors over the past year because of state budget cuts. The revamped facility will be managed by the Humboldt Science and Mathematics Center and Redwood Science Project, a grant-funded campus organization focused on math and science and teacher preparation. Congratulations to Humboldt State President Rollin Richmond and his team.

Finally, Fresno State will host a statewide broadcast debate between gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman on October 2 in the university's Satellite Student Union. The debate is produced by the nonpartisan San Joaquin Valley Gubernatorial Forum as part of its effort to help enlighten voters – especially Latinos – about current political affairs and candidates and their impact on the region. Fresno State is a member of the forum along with Univision's Channel 21, Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce, the city of Fresno and the Fresno Bee.

We have several presidential searches underway at campuses including San Luis Obispo, San Jose and San Diego. Heading up the trustee search committee for SLO is Roberta Achtenberg with members including Carol Chandler, George Gowgani and Glen Toney.

Debra Farar will chair the trustee search committee for San Jose with members including Ken Fong, Melinda Guzman and Bob Linscheid. For the San Diego presidential search, Bill Hauck will chair with Lou Monville, Linda Lang and Pete Mehas as members.

The CSU Foundation has received $578,399 from the estate of William and Jan Lahey to support the CSU Summer Arts program and scholarships for visual arts students pursuing careers in teaching. The scholarships are to be valued at the current rate of student fees plus a $1,500 stipend. Bill Lahey worked at the Chancellor's Office from 1966 to 1986 in Human Resources and was responsible for developing many of the policies in place related to compensation and employee classification codes. He was serving as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty and Staff Affairs when he retired. We thank the William and Jan Lahey estate for their generous donation.

Finally, I'd just like to congratulate again all of the Hearst Trustee Award winners. We had a very nice reception with all of the students yesterday following the board presentation, and they are certainly an inspiration to all of us.

Members of the board, that concludes my report.