Chico State U. professors say ending on-campus presidential visits will shut them out of selection process
Chico Enterprise-Record
September 2, 2011
Some faculty at Chico State University fear they'll be shut out of the process for choosing California State University campus presidents if a proposed new policy is adopted.
The issue is campus visits.
Currently, finalists for a campus presidency must spend a day at the campus, meeting faculty, staff, students and community members and giving a public lecture.
Under a proposed new policy, the campus visits would be optional.
The main reason for the change is to maintain candidates' confidentiality. It's felt some top candidates won't apply if they have to reveal publicly that they are looking for new jobs.
"The issue of closing this down so tightly that nobody gets to see the leader of a campus before they even show up — that's a terrible thing," said Susan Green, president of the Chico chapter of the California Faculty Association, the professors union.
With campus visits, faculty, staff and students get to meet the candidates and can communicate their likes and dislikes to those choosing the new president.
