FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 21, 2006

Corrected Sept. 19, 2006
 

Let me offer a sincere welcome back to campus for what promises to be a memorable year at California State University, Fresno.   This year, for the first time, we are able to come together as an entire university community for our fall assembly.  

 I trust you all had an opportunity to get away from campus over the summer and spend time with family and friends.

This will be a very momentous year for all of us as we begin the implementation of our new Plan for Excellence III which was endorsed by the Academic Senate last spring.  I can promise you this will be a year that we all will look back on as one of the most significant in the history of our university. 

Consider what we will accomplish together this year.

• The walls of the old Madden Library are coming down and a magnificent new library will soon be rising in the heart of campus.  This $95 million plus structure is one of the largest projects ever undertaken by this campus.  The new library will be the heart of the campus and serve as a symbol of our commitment to academic excellence in addition to serving as an architectural landmark for all of Central California

• The Central Valley Business Incubator and International Center for Water Technology building will be completed right across from the campus Farm Market. The new $5 million technology and clean energy incubator is a great partnership with the university that will add jobs to the regional economy and train students so they’ll be ready for those opportunities. It will host water-and energy-focused entrepreneurs and staff who will transform innovators’ ideas into jobs.

• We welcome 62 new tenure track faculty members to our campus this fall. Provost Echeverria has authorized searches for an additional 91 tenure track faculty this coming year –and a few more are yet to be authorized.. As we have hired faculty these past few years we have needed to increase our salary offers in order to hire the best faculty possible. This has created some inequities as we have hired faculty at higher incoming salaries this past year. We need to address the inequities which have occurred as a result.  We will follow Academic Policy 330 on market/equity salary increases as we address this issue.  Provost Echeverria will elaborate on the specifics of this action in her comments.  And for all faculty and staff…please note…bargaining is still underway for improvements in salaries and benefits. I am hopeful those negotiations will go well and that we can reach agreement to allow for the distribution of a 3% salary increase pool for the current year.

• This year we will begin the recruitment of our first class of students to enter our independent doctoral program in educational leadership upon the final approvals of the program by the CSU and the WASC accrediting Commission. I also anticipate the beginning recruitment for students in a new joint doctoral program in physical therapy.

• The athletics department will complete its strategic plan for the future. We already have taken decisive action to correct past problems in the athletic program and worked with the NCAA to reinforce an athletics environment at Fresno State that complies with the rules and is operated with integrity. In addition steps have been taken to stabilize the financial condition of the program. Regrettably, some of these steps have been painful. This year I again expect all elements of our athletic program to uderscore the core values of this institution and to reinforce the overall good work of the university. This year as we cheer for the Bulldogs …we’ll be cheering for the success of the entire university.

• We will complete a new master plan for the campus which will provide the blueprint for our campus to serve 25,000 students in the coming years. That plan will address creative approaches to traffic, parking, utility infrastructure as well as identifying potential location of new buildings and those to be demolished.

• Our comprehensive fundraising campaign will continue to accelerate.  Our comprehensive fundraising campaign will continue to accelerate. We've already secured $28.3 million dollars in private support for our campus during the first year of our campaign, and there is much more to come. Congratulations to our advancement team, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the deans and our volunteers for this early success.   Congratulations to our advancement team, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the deans and our volunteers for this early success.

• We are successfully building a regional and national group of donors willing to support the university and our plans for the future. Today I’m pleased to announce that two leaders of our community have taken on the challenge of leading the Campaign for Fresno State. Bud and Jan Richter have dedicated their adult lives to community service and Fresno State has been a major beneficiary of their generosity and leadership. They eagerly accepted the challenge to lead the effort to attract new major donors and inspire those who already support the university. Bud and Jan wanted to be with us, but their schedule took them away from Fresno today. However, they wanted to let you how excited they are to chair the campaign. Let’s listen to what they had to say …

I’m sure you’re pleased that Bud and Jan have made this important commitment to the university.  They have been an inspiration in this community for more than a half-century, and now their guidance and counsel will provide a great legacy to this university.  Their involvement at this moment in the life of the university is key to achieving the goals we have set out for our future.  As we move ahead this year…

We will begin the implementation of our new  strategic plan for the university – the  “Plan for Excellence III”.

 As we approach the university’s centennial in 2011, the strategic plan will serve as a blueprint for the transformation of the university.

We will align Fresno State’s human and physical resources to meet the goals identified in this plan to be recognized as one of the top ten comprehensive engaged universities in the United States.

The new strategic plan effectively addresses the dramatically changing economic, cultural and demographic changes in Central California. Throughout the state and the nation our region is often referred to as the “New California,” the part of California that offers a new frontier of development and opportunity.

Fresno State now is perfectly positioned to support innovation in our region and the transformation of our university.   We will pursue excellence in learning and discovery and engage effectively with community, government, business, education, health care and nonprofit organizations. We will aggressively acquire new resources and use technology to enhance learning and research. We will vigorously expand our graduate programs, strengthen student success programs and develop greater civic engagement opportunities for our students. We will provide opportunities to both faculty and staff for professional development and training.  For university staff we will emphasize continuous learning and recognize exceptional performance. 

The new Campus Master Plan will ensure that improvements on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood amplify the aspirations of our overall strategic plan. As the university makes these changes, the students, communities and region we serve will become better prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow and take advantage of new opportunities.

Our strategic planning has occurred in tandem with an important initiative of the California State University. Over the past year, Chancellor Reed has been traveling across the state, meeting with a cross-section of top leaders in a variety of industries and communities.  In this series of meetings, our chancellor heard different viewpoints about what our campuses are doing well and those areas in which we can do better.  Fresno State was proud to host the first of those sessions, focused on how to maintain California’s leadership in agricultural innovation and production.

In the course of those meetings, community leaders consistently identified eight key characteristics that the leaders of our state seek in our graduates. First, they expect us to continue to strengthen the overall CSU undergraduate experience.

They want our graduates to receive a well-rounded education that includes critical thinking, communication and organizational skills.  They expect our graduates to be willing to accept change, to possess strong technology skills and to be effective communicators in both written and spoken presentations.  California’s leaders expect CSU graduates to have communication skills in more than one language and to be aware of globalization and the larger world.  And they seek graduates who are willing to start by doing the “tough work” to get the job done.

Derek Bok, in his recent book titled, Our Underachieving Colleges, points out that in our current world environment, “the quality of education in American Colleges has assumed greater importance than ever before.”

I suggest that we carefully consider this feedback as we identify the characteristics we expect of Fresno State graduates.  In many of these areas we’re doing well, but to keep pace with this rapidly changing and evolving region and state, we must excel. I look forward to the results of the work of the Task Force who will identify the characteristics of a Fresno State graduate.

Fresno State’s Plan for Excellence III and Chancellor Reed’s discussions across the state prompt us to look at new areas to consider and areas we should change.  It is clear that we need to continue to strengthen our engineering program with an emphasis on innovation and serving our region.

We’ve had great success with our service learning programs. I believe we can reach one million hours of service to our community by our centennial year. In addition to urging more involvement of our students I would like to urge everyone here to take advantage of our policy in which we will release each employee for 40 hours of service provided each employee matches that amount. Last year many of you responded to my request to get involved in ReadFresno.  Please see our recently mailed newsletter for information on how to get involved this year.  One hundred percent of the President’s office staff will participate.   Please join us.

The work of the Kremen School faculty and the Central Valley Educational Leadership Institute are helping our K-12 schools to become better. This year we need to strengthen and double our efforts to develop math and science teachers.

Finally, we must place increased emphasis on preparing students for the global economy through curricular improvements, student exchanges, new learning opportunities overseas and new joint educational programs with universities and institutes throughout the world. I will urge us to consider developing a global studies certificate which could be earned by students who complete a certain number of courses, demonstrate language proficiency and participate in an international experience.

We are strengthening the academic excellence and scholarship of our university. Our careful planning will result in the allocation of resources to support growth in key disciplines.

We will hire and retain outstanding faculty members and recognize and reward excellence in teaching and scholarship. Achieving academic excellence requires that we focus on student learning and also on the clear-headed assessment of student success to drive improvement throughout the university. The success of our students is everyone’s responsibility.

In the recent Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation report, we were commended as a “national model for institutions interested in becoming generators of social mobility, economic development, and student success.”   Fresno State is a model for other universities across the country. We’re building on this solid work to ensure continued improvement in student academic success among the highly diverse, predominantly first-generation college students that we serve. 

Our strategic plan’s focus on student success moves forward through the work of the Student Services Task Force, which begins its fifth year of activity under the leadership of Provost Echeverria and Vice President Oliaro.  Last year witnessed completion of roadmaps for every academic program, the implementation of the early choice of major policy for all students, and a pilot implementation of mandatory academic advising policy for each cohort of new students starting with those entering in Fall 2005.

This year will mark full implementation of the mandatory advising policy program for all academic programs. That will require the support of all faculty to ensure students receive advising on their roadmaps prior to the completion of their 75th credit.

The expansion of our Mentoring Institute for incoming students and the success last year of our Learning Communities offer promise that our students will reap the benefits through more timely completion of their degree programs.

The Task Force will continue its focus on helping students negotiate the many transitions they experience at the university. We will continue our e-mail message system for first-time freshman -- called the Bulldog Connection -- and expand the Senior Experience that assists students who plan to enter a graduate program or transition to a career in their major field after graduation.

Finally, a sophomore year experience will be developed to reduce the attrition of students between their second and third years. The value of these efforts was affirmed in April by a Chancellor’s Office site visit team that reviewed our Student Success initiatives.

We will dramatically expand our graduate programs, including our new independent doctorate and joint doctorates. We will increase our recruitment of graduate students and boost financial support for the graduate education program. Our growth brings opportunities to improve the graduate experience and achieve the level of excellence in graduate programs that leads to national and international recognition. 

We’ve focused our research on issues of the greatest importance to Central California – issues such as health care, social change, new business creation, innovation, agriculture and education. Over the past five years, our faculty has expanded external grant support from federal and state agencies and foundations in excess of $180 million dollars.  But we know we can and must do even more.

And this fall we will also pursue recognition as an “Engaged University”, a new Carnegie classification which affirms the efforts of universities to serve the needs of their community in an extraordinary way. Fresno State certainly is an “engaged university,” with initiatives such as the International Center for Water Technology, the Central California Health Policy Institute, the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Central Valley Educational Leadership Institute, the Center for Community Engagement and many other examples.  The new recognition we seek from the Carnegie Foundation will underscore the unique collaboration between our university and our larger community through partnerships that exchange knowledge and resources. 

Being an engaged university takes on many forms.  As one of the largest employers in Fresno County, it also means doing our part to give back to our community through the annual California State Employees charitable campaign that is run through the United Way of Fresno County.

Last year, in the wake of the Katrina disaster, Fresno State, as well as many other large organizations, lagged behind in their contributions compared to previous years.  This fall’s campaign, which begins in October, will give us the opportunity to demonstrate that being an engaged university also means helping those most in need.  I ask you to keep this in mind when that campaign drive begins.

Today’s Fresno State student has access to some of the best technologies in the world … and we’ll make sure we continue to keep pace with the changes ahead. We’re adding advanced “smart classrooms” and amazing new capabilities for collaboration, computer design and multimedia.   Central California depends on our leadership in this area … and we will meet that challenge.

The Technology Infrastructure Initiative has completed much of the tough work of underground fiber optic cabling and constructing new computer equipment rooms. It is now rolling out the next tier of connectivity throughout the campus.  The speed and capabilities of the new network will underpin exciting new technology in the classroom, high speed wireless service, and sophisticated video and archiving technologies. We’re already able to use our technology through campus services such as Blackboard and the Digital Campus, but we’ve only scratched the surface in finding ways to merge the power of teaching to the power of technology.     

As I said earlier, this will be a memorable year.  There is much work to be accomplished and building to be done.  One of our challenges will be keeping pace with all of the change under way.  We’ll all have to cope with the inconveniences of construction …especially the new library.

We will lead the way in helping to advance sustainability initiatives and utilize scarce natural resources. A great example of that will be our new partnership with Chevron Energy in building photovoltaic solar parking structures that shade vehicles while generating electricity for the campus power grid.  A new structure will cover 722 parking spaces on 14 acres in Parking Lot V.  This new solar system can generate 20% of all the power used by the campus. Construction begins this fall and will be completed in the in spring.  That’s just one of the exciting improvements we’ll see this year.

Vice President Matson has mailed everyone an excellent summary of all of the construction underway this year and how it may affect you.  Please take the time to review that information and other updates as the year progresses.

This will be a busy year…and we’ll all need to take care of ourselves as we work pursue our aggressive agenda.

Last February marked the opening of our new state-of-the-art Student Recreation Center. The heavy use by students and their positive response to the new center prompted Student Affairs to develop a Wellness Services program that will begin this fall.  This will be a collaborative effort among the Student Health Center, University Health and Psychological Services, our campus Employee Assistance Program, the Student Recreation Center, the Alcohol Advisory Council and several academic departments to include Kinesiology, Nursing, Nutrition, Physical Therapy, Health Sciences and other departments.

This program will offer students opportunities to develop healthy lifestyle habits that will serve them long after their graduation. I have committed funds through the Plan for Excellence program to make these services available to faculty and staff.  Faculty and staff are also invited to join the Recreation Center on a monthly or yearly basis – and take full advantage of this wonderful facility. I understand we have folks in the lobby who can help you sign up.

The value of paying attention to our personal fitness, nutrition and good health habits has well established benefits in the workplace.  I believe our campus can be a model for wellness within the CSU. Or to put it another way-do not wait for New Year’s to make your resolutions. Make it now and get involved in these programs!

The transformation of Fresno State is happening here …and now. Not by accident or coincidence … but by plan and commitment. All of us here have made a great investment in Fresno State’s future. That future is inspiring and challenging.

These are times of great change at our university … a point in time where our future comes into sharp focus.

Our centennial is now just five years away.  Imagine what California State University, Fresno will be at our 100^th anniversary …

• It will be a university of academic excellence with one of the most technologically advanced and handsome libraries in the country.

• It will be at the heart of the transformation of Central California – a place of optimism, innovation, invention and creativity.

• Our campus will be the link for our region to the economies and cultures of the world.

• It will be a university focused on inspiring students of character who lead in community service.

• We will possess a superior faculty recognized for their teaching, research and public service.   

This year will be a time of great emotion … a time of great excitement and exhilaration for our students, faculty and staff.

It has been my honor to serve as president of this great institution for the past 15 years. And I look forward to celebrating with you what we achieve together at our Centennial in 2011.

Please join me in this exciting adventure!