Contents
Cal Poly Pomona

State of the University

(Adobe Acrobat format also available)

FALL CONVOCATION ADDRESS by President J. Michael Ortiz

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Fall Conference 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009

Good morning everyone and thank you Martin! It’s gratifying to see so many faces. In preparing for today’s speech, I wondered what the impact of our fiscal restructuring would have on Convocation. You know, I have been giving this state of the university address every September since 2003, but in the back of my mind, I was never completely sure if you were really coming to hear me – or just enjoy a hot breakfast and pick up your pin. While I know that everyone misses the breakfast – I’m sure glad you came.

One person has always been there for me – meal or no meal, rain or shine. Please welcome my wife and best friend – Betty Ortiz.

When I reflect back on the last 12 months, the one thing that comes to mind is that it was an incredible year of extremes – with very little middle ground.

The highs were unbelievable, and the lows, well… Let’s first celebrate the highs….

You may not know that 2008-09 marked the single greatest fundraising year in university history. Through gifts, pledges and bequests, we received in excess of $27.4 million dollars – building toward the launch of the public phase of the comprehensive campaign. Now if you are wondering where that money is, we don’t have it yet. Most of the contributions this past year came in the form of planned gifts – meaning that Cal Poly Pomona is now part of someone’s estate or will. But along with addressing our current challenges, we also have a responsibility to plan for the future. In a climate where state funding is drying up faster than a puddle in Death Valley, our friends and alumni stepped forward and made remarkable contributions to our educational mission – present and future.

We enjoyed another strong year in contracts and grants. The number of people who applied for grants and contracts in 2008-09 increased by 7% over the previous fiscal year yet the total dollar amount of grants and contracts requested per year has increased 48% since 2002. This is an extraordinary effort given your workload.

We received a $1.5 million dollar grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to continue our work in stem cell research. These funds will enable our faculty to develop our curriculum, giving our students more opportunities to learn about stem cell behavior and development and help create the workforce needed to support stem cell research and advancement.

I am excited to announce that the Trammell Crow Company sold the Phase III Building at Innovation Village to Southern California Edison in April. The 120 thousand plus square foot office building is one of the largest sales of the year in Los Angeles County. Southern California Edison has started work on their tenant improvements for an early 2010 occupancy. We are looking forward to having SCE as part of the Cal Poly Pomona community. The Foundation with the assistance of a $2 million dollar U.S. Economic Development Administration grant continues to work on infrastructure improvements at Innovation
Village. Work has begun on undergrounding the utilities at Valley Blvd. Other improvement includes monument signage and the balance of perimeter landscaping which will be completed by July 2010. The mission of the Innovation Village Research Park is to have tenants that will have collaborative, academic, business and research opportunities with the university.

I would also like to celebrate the great work of our faculty in the Academic Senate. Last spring they developed and approved a new academic plan that will be the foundation for our WASC accreditation effort and the university’s future direction as envisioned in our new strategic plan.

A few years back, I asked the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation to help us develop housing options for faculty and staff. I am proud to say that they have sold 34 town homes at Fair Oaks Walk and 6 single family homes in the Kellogg Tract in the last year. Our housing program has successfully placed many faculty and staff in their first home, many of whom would not have been able to purchase other properties. At the present time, we have three townhomes on the market and one single family home. In addition, the Foundation’s real estate professionals continue to assist new faculty in locating temporary housing when they first arrive. I just wish that we could afford to keep them busier in this aspect of their work.

What a great spring it was for athletics! Our men’s basketball team brought national attention to the university with its run in the NCAA Division II Tournament. We came within a heartbeat of the national championship while CBS television showcased the dedication and character of our exceptional studentathletes. You could feel campus pride everywhere. As they said in my youth, “Be there or be square” so if you weren’t there, …well you get my drift. I also want to celebrate the fact that 34 of our studentathletes earned Academic All-Conference honors – meaning that while they were representing us in their athletic pursuits - they achieved at least a 3.4 grade point average.

Speaking of pride, Hilda Solis became the first Latina to serve in the President’s Cabinet. The new Secretary of Labor mirrors the life experience of so many of our students, as she was the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree. Equally as important, however, is that she earned her degree here at Cal Poly Pomona.

But in a year of extremes – the lows were excruciating. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the financial meltdown that struck California. Not that we haven’t had dark budget years in the past. During my CSU career in Fresno and Pomona, I am sad to say that we have had more bad budget years than good. But we have always survived – primarily because of your dedication and commitment. And I promise you - It is this commitment and ingenuity that will lead us to better days. As you might guess, there’s more to come on that topic later in my remarks.

Cal Poly Pomona is a campus that celebrates traditions. One of those is Convocation, where we bring our community together and introduce some new faces that will play important roles for the university. And since we are a student-centric university, let’s meet the two duly elected individuals who will lead our student body this academic year. Please join me in welcoming:

ASI President Richard Liu and
Vice President Christopher Chen

It is also my pleasure to introduce new or newly appointed members of our leadership team. In July, Debra Brum formally retired as our vice president for I & IT, but I was more than pleased when Stephanie Doda agreed to take hold of the reins. Stephanie’s depth of experience in the division makes her a perfect fit. I am confident that we will continue to see great things from I & IT under her leadership.

When Provost denBoer came aboard a year ago, he had the enviable charge of creating his leadership team by hiring five new deans. I am proud to say that we found some great ones. As I call your name would you please rise - and I ask that you hold your applause until all have been called.

The new dean in the College of Agriculture is a familiar face and a long‐time member of our family – Dr. Les Young.

Joining Cal Poly Pomona from UNLV is our new dean in the College of Business Administration – Dr. Richard Lapidus.

From the University of Michigan we lured away our new leader for the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences – Dr. Carol Richardson.

In the College of Environmental Design, we have brought aboard one of the Southland’s most noted authorities on urban planning – Dean Michael Woo.

And our new dean in the University Library joins us from Humboldt State, where they are mourning his departure, Dr. Ray Wang.

Congratulations and welcome to Cal Poly Pomona.

Convocation allows all of us to recognize the great work and accomplishments of our faculty and staff. When it comes to making a difference in the lives of our students, few things have a greater impact than the quality of advisement. Advisors play a crucial role in helping our students reach their educational objectives and complete their degrees. We annually celebrate outstanding advisors for their work in the colleges and the Division of Student Affairs. Let me introduce our Outstanding Advisors for 2008-09. Please stand when I call your name, and hold your applause until the end.

• Dr. Patricia de Freitas, Ethnic & Women’s Studies / College of Education & Integrative Studies
• Dr. Phillip Ghazanfari, Finance, Real Estate & Law / College of Business Administration
• Ms. Kim Huynh, Student Support and Equity Programs (SSEP) / Student Affairs
• Dr. Tina Carroll McCorkindale, Communication / College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Dr. Frederick Roth, Plant Sciences / College of Agriculture
• Dr. Donald St. Hilaire, Collins College of Hospitality Management
• Dr. Pamela Sperry, Biological Sciences / College of Science
• Mr. Clifford Stover, Mechanical Engineering / College of Engineering
• Professor Andrew Wilcox, Landscape Architecture / College of Environmental Design

Each year, select university faculty are confirmed by their colleagues to earn the right of tenure, thus becoming lifetime members of the university family. In 2009, 22 faculty members received this honor, with some also earning promotion to associate professor or professor. I have invited each of them to join us today, so we can celebrate their achievement. Would you rise as I call your name and, again, please hold your applause.

A - Receiving tenure and promotion to professor:
• Dr. Thomas Ketseoglou – Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Dr. Jawaharlal Mariappan– Mechanical Engineering
• Dr. Brita Olson – Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Dr. Alexander Rudolph – Physics
• Dr. Ronald Yeung – Civil Engineering

B - Receiving tenure and promotion to associate professor:
• Dr. Nina Abramzon – Physics
• Dr. Jeffrey Brown – Hospitality Management
• Dr. Berit Givens – Math and Statistics
• Dr. Carlos Gonzalez – Management and Human Resources
• Dr. Kenneth Hansen – Kinesiology and Health Promotion
• Dr. Thienhuong Hoang – Education
• Professor Luis Hoyos – Architecture
• Professor Crystal Yachin Lee – Art
• Dr. Alison Pearlman – Art
• Dr. Chari Pradel – Art
• Dr. James Rego – Chemistry
• Dr. Amber Rosin – Math and Statistics
• Dr. Broc Sandelin – Animal and Veterinary Sciences

C - Receiving tenure:
• Dr. Julianna Delgado – Urban and Regional Planning
• Dr. Lloyd Lee – Chemical and Materials Engineering
• Dr. David Herzog – Counseling and Psychological Services
• Dr. Craig Muir – Counseling and Psychological Services

Congratulations to each of you…..

In addition, I invite you to read the information provided on your chairs that announces those faculty members who were already tenured, but also earned promotion. Please join me in recognizing the accomplishment of these outstanding colleagues and educators. Thanks to each of you for your commitment and dedication!

Last spring, I called on our community to share their ideas on how we could mitigate the growing budget crisis. Some of the most insightful recommendations came from staff, who often volunteered personal sacrifices for the betterment of their program and the campus. Staff are the glue that holds Cal Poly Pomona together. They make things happen, playing a remarkable role in the student experience. Every year, we celebrate the work of four special staff members who have been selected by their peers for their exceptional work. Join me in recognizing the 2008-09 Outstanding Staff. Would you rise as I call your name and, again, please hold your applause.

Outstanding Staff
• Janet Cain, Risk Management
• Elsie Considine, College of Environmental Design
• Penne Fode, Animal & Veterinary Sciences
• Rita Haerr, Instructional & Information Technology

Congratulations to each of you…

I am now proud to announce the thirteenth recipient of the George P. Hart Award. The Hart Award recognizes faculty members who are regarded as role models and leaders, on campus and in the community.

Before we introduce the 2009 recipient, please welcome to the dais a member of our extended family, Ms. Sandra Baldonado, who was George’s wife. Sandy is an attorney in the local community, and the former Mayor of the City of Claremont. She comes every year to honor George’s legacy and to assist us in this recognition. Sandy…

(Sandy Baldonado addresses crowd)

This year’s honoree has been a member of our academic community for 15 years, and is now a professor in the Psychology and Sociology department. One of the university’s most active faculty members, he has served as chair of the Masters of Science advisory committee, the inaugural chair of the assessment committee, RTP chair and a member of the department’s executive advisory committee. He has extended his support across campus, serving two terms as president of the Asian Pacific Islander Faculty, Staff and Student Association. This year, he is also serving as director of the Fellows and Awards program of the Western Psychological Association. Our recipient was described as an individual who is always willing to help another student, faculty, department, committee or organization. He has been a role model for students and a leader on campus and in the community. Please join me in welcoming to the dais, the 2009 George P. Hart award winner – Dr. Jeffrey Mio…

(Jeffrey Mio addresses crowd)

Since last spring, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by without having to think about our budget situation. Just to make sure you are current, here’s a synopsis of that saga. You remember that the Governor signed a 17-month budget in February that was out of whack with reality before the ink was dry. State revenues were taking a nose dive and our public leaders were scrambling. The Chancellor’s Office announced that the newly signed budget required an immediate $97.6 million dollar cut to the CSU for 2008-09. We then estimated the cuts for 2009‐10 would be $283 million dollars system-wide. Each week, our state revenue numbers grew more and more depressing. It was a perfect storm. No one could really project how bad the cut was going to be…

But we responded. At Cal Poly Pomona and across the CSU, we implemented some immediate costsaving measures.

Chancellor Reed and the Board of Trustees declared a system-wide impaction, meaning the CSU has more fully eligible applicants than it is able to support with its current funding.

We froze salaries for presidents, vice presidents, vice chancellors and the chancellor. Cal Poly Pomona extended a similar freeze to all management positions across the board.

Each vice president was charged with determining which State or Foundation-sponsored international travel was mission critical.

My vice presidents were asked to ensure that each hiring, travel or procurement decision was carefully scrutinized. We fully understand how this decision impacted professional development and academic presentations but challenging times call for difficult decisions. The leadership also suspended hiring in order to protect operational funds.

By April, it became clear that these decisions would not be enough. The Governor put forward six ballot measures in May that offered California voters an opportunity to reduce the magnitude of the cuts to public services, including higher education. Nearly $6 billion in revenue in the 2009-10 state budget depended on the passage of Propositions 1A through 1E. The CSU Board of Trustees endorsed the propositions because of their direct impact on the CSU, but…

On May 19, the budget measures failed. The cut projection had increased 45 percent to $410 million for 2009-10. With 85 percent of our budget tied to compensation, the system leadership was forced to consider unprecedented options, including furloughs and layoffs. The Board of Trustees approved the first of two fee increases for students. By early June, the Chancellor’s Office entered into negotiations with our collective bargaining units.

In response to the May budget projections, our campus completed a bold and controversial action when I decided to cancel the state-funded summer session. Remember now, summer quarter is the start of the academic year and is our first attempt to meet our FTES target - so we needed to do something to protect course offerings for the 2009-10 fall, winter and spring quarters. For many Cal Poly Pomona students and faculty, that was really the first shot across the bow. You have heard the phrase – all politics are local – well that action really localized the budget crisis. We hosted a special forum and upset students filled this room. This brought the reality of our situation home – getting them to connect what was happening to the state budget with what was occurring at Cal Poly Pomona. I remember speaking with one student who was quite animated, yelling at me to do something about it. “Where is the money?” he said. After he saw the numbers, I think he finally got it!

We put together a five week special receipt funded summer school to help address some of the challenges that were being faced by our students as a result of this action.

When we made this decision, campuses across the system took notice. What they observed was an incredible job by our staff in the registrar’s office, financial aid, budget and finance, student cashier services, the College of the Extended University and academic affairs. It was a herculean effort on short notice and they did an unbelievable job. They’re efforts typify the “can do” attitude that permeates the culture here.

By July, the rising deficit took our budget cut projection up ANOTHER 42 percent - reaching $584 million dollars – equating to about $30 million dollars for Cal Poly Pomona. That’s more than DOUBLE what we had projected six months earlier – equating to one-fifth of our general fund budget! Almost all of the collective bargaining units agreed to a furlough schedule for 2009‐10. Additionally, the Ed. Code was modified to allow the Board to require all MPPs to furlough two‐days a month. The Board of Trustees voted a second fee increase, meaning that our students will be paying right at $4,000 for the year or $1,000 more in fees this fall than they did last year with one third of that going to financial aid. Luckily, these funds available though State University Grants, increases in Cal Grants, increases in Pell grants and tax rebates will almost completely offset these increases for most students.

At the end of July, Provost denBoer, Vice President Barnes and I made a presentation to the full Academic Senate which was video streamed to the entire campus community. We cannot approach this challenge with blinders on. It is essential that all of us understand the scope of what we are dealing with, and begin planning immediately for the fall of 2010.

Many of you are probably wondering why I said that. Because budget projections require the CSU to reduce enrollment by 40,000 students system wide. A year from now, Cal Poly Pomona will have 3,000 fewer students than it did in the fall of 2007. State revenue is based on enrollment. The cost saving measures that we will realize through furloughs, and our own internal planning, will get us through June. But everything changes after that. This year we will have benefitted from $640 million in federal stimulus funds which we received to replace general fund money taken by the Finance Office – This is one-time money that will be unavailable next year. In other words, we’re on the clock – and the bill comes due on July 1, 2010.

We will need to take a hard look at everything we do and invest appropriately. 2010 will be upon us before we know it. We have to act now. Here are a couple of major things that will drive our decisions.

Graduate Students:
This one is simple enough. After all, this is what we’re supposed to do. But we must look closely at the path to graduation. We cannot afford for students to spend six or seven years on campus, waiting for the right courses to be offered – or changing their major and becoming 8th year seniors. Not when thousands of students are struggling to even get admitted. We must review curriculum choices and staff support. The Board of Trustees recently gave campus presidents the power to immediately graduate students who have completed all requirements for a degree. We must collectively and transparently make hard decisions which will create opportunity for incoming students now.

In order for us to succeed, the process to implement these decisions must start now. Provost denBoer and the Academic Affairs Budget Advisory Committee have begun developing short and long-term recommendations for the 2010-11 budget and beyond, including the possible closure of programs. The non-academic divisions will respond accordingly, restructuring their own budgets to ensure alignment with our academic mission.

Return on Investment:
The special fundraising year we just experienced only validates why we need to strengthen our efforts in seeking external resources. We won’t be entering the public phase of the comprehensive fundraising campaign this year – but you wouldn’t know it based on the work going on in advancement. We are asking for some major gifts – I mean 10-20-30 million dollars. The state budget may stabilize – but anyone who thinks it’s going to get better is just out of touch. Private funding is the only way we can ensure that the educational programs we’ve worked so hard to sustain will continue into the future.

Part of that investment is a campaign to celebrate and strengthen our identity. If you interview ten of our alumni on what distinguishes Cal Poly Pomona from others, you’d probably get 10 different answers but each of them would have a consistent strand. We are going to engage in a full scale effort to capture our uniqueness on campus and throughout the community. The dramatic images that were on the screen behind me when you arrived will elevate the identity of every program on campus and show why Cal Poly Pomona is a special place. This is historic for us. We’ve never attempted anything like this before but our preliminary feedback indicates that this effort captures the essence of how we are viewed by our benefactors and will be key to attracting more external support.

Our first step is to develop materials for display in buildings across campus, featuring images that reflect our academic communities. Websites will get facelifts. Over the next year and beyond, you will feel the impact of our efforts in the media and the community. It will be very exciting. THIS IS OUR TIME!

Despite the financial obstacles, there remain initiatives that require our continued focus. At 1 p.m. today, Dr. Claudia Pinter-Lucke will lead a number of presentations and discussions relating to our WASC accreditation. I don’t need to tell you that accreditation is essential to the mission of Cal Poly Pomona and our academic identity. Our campus WASC team has done some extraordinary work in getting documentation ready, but it needs your counsel. When the WASC review team was here for the Capacity review, we took a lot for granted, we will not make the same mistake when they return to check out Instructional Effectiveness. Please plan on joining your colleagues later today right in this room for our afternoon symposia on WASC, focused on the teacher-scholar and institutional assessment.

Now that the Academic Plan is complete, I have called on leadership from each division to come together and fully integrate a University Strategic Plan. I hope that you can attend a special meeting today on the strategic planning process at 2 pm here in Ursa Major C.

Cal Poly Pomona has been working on a process to support veterans who will be exiting the military in the coming months and years. We cannot turn our back on these heroes and the CSU is committed to ensuring an educational opportunity is available to each and every one.

The H1N1 virus remains a significant threat to this country. Should members of our campus community be infected, we must have a business continuity plan in place so we don’t interrupt students’ progress towards their degree. This includes broadening our online curriculum and services which was a recommendation of the Pandemic plan approved by the Academic Senate.

And finally, I hope you join me right after Convocation when we celebrate the legacy of our faculty and staff with the 2009 Service Awards.

Beginning today - we each have a call to action.

There are things we cannot control. The reduction in your compensation will likely make life more stressful for you and your family. Our students, facing another fee increase, will have to prioritize their expenditures in order to meet the cost of completing their education. Greater demands – decreasing resources.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be angered by the situation in which we find ourselves, but there are things that are NOT beyond our control. If we allow the stress to dictate how we treat each other that will only compound the pain which is affecting us all. It would be easy to allow personal stress to affect the quality of our relationships with our colleagues and students. Let’s not let that happen. It doesn’t cost a penny to be courteous to one another.

We WILL come through this storm, but we will need to help one another. We want historians to describe this financial crisis as a time when our community came together and shined despite enormous obstacles.

Ladies and gentlemen, from the bottom of my heart - I am as excited and honored to be your president as I was six years ago, knowing that you are my colleagues. Our best work is just ahead.

Thank you and best wishes!