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'Dissed' appointment;
Susan Meisenhelder's brief appointment
to the CSU Board of Trustees
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CFA’s immediate past president, Susan Meisenhelder, was named to the CSU Board of Trustees on October 29 by Gov. Gray Davis. CFA was delighted by the appointment and it was lauded by many faculty members.
Unfortunately, the CSU administration’s spokespersons reacted to the news with sharp opposition. Chancellor Charles Reed enlisted former CSU Chancellor Barry Munitz to work against the appointment.
A week later, Davis withdrew the nomination and appointed Maria Contreras-Sweet to the board. Her appointment was later withdrawn when Gov. Arnorld Schwarzenegger took office.
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• Read the California Faculty article detailing the controversy. Click Here 
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• See Meisenhelder’s biography. Click Here
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The following are letters from faculty members written to newspapers, to members of the legislature, and to CFA expressing their support for Susan Meisenhelder’s appointment to the CSU Board of Trustees.
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Letters from faculty members supporting
the appointment of Susan Meisenhelder
to the CSU Board of Trustees
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November 1, 2003
To the Los Angeles Times
Dear Editor,
Budget cuts in the California State University are eliminating classes, decimating student services, and causing doubt that California can fulfill the promise of higher education. So, one would think everyone in the university would pull together for the sake of the students.
That's why it's disappointing to learn the CSU's top administrators cannot set aside past conflicts when it comes to the appointment of a very knowledgeable, albeit critical, professor, Susan Meisenhelder, to the CSU Board of Trustees.
Susan brings a wealth of contacts in Sacramento, familiarity with the intricate CSU budget, and experience with education issues nationally to the Board. That, and 23 years on campus, teaching thousands of California students.
To those of us work, study, and live every day in and around the CSU, Susan's expertise is a welcome addition to the Board.
John Travis, President
California Faculty Association
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October 31, 2003
Letter to the San Francisco Chronicle
Editor,
California State University publicist Colleen Bentley-Adler calls Prof. Susan Meisenhelder's appointment to the CSU board of trustees "disrespectful ... to the Chancellor" ("Davis Names Critic to CSU Board," Oct. 31). In fact, by publicly disparaging a prominent CSU professor, it is Chancellor Charles Reed who disrespects the university's faculty and the board itself.
Prof. Meisenhelder is a knowledgeable, effective and experienced advocate for higher education. In her four years leading the California Faculty Association she did more to win support for the CSU's mission than any trustee -- or the Chancellor himself -- has done. Her appointment has widespread and enthusiastic support among faculty.
Never before has a newly appointed trustee been greeted so negatively by a CSU administration, which is supposed to answer to the board. Chancellor Reed has found no conflict of interest in previous appointments of wealthy corporate executives and campaign donors with no experience in higher education. What does his administration find so frightening about a trustee who actually has knowledge of and has served the CSU?
Prof. Meisenhelder has indeed been "a vocal critic of the CSU administration." That's precisely why she belongs on the board. Or does the CSU administration prefer a board of toadies?
Henry Reichman
Professor of History
CSU Statewide Academic Senator
California State University, Hayward |
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November 1, 2003
To the Los Angeles Times
Dear Editor,
In an LA Times from October 30, it was noted that the nomination of Susan Meisenhelder to the CSU Board of Trustees brought cries of protest from the CSU Chancellor's Office.
I can think of no better nominee for the vacant Trustee position than Dr. Meisenhelder. She has taught in the CSU system for twenty-three years, she has a great deal of knowledge of the CSU budget and issues, and she is well known in Sacramento and understands the state budget process. She is highly respected by both the faculty and the legislature.
However, it's clear from the comments of the CSU administrative spokesperson that the Chancellor's Office still views the faculty union as their adversary.
Given the state fiscal crisis, this is a time when all stakeholders in the CSU need to pull together. The CSU administration should see this is a rare opportunity to set aside past "contentious labor relations" to work together for the benefit of our students.
With Dr. Meisenhelder on the Board of Trustees the CSU will be better able to present a unified voice to the legislature to guide the University through tough budget times.
I strongly support the nomination of Dr. Susan Meisenhelder to the CSU Board of Trustees.
Sincerely,
David Bradfield
Professor of Music
CSUDH CFA Chapter President
California State University, Dominguez Hills
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November 1, 2003
To the Los Angeles Times
Dear Editor,
Faculty throughout the California State University are outraged at the
reaction of Chancellor Charles Reed to the appointment of Professor
Susan Meisenhelder to the CSU Board of Trustees. It is horrifying that
at the very moment when all of us in the CSU need to stand together, the
Chancellor would seek to block her selection. Most shockingly, he has
attacked a woman who is eminently qualified to serve. Meisenhelder
brings to the Board over 20 years of experience within the system and a
clear understanding of the important issues facing the CSU and the
state.
Additionally, it is specious to suggest that Meisenhelder’s work
lobbying the Legislature on CSU issues and bargaining for the CSU
faculty's contract is an insurmountable conflict of interest. In fact,
her experience in Sacramento will be an important asset to a university
system that depends on state funding to survive. As for the union
contract, she can easily recuse herself from discussions and votes that
involve the contract (as would any Board member who does business with
the system) and she has said publicly that she will do so.
Perhaps it is CSU administrators who should recuse themselves from a
possible conflict of interest. They, after all, serve at the pleasure of
and under the oversight of the Trustees. Yet, here they are attempting
to determine who will administer that oversight. Are they afraid of the
knowledge and expertise about the CSU Budget that Dr. Meisenhelder would
bring to the Board?
Lillian Taiz
Professor of History
Vice President, California Faculty Association
CFA Chapter President, California State University Los Angeles
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November 3, 2003
To the San Francisco Chronicle
Editor:
CSU Chancellor Charles Reed is understandably alarmed by Governor Davis'
appointment of Susan Meisenhelder to the CSU Board of Trustees ("Davis
names critic to CSU board ," 10/31/03). Meisenhelder, a past-President
of the California Faculty Association, has long been a critic of his
administration and was instrumental in focusing attention on the CSU's
purchase of the CMS/PeopleSoft system. The purchase, made without
competitive bidding, resulted in a scathing state audit, hearings by the
Joint Legislative Audit Committee, and investigations of criminal
misconduct by the State Attorney General. The audit report excoriated
the CSU administration for gross mismanagement and excessive cost
overruns and noted that the purchase lacked even a simple business plan.
At the hearings, Chancellor Reed and CSU CFO Richard West were roundly
condemned for their incompetence. I attended the second hearing and
witnessed a very angry State Senator Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks)
call for Reed's resignation. Meisenhelder's criticism of Reed thus
appears to be shared with legislators from both sides of the aisle.
The CSU, hit with severe budget cuts, can ill afford to waste the money
it is allocated. Meisenhelder will make an excellent trustee as she
works to ensure that the CSU remains a first-rate university that spends
its money wisely.
Sincerely,
Amy L. Rocha
Associate Professor of Mathematics, SJSU
and
Vice President, SJSU-chapter, CFA
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November 3, 2003
Letter to the Modesto Bee
Dear Editor,
Colleen Bentley-Adler, a publicist for the California State University (CSU) said that it was "disrespectful" to the CSU CEO Chancellor Charles Reed when Governor Davis appointed Professor Susan Meisenhelder to the CSU Board of Trustees (BOT). Many CSU faculty warmly support the appointment. They are saddened but not surprised by Charlie's invective directed at Susan. She is a sincere and highly respected advocate for quality higher education - a fact she proved resoundingly during the past four years while leading the California Faculty Association.
Apparently Charlie sees no conflict of interest in the fact that the BOT is composed mainly of rich executives and major donors to political campaigns with little if any experience in higher education. However Charlie is reluctant to allow a leading spokesperson for a majority of the faculty to be heard on the BOT. Susan, like the many faculty she speaks for, believes changes are needed in the CSU. Is that a reason for Charlie to declare that she is unacceptable? I think not.
John Sarraille, Professor
Computer Science Department
Calif. State Univ., Stanislaus,
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November 4, 2003
Letter to the San Francisco Chronicle
Editor,
I applaud Governor Davis for appointing Susan Meisenhelder to the California State University board of trustees. Dr. Meisenhelder has taught in the CSU since 1983 and during that time has displayed a deep and comprehensive understanding of our nation's largest university system.
As her three Fulbright scholarships attest, Meisenhelder is an outstanding teacher, and her 20-year association with CSU has afforded her an intimate knowledge of how the giant 23-campus system works -- and sometimes does not.
The board of trustees ought to reflect diverse points of view, and Meisenhelder brings a much needed voice for students and faculty.
Yet CSU Chancellor Charles Reed has seen fit, through his spokeswoman, Colleen Bentley Adler, to smear Meisenhelder's character and attack her qualifications.
"She has done nothing but tear down the system and the chancellor," Bentley-Adler said in the Chronicle recently.
Actually, Meisenhelder has dedicated her professional and very much of her personal life to building a better CSU for all Californians, and has helped train countless teachers to deal with the complexities of teaching in our multicultural environment.
"It is a disrespectful appointment to the chancellor," Bentley Adler said.
There is the rub: Chancellor Reed's real concern is losing control over the board to which he is supposed to report.
Thomas S. McCoy, Professor
Department of Communication
President, Hayward California Faculty Assoc.
California State University, Hayward
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November 4, 2003
To "Open Forum," San Francisco Chronicle
Editor:
In reply to your article on Governor Davis' appointment of Susan Meisenhelder to the California State University's Board of Trustees, see Dec. 31, 2003, "Davis names critic to CSU board," I would like to make a few comments:
Susan Meisenhelder has been both a critic of the Chancellor's Office and a supporter of faculty rights for many years. As a former President of the CSU's faculty union, the California Faculty Association (for all 23 campuses), Professor Meisenhelder had to deal with an administration that refused to negotiate on a new contract for over a year; has decreased the amount and percent of money from the CSU's budget going into the classroom; a huge increase in the student-to-faculty ratio in the classrooms; has increased by over 30% the number of administrators in the CSU over the prior 5 years; has decreased the % of tenure-track faculty to under 50% while increasing the number of temporary faculty (adjuncts) so that now the temporary faculty outnumber the tenure-track/tenured faculty; and has misspent more than $300 million on a computer system that does not do what it was promised to do (CSU's purchase of the CMS/PeopleSoft system).
Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that one of the first things he will do in office would be to have audits done to see where the waste is. The California Faculty Association asked the legislature to do just that several years ago, which resulted in this past year's Joint Legislative Audit Committee's audit of the CMS/Peoplesoft system that the CSU purchased.
The audit showed that the CSU misspent over $300 million and is still paying millions of dollars to a company that delivered software that was not designed to do what was promised, is way over budget, had possible kickbacks to two employees, one of whom was on the board that decided which system to buy, while being paid by PeopleSoft; there was no competitive bidding; no oversight; and Senator Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) called for Reed's resignation after hearing the second round of hearings on this audit. Additionally, the money spent to procure the system was not allocated by the legislature, but was diverted from the classroom, from where the money was intended by the legislature.
The appointment of Professor Meisenhelder to the Board of Trustees is one of the better things that Governor Davis has done in terms of getting higher education away from the "business model" and back towards the role of higher education and pedagogy, and away from "producing a product." With Professor Meisenhelder's input to the Board of Trustees, financial fiascoes such as the CMS/Peoplesoft project would hopefully not be approved by the Board of Trustees in the future.
Mitch Turitz,
President, California Faculty Association,
San Francisco State University Chapter
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November 4, 2003
To the Los Angeles Times
Dear Editor:
It is well-known to those of us who know her and who have worked with her that Susan Meisenhelder is an articulate and dedicated educator who possesses a profound understanding of the state budget process. As President of the California Faculty Association, she showed her commitment to public higher education and its mission to provide an affordable education to all Californians. She knows that there is a great need to educate future teachers for our state, as well as to provide a quality university education for all Californians.
It is time to put aside past conflicts for the sake of our students and for the future of the university. All of us need to work together to find an equitable solution to the fiscal dilemma in which we find ourselves.
Since she has been Professor of English for over 20 years, she brings to the Board a firsthand knowledge of students, their needs, and their potential. She has the unique ability to understand and to articulate the seminal problems in providing a quality of education in a fiscally responsible way.
Julie Rivera
California State University, Long Beach
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November 4, 2003
Letter to CFA
I would strongly urge confirmation of Susan Meisenhelder to the Board of
Trustees of the California State University System.
You will probably hear about differences of opinion between administrators and faculty in the CSU. This is most unfortunate because it is important for faculty and administrators to work together to provide Californians with the best
education.
However, faculty have legitimate concerns, and an obligation to ensure that the CSU is doing an adequate job of providing instruction. When the percentage of the CSU budget that goes toward education drops from over 50% to very nearly 40% in a decade, when students find themselves having to play musical chairs to get their classes at registration, when the number of faculty who are on the regular tenure track is smaller than the number of faculty that are not, for the simple
reason that the administration is not providing enough tenure track
positions to meet the need, in spite of the fact that it is the tenure
track faculty that have responsibility for developing curriculum, it
becomes clear that the CSU administration needs to take a different tack.
While the Chancellor opposes Susan's appointment because he doesn't like
puppets, you can be sure that he has many more serious reasons to be
afraid of her. I defy you to find anyone more well qualified to serve on
the Board of Trustees than Susan, and that includes the people who are
currently serving.
We need her to bring much needed balance to a Board which has made the phrase "Trustee of the California State University System" an oxymoron over the last decade.
Steve Wilson
Sonoma State University
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November 5, 2003
Letter to CFA
Dear Editor,
This letter is written in support of the nomination of Susan Meisenhelder to the CSU Board of Trustees. As a part-time CSUS faculty member I feel it is vital that this nomination be supported.
The administration serves under the direction of the Governor and the Board of Trustees. They are over stepping their bounds by opposing this nomination.
Thank you,
Philip Giovannini, Ph.D.
Dept Biology
CSU Sacramento |
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