• The board consists of 18 members.

• The governor appoints 14 members, two of whom must be CSU alumni, who serve staggered, six-year terms. Students elect four members, who must be full-time students, one each from the four CSUs, to a two-year term.

• One chamber confirms.

• The board makes rules for governing the state university system and develops a mission statement for it, including the role, scope, and policies for each of its individual institutions. It reviews and approves these institutions’ budget requests for submission to the Board of Governors of Higher Education (BGHE). The board is responsible for capital budgeting and facility planning and may lease property under its control to private developers for dormitory construction. It sets tuition and fees for students and makes recommendations to the BGHE to establish new academic programs. It appoints central office executive staff and the presidents of each of the four universities in the system.

QUESTIONS

1. What do you see as the most important issues facing higher education in Connecticut, generally, and the CSU system specifically? How do you propose to address them?

2. How would you characterize the CSU board’s mission? Which aspects of this mission are you particularly interested in?

3. As in most of higher education, CSU tuition has risen faster than personal income. Is the system becoming less accessible to students and, if so, what can be done to correct the situation?

4. The CSUs are probably the most significant source for preparing and continuing the education of Connecticut’s public school teachers. Beyond training excellent teachers, what relationship, if any, should the CSUs have with school systems and the State Board of Education to assure that public school students receive the education they need to prepare them to attend college and live in the 21^st century?

5. Students are taking longer to graduate from college. This increases the cost of education for both students and the state. What is the situation at the CSUs? What measures might help students graduate faster?

6. Colleges and universities, including the CSUs, are relying more and more on part-time and adjunct faculty. What effect does this have on students and full-time faculty? If you believe the effect is negative, what steps might the CSU board take to reverse the trend?

7. What role, if any, do the CSUs have in training Connecticut’s workforce? What relationship should the board have with Connecticut employers to assure that graduates are prepared to enter Connecticut’s workforce? Beyond training workers, how can the CSUs help Connecticut’s economy?

8. The CSUs were recently authorized to award a doctorate of education degree? How do you respond to the recent critique of these degrees by the dean of Columbia Teachers College? Are there any other areas in which CSU might want to offer doctoral training?

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