Jan. 27--The 23 campuses in the California State University system must do a better job of dealing with the swiftly changing demographics in the state, Chancellor Timothy P. White said Tuesday.
The largest university system in the nation's most populous state needs to "empower those who have been disenfranchised," White told a meeting of the Cal State Board of Trustees in Long Beach.
"What we learn in addressing the needs of our students will become the blueprint for those states that may be a generation or two behind us," he said as the two-day meeting got underway.
Specifically, White directed faculty to develop a more inclusive curriculum and to "ask the question if we are informing enough about difference, power and discrimination."
White also said Cal State hiring and search committees should reflect the "rich diversity of our students and hire the best out of a rich and diverse pool of applicants."
He did not include specific goals or timetables for these changes.
The meeting got underway amid sharp criticism from Gov. Jerry Brown about the schools' poor track record of graduating students within four years.
His latest budget, released earlier this month, included a chart showing that the four-year graduation rate for freshmen fell short 34% -- the average for public universities across the country -- at 20 of the system's 23 campuses.
Another prickly topic for the Board of Trustees is the long-running dispute over salaries for faculty, librarians and other professionals.
The union representing faculty is seeking a 5% across-the-board increase. Cal State officials say they can only afford to offer a 2% raise.
To press their point, some faculty members provided a musical interlude at Tuesday's meeting, breaking into a traditional labor union standard.
After addressing the board, about 30 faculty members stood and sang "Which Side Are You On?" a 1930s tune popularized by Pete Seeger and adapted with lyrics written by faculty.
"We're sending you a message we hope is loud and clear, a storm is coming and a strike very near."
The faculty members, dressed in red T-shirts, clapped and marched from the meeting room, still singing in unison.
The musical protest caused little disruption.
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