Volume 14 Issue 1 Fall/Winter 2005-06 News for Alumni and Friends ...

Teaching and Learning
The faculty has always been deeply committed
to teaching excellence; and surveys
indicate that our faculty rate about 10 percent
higher in student assessments than the average
of other CSUs – and 10 percent higher than the
historical campus average. Moreover, teaching and
learning were advanced by 139 new “smart classby
Albert K. Karnig
president, 1997-present
Shortly after Marilyn and I arrived at
Cal State San Bernardino, a decision
critical to the university’s success was
made when the legislature, on the heels of
years of budget cuts, authorized an appropriation
increase. Several years of budget
growth followed, allowing program and
enrollment expansion. In fact, despite the
last two years of state cuts, our budget
has grown from $75 million in 1996-7 to
$128 million in 2004-5. And rising operating
budgets were matched by successful
bond referenda which, coupled with doubling
and tripling of fundraising and federal
grants, plus student-approved fee increases,
facilitated a dramatic expansion of our
physical plant.
By fall 1997, CSUSB already had been
engaged in a lengthy planning process, and
I ultimately approved a strategic plan consisting
of three key items: excel in teaching
and learning, including scholarship; build the
campus’s physical and intellectual environment;
and work on community issues through partnerships
and new centers and institutes.
During the process, I met often with faculty,
staff and students to gather perspectives, answer
questions and be accessible; and I continue to
meet six times a year with each group. The early
meetings helped me to more fully grasp their
priorities and aspirations.
The strategic plan proved instrumental. It
nicely captured long-standing values, allowed
for stretching in “entrepreneurial” directions,
and permitted us to build on the powerful
achievements of the Pfau and Evans years.
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CSUSB
Fall/Winter 2005