Alexander Speaks to City Group

President F. King Alexander spoke at Downtown Long Beach Associates' fourth annual state of the downtown luncheon Wednesday, according to the Press-Telegram. He talked about how universities need to be involved in their communities.

"We're not just building a city with a university in it, we're building a university city," he said.

Other speakers at the event included Mayor Bob Foster and author Richard Florida. Florida also emphasized the need for good university-downtown relationships.

Council Dragging Feet on Lighting Issue

The issue of funding for lights around CSULB's campus will hopefully be on the Long Beach City Council agenda in the next couple of weeks, Councilman Gary DeLong said today.

He said city staff, the county and CSULB are still working to pull the pieces together. Nonetheless, "We are committed to moving forward with installing the lighting," he said.

More Controversy Over Raises?

An analysis of the CSU system's compensation policies was released Nov. 6 by the California Bureau of State Audits, an article in the Daily 49er reported.

The audit showed that the Chancellor's Office does not oversee every detail of executive compensation policies at individual CSU campuses. Recommendations were made for ways to keep better track of executive compensation and executive transition programs.

The Chancellor's Office said that the audit did not reveal any violations of CSU policy. President F. King Alexander said he thought the audit was fair and balanced.

"I was particularly pleased that they found no CSU actions to be inappropriate, in violation of existing policy or illegal," he said.

49er Rooting for Stephens

The Daily 49er said Tuesday that Mary Stephens is the best choice to be the new vice president of administration and finance at CSULB.

Stephens is currently vice president for business and finance at CSU Stanislaus. Since she already has experience working in the CSU system, the 49er argued, she is a "shoe-in for the job."

Students Ask for Better Security

A group of students met Wednesday with President F. King Alexander and several other campus officials to discuss improvements to campus security, an article in the Daily 49er said.

Some topics covered were lighting issues, security cameras, an increase in the number of community service officers, and the acquisition of another van for the Night Escort Program.

Alexander said it is important to continually improve security, but also indicated he believes the campus is a safe environment. He encouraged students to let the administration know if they have ideas about how to make the campus safer.

Alexander Speaks to House Committee

President F. King Alexander spoke Thursday before a House committee on the subject of rising tuition rates, according to Diverse magazine.

Alexander said one reason for increasing costs is that states are not providing as much funding for public education as they used to. He asked for a "maintenance of effort" partnership between federal and state governments to keep states from seriously cutting higher education funding.

The committee will consider a comprehensive Higher Education Act bill later this month, said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif, the committee chair.

To see the full text of Alexander's speech, go to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities website.

For more information see the Press-Telegram, InsideHigherEd.com, the Daily 49er or the Daily Texan.

Last VP Finalist Speaks at Forum

The last candidate for the position of vice president of administration and finance at CSULB, Ron Coley, spoke today in an open forum.

Coley, who is currently associate vice chancellor of business and administrative services at UC Berkeley, said he wants to come to CSULB because he is impressed with the college and he thinks the position fits his skills and interests. If selected for the position, "I expect to make a difference," he said.

Coley also talked a bit about his career in the Marine Corps, which he said taught him about leadership and depending on people.