PRESIDENT’S CABINET

Thursday, September 27, 2001
3 p.m.

HIGHLIGHTS

Members present: President Suzuki, Dr. Barnes, Dr. Berman, Mr. Coson, Dr. Dhingra, Ms. Farris, Mr. Fremont, Ms. Martin, Dr. Miles, Dr. Morales, Dr. Morehouse, Dr. Ochoa, Dr. Ollenburger, Mr. Storey, Ms. Thomas

Members absent: Dr. Soriano

The President distributed a memorandum entitled "Ground Rules for the Functioning of the President's Cabinet," and asked for comments from Cabinet members. There were none.

Report of the CSU Executive Council and Board of Trustees Meeting:

1. Richard West, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer, reported that the economic forecast for 2002-2003 was quite uncertain. The situation will be closely monitored. It is doubtful that much will be known until the Governor's budget is presented in January of next year. It does not appear that there will be any mid-year budget cuts this year but there are concerns about the following year.
   
   
2. The conversion to a common calendar for the system has been put on hold due to the expenses involved in such a change. The primary cost would be the loss of enrollment during the conversion period.
   
   
3. Several of the campuses are over enrolled. It appears that Cal Poly Pomona will be over by about 5 percent. The system as a whole will be around 2.3% above the target for this year, which was 3 percent above the target for last year. A decision needs to be made regarding our enrollment target for 2002-2003.
   
   
4. Another capital bond bill is pending before the Legislature. It is hoped there will be passage of some kind of bond bill to be included on the November 2002 ballot.
   
   
5. The CSU is still pursing the independent Ed.D. degree. There are 31 co-authors of the legislation and are endorsements are being sought from the school districts and the community colleges. We have good support from the Legislature. The UC system will probably go to the Governor to get his support to veto the legislation.
   
   
6. Teacher Education will become increasingly important in the CSU. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing will require single subject programs and various disciplines in the arts and sciences to change the courses being offered. Jane Ollenburger reported that an all-university committee is being established to deal with this issue.
   
   
7. The CSU Board of Trustees conference call on September 26 dealt mainly with the approval of various capital construction projects.
   
   

The President also reported that the former president of Harvey Mudd College, Dr. Hank Riggs, visited the campus. He is now the President of the Keck Institute for Applied Biosciences. There was discussion about collaboration between our two institutions.

Roger Morehouse reported that the issue of grade symbols, assignment of grades and grade appeals is supposed to be discussed at the October Executive Council meeting and requires an October 1st due date by the Senate. One requirement is that instructors would need to report the last known date of attendance by a student, which will require new campus procedures. Dr. Morehouse said he would provide information about this request from the Chancellor's Office since neither the President nor Dr. Ollenburger was aware of it.

Ensuring the Safety of our Campus Community

The President mentioned that there have been acts of harassment across the country of individuals of Middle Eastern descent. We have taken a number of steps to ensure the safety of our students and to increase awareness on the campus so that we do not have this type of thing occurring here. Dr. Ollenburger reported that Cal Poly Pomona students who were attending a meeting in downtown Los Angeles recently reported that they felt safe while on the campus.

Dr. Morales said that many areas of the campus are involved in creating a safe environment on the campus, including Academic Affairs, Student Affairs (including the ASI) and the office of Diversity and Compliance Programs.

Videostreaming Cabinet Meetings

Dr. Berman reported that the Fall Conference had been videostreamed and, now that we have the capability, a question was asked as to whether the Cabinet meetings should be videostreamed. Dr. Ollenburger reported that videostreaming would eliminate the mystique surrounding the meetings of the Cabinet and she encouraged the Academic Senate to also videostream their meetings.

Following discussion, it was determined that we would try it on a pilot basis for six months. Videostreaming will require that meetings be held in the Heritage Conference Center, and the room will require some modifications before we can begin videostreaming the meetings.

Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Council

Dr. Morales distributed an executive summary of a "Core Alcohol and Other Drug Survey" for 2001. This is the ninth year that Cal Poly Pomona has conducted this survey. Dr. Morales reported that the campus is doing an excellent job of educating students about the effects of alcohol and other drugs. This is due to the outstanding work of the Student Health Center, Jim Grizzell, and many other dedicated individuals.

Dr. Morales also distributed a draft of the campus organizational structure for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Council. Each campus in the CSU is establishing such a council at the request of the Chancellor. Dr. Morales asked Cabinet members send to him any comments or suggestions regarding the make up of the various sub-groups of Cal Poly Pomona's Advisory Council.

One-Minute Items/Announcements

Dr. Ochoa reported that a one-half day forum will be held on November 2nd on "The Future of E-Business" to launch the new e-business program of the College of Business Administration.

Dr. Dhingra announced the interfaith gathering that will be held on Friday, September 28 from 3-5 p.m. in the University Plaza. The purpose of the gathering is to bring together the campus community for unity and support following the terrorist attacks of September 11.

Dr. Miles announced that on Monday, October 1, the University Council of Chairs will hold the first of their monthly luncheons. This meeting will focus on "academic integrity." The November meeting will highlight "civility in the classroom."

Christine Thomas distributed two handouts: a copy of the most recent update from the CSEA home page on parking fee increases, and copies of e-mails she received from staff concerning the proposed $18 per month increase in parking fees for our campus. She asked all Cabinet members to review these handouts. She also mentioned that she had tried to locate the minutes of the Traffic and Parking Committee on the Cal Poly Pomona website, but was unable to find them.

Paul Storey reported that it is now possible for the parents of students to transfer funds to a student's Bronco access card through e-commerce, and they can also make University Village rent payments on the Internet.

Dr. Ollenburger reported that the Fall Conference was successful, and indicated that Dean James Burke will be next year's Fall Conference chair.

She also announced that the faculty have moved into the new Engineering Building, and that the new Collins School building will open soon. The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch will open on October 9.

With regard to international students being asked to return to their home countries, Dr. Ollenburger reported that state-supported students, not state-sponsored students are being asked to return. That policy has affected only one student on our campus. Senator Feinstein plans to introduce legislation that would impose a six-month moratorium on all student visas; however, it is likely that this bill be fought by most academic organizations.

Allen Coson thanked the President and Dr. Morales for attending the ASI Retreat. He reported that several lampposts are broken and need to be repaired. He also mentioned that there are a large number of service vehicles on Olive Lane that are creating problems in that pedestrian area. The President mentioned that the University is looking into increasing security on the campus and limiting access to the core of the campus.

Allen also announced that the University Union is 41 percent complete.

He reported that students were happy to see the President at the Hot Dog Caper and they voiced their hope to see him more often.

Dr. Morehouse reported on a referral concerning the Commencement ceremonies and the problem with the heat during those ceremonies. Jane Ollenburger is working on a plan to combine ceremonies, thereby possibly eliminating the mid-afternoon graduation ceremonies.

Ron Fremont announced that Infiniti would be doing a commercial in front of the CLA building on Friday.

Ron also reported that the new banners would be coming down within the next few days. These are the first in a series of banners that will be hung throughout the year.

Dr. Morales encouraged everyone to come out to the soccer games and to other activities on campus.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Cabinet will be held on Tuesday, October 23, 2001, at 8 a.m. in the President's Conference Room.

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