Tuesday

March 17, 1998

Reed leads CSU into 21st century

Charles Reed is busy getting acclimated to his new position as the California State University's new chancellor. He walks fast and talks fast.

Reed is taking over as chancellor of the nation's largest university system at a pivotal time in CSU history. An unprecedented deal with corporate entities is being negotiated, an unpopular faculty merit pay system is in place and on the horizon looms an unprecedented enrollment increase.

The sum of all Reed's experience, in education and in politics, will be required to weather the upcoming changes in the CSU system.

As Reed says, "Welcome to the 21st century."

On technology

On March 5 Reed told a statewide Faculty Senate meeting the California Education Technology Initiative was dead, according to former Faculty Senate chair Mike Fitzgerald. But Reed insisted during a later interview the telecommunications deal is just resting.

"Anytime that you are asking business or industry to assume a $300 million debt, with little or no risk back on CSU, that's a very difficult concept to be put in place," he said.

The $365 million proposed technology deal with Microsoft, Fujitsu, Hughes and GTE is supposed to wire the CSU system at little cost to the universities. The deal was to be signed in December, but was delayed until May to give faculty, students and the state Legislature more time to examine the contract.

Last week, during a teleconference with student reporters, Reed explained the deal. "If you buy a car, you have to demonstrate that you are able to pay it back, and with interest," he said. "Are we all clear on that concept?"

"I mean, if you take a finance course, you'll see that businesses are going to have to make some sort of profit on their capital investment," he said.

The $300 million loan, plus interest, will have to be made up by the CETI partners with sales of software, desktop services and telecommunication services offered on CSU campuses.

"My personal opinion is this: Bringing access to technology is very important to CSU. It is important to have students and faculty that are prepared for the 21st century," said Reed, who would like to give students the ability to challenge courses, rather than forcing them to sit through a semester of class.

According to Reed, universities will provide students with "the ability to say 'I'm ready to take the test. I don't need the course. I've had this experience, and I think I could pass calculus, or American history, or whatever.'"

On faculty

While chancellor of the Florida state university system -- the equivalent of the University of California system, CSU and California community colleges all rolled into one -- Reed took a bold step to dislodge the tradition of tenure for faculty.

Florida's system is "experimenting with tenure by providing three- to five-year contract employment for faculty members," said Reed, who plans to institute these changes in the CSU system.

"Three- to five-year contracts seem pretty long to me, never having had a contract myself," he said. "The reality is that there are no long term jobs unless you're a federal judge."

Reed foresees technology driving the university system in 10 years, lessening the need for traditional classrooms.

"Teaching is going to shift, and professors are going to become more like coaches, directors of learning," Reed said. "They're going to be pointing students in directions to get access to digital information, digital libraries."

But Reed is confident the future of CSU includes both professors and computers -- and more of each. He also foresees an increase in technology allowing instructors to become more involved in mentoring and enabling them to communicate with others in their academic discipline.

"It will be an exciting time to learn," he said. "It's almost analogous to when the book was discovered."

The percentage of part-time faculty -- which rose steadily under former chancellor Barry Munitz -- will continue to rise, said Reed, who called the utilization of part-time instructors an efficient use of resources.

"Sometimes you don't need to offer courses except every year or two and part-time help to fill that rather than full-time," said Reed, who added universities can also meet students' needs by having faculty work longer hours.

"Students are our customers. When do our customers want to come to school? It's up to us to meet our customers' needs," he said.

Despite the criticisms Munitz received about running the university like a business, Reed plans on managing CSU in the same way Munitz did.

"I think Barry Munitz was running the university system the way they're going to be run in the 21st century," he said.

This includes keeping the unpopular merit pay system for professors, the Performance Salary Step Increase. PSSI is working, Reed said, but he would like to see it work better.

"I am open to suggestions from faculty members on how to improve it," he said, adding that any pay plan will have to have a merit component.

"I am one who believes that those who are working hard, and working more than others need to be rewarded, and if you don't have some differential pay system, then it's not fair," he said.

The past and future

Prior to heading the state university system of Florida, Reed was chief of staff for Florida's governor, working his way up through various political appointments.

Enrollment in Florida's state university system doubled in the 13 years he was chancellor; the CSU system faces a similar dilemma in the next 10 years.

Reed's appointment to the position of chancellor was not without controversy, not so much regarding the choice of Reed, as the selection process.

Munitz, appointed in 1992, had been subject to much public scrutiny and criticism during the selection process. It was decided then the search for Munitz's replacement would not be open to the same degree of scrutiny. It would be done in secret.

Seven trustees made up the search committee, including student trustee Eric Mitchell. In an interview last fall, Mitchell said he felt torn by the search's secretive nature. As student trustee, Mitchell works closely with the California State Students Association, a legislative advocacy group run by student leaders from all CSU campuses.

"CSSA opposed the process, as I think they should," Mitchell said. CSSA's position was that a public university, supported by taxes, should not be having secret negotiations for such an important decision.

But Mitchell ultimately approved of the process t by which Reed was chosen.

"If we didn't have a confidential selection, we wouldn't have gotten such a good person, and I couldn't stomach that," Mitchell said.

Reed's first plans as chancellor, he said, are to learn the concerns of CSU students and faculty by being accessible to students. Reed plans on visiting each campus by the end of 1998, meeting with students, faculty and administrators, to make the university more "student-friendly."

"I've never had an unlisted number," he said. "I have e-mail; I don't have a problem reading. I try and return everyone's phone call that I can every day. I feel that when you're a public servant, you need to be available to the public."

Reed on students:
"Students are our customers. It's up to us to meet our customers' needs."

Reed on faculty:
"Teaching is going to shift and professors are going to become more like coaches, directors of learning."

Reed on CETI:
"Bringing access to technology is very important to CSU. It is important to have students and faculty that are prepared for the 21st century."

Reed on himself:
"I've never had an unlisted number. I feel that when you're a public servant, you need to be available to the public."

Debating women capture U.S. title

Don't argue with Nicole Kipp and Marie Van Assendelft. The pair sent challengers from 34 universities packing last week, bringing home a national title in the process.

Kipp and Van Assendelft argued their way past Liberty University to capture first place in the Cross Examination Debate Association's Novice National Debate Tournament, held at Towson State University in Maryland, March 6-8.

The tournament, which included participants representing 27 states, centered around the topic of the United States government and increased security assistance to one or more of the southeast nations.

Kipp, an English and communications major, said the pair is still recovering from the shock of the victory.

"It's kinda like a dream world," she said. "We were so surprised. We never really expected to win. It was so amazing."

Van Assendelft, a communications major, said the announcement of their win brought tears to her eyes.

"I cried. Everyone laughed at me. It was awesome," she said.

Kipp and Van Assendelft, both 19, took their only loss at the tournament in the preliminary round, finishing with a 6-1 record.

Based on their preliminary round records, the top 32 teams were then seeded into the championship single loss elimination competition. In this round, a single loss disqualifies the team from the competition.

Kipp and Van Assendelft entered the single elimination round seeded sixth.

"We were a little bit scared because you never know what is going to happen," Kipp said.

What did happen according to debate coach Kimo Ah Yun, "was quite impressive."

The CSUS team marched over Ball State, Duke, Northern Illinois, Vanderbilt and finally Liberty, receiving 3-0 decisions in every round.

"They did extremely well," Ah Yun said. "They pretty much rolled over the competition. I believe this is the first time CSUS has won a national debate."

There are three levels of debate competition, based on the participant's number of years of college debate experience.

Novice debaters have had no more than one year of participation, junior varsity no more than two, and varsity is open to anyone.

"They put a lot of extra effort over the year, doing the extra research," he said.

Kipp and Van Assendelft said they received help from both Ah Yun and fellow teammates.

"The varsity helped us out a lot," Van Assendelft said.

The varsity debate team will compete for its own national title this weekend in Rochester, New York.

Prominent activist to speak on feminist ideals

Eleanor Smeal, a 28-year activist for affirmative action and reproductive rights, will speak at CSUS on Tuesday about the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, and on feminism itself.

The alliance is an extension of the Feminist Majority Foundation, which was founded in 1987 with the purpose of encouraging feminists to run for political offices.

"She is going to raise awareness on feminism," said Dana Wilson, a women's studies major and member of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance.

"The word feminism has such a bad connotation; people think it means sitting around and bad-mouthing men and that is not true," Wilson says.

"Feminism is the fight for equality for women, not to be higher or lower, just equal."

Smeal's speech will also address gender apartheid in Afghanistan. In September 1996 an Islamic militia group, the Taliban, overthrew the Afghanistan government and declared an end to women's basic human rights.

Smeal will also look at the Feminist Majority's Choices Campaign. The campaign addresses reproductive, career, leadership and saving choices for women. Saving choices include right-wing and religious efforts to roll back the achievements that women have made, according to Wilson.

Smeal is co-founder and president of the foundation and former president of the National Organization of Women.

She has been instrumental in passing legislation, such as the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Violence Against Women Act, Civil Right Act of 1991 and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

The speech, which is part of Women's History Month, will be at 7 p.m. in the University Union's Redwood Room.

CSUS Irish American club is ready for St. Patrick's Day

Call it the luck of the Irish or just impeccable timing, but today is St. Patrick's Day and CSUS now has the Irish American Cultural Club to help with the celebration.

Club members, who have been meeting for only six weeks and are already 23 strong, will march tonight in the St. Patrick's Day Parade through the streets of Old Sacramento. Members will then join Sacramento's Irish American Social Club for a bit o' fun aboard the Delta King.

"Anyone who would like to represent CSUS, come join us," says Linda Tucker, communications studies professor and club adviser.

Also joining in the celebration will be Irish musical artists Mick Lucey, On Air and Paddy Reilly, as well as the Kennelly School of Dance.

The CSUS Irish American Cultural Club is kicking off today's holiday in the Library quad, selling homemade Irish bread, which the members recently learned how to bake.

The campus club materialized in December when Tucker and graduate student Jennifer Kaefer thought it was about time to harness the Irish culture at CSUS.

"The Irish are the second-largest ethnic group in the country, surpassed only by the Germans," Tucker says.

Tucker then hooked up with the Sacramento Irish American Social Club for support and direction. Last week, members from both clubs met with the Irish consulate general, Decklin Kelly, at a luncheon aboard the Delta King.

"One of the goals of the Irish club in Sacramento is to move people away from the drunken-leprechaun image of the Irish and bring understanding of the culture to a more sophisticated level," Tucker says.

She plans to bring many guest speakers to campus club meetings, including an Irish scholar. The club will also hold public discussion groups, forums, panels, lectures, workshops and social functions.

The club meets at 7 p.m. on Mondays in Mendocino Hall, room 2000.

Students don't have to be Irish to join the club.

"Whether you're Irish, Irish American, a wee bit Irish, or interested in the Irish culture, everyone is welcome," Tucker says. "Our goal is to really increase membership."

Dean of Arts and Letters William Sullivan is also a faculty adviser for the club. Officers have already been elected: John Foster, president; Shawn Burke, vice president; Erin McHenry, treasurer; Patrick Quinn, treasurer.

Gala
When: 7 p.m. today.
Where: Aboard the Delta King in Old Sacramento.
Cost: $10 in advance; $12.50 at the door; call 278-5319 or 344-2716 for advance tickets.
What: Musical performances by Mick Lucey, On Air and Paddy Reilly.

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Please leave a message at 278-6583 if you would like to help with our research. Thank you.