This essay responds to the following question posed in our Institutional Proposal:
What changes have occurred in decision-making and communication processes on major issues such as enrollment growth and technology as a result of administrative and Academic Senate organizational changes? How have these changes impacted the effectiveness of our decision-making?
For over ten years (1995-2006) Robert C. Maxson was President of CSULB, and he brought to the campus a sense of self and direction. This was a “coming of age” as the campus became aware of its potential. Not only did the campus become more confident of its abilities, but Long Beach became a “University of Choice” throughout California. The reputation of the campus grew by leaps and bounds, fueled by praise from national ratings such as US News and the Princeton Review. As the campus’ reputation as a first-class urban university increased, so did student demand, and the campus was consequently forced to modify its strategic plan as well as to refine its enrollment management policies. The campus needed to respond nimbly to the challenges confronting it, seeking ways to maintain high quality while still accommodating moderate growth. Thus the stage was set for a new President to move the campus beyond its earlier horizons and into a future shaped by its expanded role in the educational environment.
F. King Alexander, whose expertise is in higher education public policy and finance and whose passion is student access and success, became CSULB’s president in early 2006. President Alexander’s motto is “Graduation begins today.” Under his leadership, CSULB has undergone some major organizational
changes. The Provost, Karen L. Gould, and the Vice President for University Relations and Development, Andrea Taylor, were appointed in 2007. The Vice President for Administration and Finance, Mary Stephens, was appointed in 2008. Thus, in addition to the President, three of the four divisions of the University have new leadership since the last WASC Self-Study. In addition, since the last WASC review, four new Deans among the eight colleges that make up the university have been appointed. The new Deans are in the Colleges of Business Administration, Engineering, Liberal Arts, and University College and Extension Services, with a search pending for the retiring Dean of the College of Education. These leadership changes have been substantive, and they underscore the importance of this research question. The campus embarked on several academic and governance changes to improve its response to increasing challenges.
The last WASC visiting team praised the shared decision-making and high level of collegiality at California State University, Long Beach, but raised questions about the effectiveness of the decentralized nature of its organizational structure and campus culture. Responding to those questions, the two key issues addressed in this report are:
Critical to effective decision-making and communication are informational resources and organizational structures directing information to groups and individuals with decision-making authority.
