Chancellor seeks feedback on Welty

Open letter to the Fresno State community:

February 2004

The CSU Board of Trustees has a policy requiring its presidents to be reviewed every three years.   It is now time for the review of Dr. John D. Welty, President of California State University, Fresno to be conducted.

This process is intended to provide feedback to the Board of Trustees and to the Chancellor about President Welty's leadership and the current state of affairs at California State University , Fresno .   It should also provide information that will further the university's progress and assist President Welty in the leadership of California State University , Fresno .

As has been the policy and practice in the past, a number of officers of the university and the chairs of its major constituencies, namely, the Academic Senate, the Alumni Association, the Associated Students, and the University Advisory Board, are being contacted for their comments with respect to specific criteria, which are cited below.   Also, a random sampling of faculty, administrators/managers, staff, and community is being invited to submit individual comments.

It is CSU policy to inform the university community of the review and to allow anyone not selected either on an ex-officio or random basis to submit comments that respond to the specific criteria.   The criteria are posted on the CSU website at www.calstate.edu/datastore/PresCriteria.shtml .   Those wishing to submit confidential letters should do so no later than March 8, 2004 , addressed as follows:

              Dr. Charles B. Reed, Chancellor

              The California State University

              401 Golden Shores , Suite 641

              Long Beach , CA 90802-4210

Please keep in mind that every effort should be made to address the criteria and neither unsigned letters nor petitions are accepted.

After the written responses have been received and summarized, a team of four (a non-CSU executive, a retired CSU executive, a faculty member from another CSU campus, and a member of the Board of Trustees) will make a site visit to the campus in the spring to conduct a series of individual interviews.   Participants will be selected both by office held and randomly as noted above.   Following the campus visit, a confidential report will be prepared and discussed with Dr. Welty, and ultimately presented to the Board of Trustees.   None of the commentators will be identified by name, and responses will be treated in confidence to the extent permitted by the law.

After the Trustees receive the report, a general summary will be prepared for release to the campus community.

Please keep in mind that this is intended to be a constructive process that should benefit the presidency and the university.

Sincerely,

Charles B. Reed

Chancellor