FINANCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL
MINUTES

Meeting Number 8							February 1, 2005

1.  The meeting was called to order at 1:06 with the following voting and non-voting members present or excused:  D. Harris, C. Johnson, Hata, Meylor, Wu, Caron, McConnell, Green, Bostic, Snidecor, Bremer, Horne, Sy, Coots, Adams, Torabzadeh, Anwar, Fisher, Hood (Chair), Kearney (Secretary), Klink, Wayman, Cox. 
 
2.  The agenda was approved.

3.  The Minutes of Meeting Number 7 of November 16, 2004 were approved.

4.  Chair David Hood made several announcements. In overview, the CA State budget is very similar to what was requested by the CSU, including additional enrollment money.  However, the Governor subtracted $7 million that was added by the legislature.    

Although the CSU can initiate a joint Ed.D. program in cooperation with the UC, the Chancellor and trustees of the CSU are sponsoring a bill which will provide a free-standing doctorate for the CSU.  In essence, the CSU is opening up the master plan to receive authorization for an applied doctorate.  In order to increase the likelihood of passage, the bill will be written broadly and not include start-up costs or other funding as of yet.  The trustees are discussing a number of funding options, including the possibility of putting such a program on self support. 

4. The Council recommended the implementation of the Option in Athletic Training under the B.S. in Kinesiology. 

5.  The Council recommended the discontinuation of the Option in Athletic Training under the B.A. in Kinesiology.  

6.  The Council recommended the implementation of the Minor in Environmental Science and Policy. 

7.  The Council recommended the discontinuation of the Certificate in Environmental Studies.

8.  As co-chair of the University Information Technology Committee, Richard Outwater, Special Assistant to the Provost, presented FAC with a letter from President Maxson supporting and confirming the committee’s recommendations for allocating $651,000 in Baseline, Access, and Training Support funds.  Given that the greatest need across campus for baseline support is college computers, the bulk of the funds ($381,440) was designated to that source. Campus Wide Technology Help Desk, University Library, Network and Desktop Security Systems, Audio Visual Services, and Disabled Student Services High Technology Center received the remaining funds. Even the total money allocated is small, this particular budget was not reduced during the campus budget cuts experienced in the past few years.  

The biggest challenge is how to address technology needs across the campus, particularly when faculty size is increasing and so is the need more and more technology support. At the same time, our technology support budget remains the same. One potential alternative is to search for central solutions to decentralized problems (e.g., we now have a centralized virus-protection system).  Our newest problem, computer spyware, may require a central solution as well.  We can serve the entire campus, for instance, by having software vendors include spyware protection in our anti-virus protection programs.  Because we will never have the money to do all that we would like, we are trying to do more with less.  Given that all/most of our faculty have technology needs, our challenge is to try to address large groups of faculty with common needs where we can direct most of our support.  

During Q & A Outwater indicated that our technology support is primarily a decentralized system, whereby most of our faculty are supported technologically at the college level.  He is investigating ways to integrate more formally all the technology staff support so that they would have more centralized representation.  In this way, common problems or issues could be resolved more centrally, leaving the staff more time to deal with faculty.  

Our campus BeachBoard program has about 1,000 faculty involved; consequently, most of our discretionary resources are funneled into that program. Because BeachBoard is now being administered by the Center for Faculty Development, obtaining direct faculty input will be likely and most helpful to the operations of the program.  

Annual operating costs for upgrading and maintaining Beachboard (including staff support) is estimated at $400,000.  The biggest single cost is the software.  Ways to reduce that cost is for the CSU to contract with a single vendor systemwide at a single price.  In this way, the CSU would be able to negotiate an attractive price, particularly if the contract is extended long-term. Using a common software systemwide would also make it easier for our campuses to “communicate.”  Currently, the CSU negotiates contracts with multiple vendors and for only a limited time, with each campus paying for specific add-ons.  

Currently, Associated Students has a link on BeachBoard that allows students to evaluate or rate their professors.  Feedback regarding that link should be directed to Mark Wiley at the Center for Faculty Development.

9.  At our next meeting Aristide Collins, Acting Vice President of University Relations and Development, will meet with the council at our request.

10.  The meeting adjourned at 2:01 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Kearney
Secretary

(These minutes have not been approved.)