FULLERTON : CSUF Faculty Asks More Hiring Input

In the wake of the California State University chancellor’s resignation, the Cal State Fullerton Academic Senate renewed its demand Thursday for a greater role in choosing a replacement for CSUF President Jewel Plummer Cobb.

The CSUF Academic Senate voted overwhelmingly to again ask the CSU Board of Trustees to let faculty representatives help in background checks on finalists for the post. They also want a final session of the presidential search committee after the last candidate has been interviewed on the Fullerton campus.

Academic Senate Chairman John Bedell, one of three CSUF faculty members on the 13-member search committee, said the faculty’s role now is limited to compiling a list of questions about each candidate and drafting a brief letter summarizing faculty comments after the campus interviews.

Twice before, the Fullerton faculty has passed resolutions demanding greater input. At one point, Chancellor W. Ann Reynolds made a surprise appearance on campus to advise the senate that trustees were unlikely to increase the faculty’s role. Still, she assured them that thorough checks would be made.

Reynolds resigned last Friday amid controversy over what some university employees have described as her imperious demeanor and pay raises of 21% and more for top administrators and campus presidents and 43% for herself.

Fullerton professor George Watson, a member of both the CSUF and state-wide academic senate, said Thursday that trustees last week had expressed deep concern that the chancellor and her staff had failed to fully inform them on the salary issue. He suggested there may be reason to question the information being collected by the same office on presidential candidates.

“This may be an opportune time to press the issue again,” said Watson, who proposed Thursday’s resolution.

Some campus officials privately express concern that salary rollbacks imposed last week by trustees would dissuade top candidates to succeed Cobb, who retires as head of the 25,000- student campus on July 31. The job was advertised at $130,000 annually. With Friday’s rollback, Cobb’s salary would be $115,924 as of May 1.

However, the salary for her replacement would be subject to negotiations with the board of trustees, said Stephen J. MacCarthy, CSU’s director of public affairs.

The search committee is expected to choose three finalists and recommend the best candidate to trustees before their meeting in mid-May.