Assemblymember Alex Lee Introduces Legislation To Reform CSU Board With Trustee Elections

• Nicholas Chan
• Communications Director, Office of Assemblymember Alex Lee
• (916) 319-2392
• [email protected]

Assemblymember Alex Lee introduced legislation to democratize the California State University's (CSU) Board of Trustees. AB 2087 will put students, faculty, and staff at the governing table, increasing representation of those who are directly served by the nation's largest 4-year university system. They are the people who make the system work, serving as the heart of CSU's vast contributions to society.

The Board of Trustees oversees one of the most influential educational institutions in the U.S. CSU serves over 470,000 students and awards nearly half of California's bachelor's degrees. More than 60,000 people are employed by the university system. Spanning from Humboldt to San Diego, CSU has 23 campuses and 7 off-campus centers.

"We must ensure that CSU students, faculty, and staff are represented on the Board of Trustees. They are the backbone of the nation's largest 4-year university system and a pillar for California's education, economic power, and technological innovations," said Assemblymember Lee. "By democratizing the Board of Trustees, AB 2087 ensures that those who contribute to CSU every day have a seat at the leadership table. It creates a pathway for those impacted by the Board's decisions to be heard, and promotes a more inclusive governance for CSU."

AB 2087 requires 10 people on the Board of Trustees to be elected by their counterparts:

• 4 elected by and from faculty members (4-year terms)
• 4 elected by and from non-faculty staff (4-year terms)
• 2 elected by and from students (2-year terms)

Under the legislation, a total of 27 members will serve on the Board. A tenured faculty will be selected to the Board by the Academic Senate of CSU. The bill also reduces the number of Trustees appointed by the Governor to 10 from 16. Meanwhile, the following Trustee positions remain unchanged from current law:

• 5 ex officio members
  • Governor
  • Lieutenant Governor
  • State Superintendent
  • Speaker of the Assembly
  • CSU Chancellor
• A representative of the alumni associations

As the university system navigates major budget challenges, ensuring representation of people most impacted by the Board's decisions is more important than ever. From 2023 to 2025, CSU reduced its workforce by over 1,200 positions, eliminated 1,400 courses, and reduced student support staff by 7%. Amid growing operational costs, the university system also raised tuition by 6% annually over a 5-year period.

At the same time, CSU is pursuing a new and ambitious goal, promising that "every student will graduate with a clear career path." The framework builds upon CSU's 10-year initiative between 2015 to 2025 to meet graduation targets and close the equity gap, which yielded mixed results.

Effective governance is key to CSU's ability to support student success, while serving as a driving force for California's growth and innovation. 1 in 10 employees in the state is a CSU graduate. The university's education and research have helped shape a wide array of fields, including STEM, arts and culture, as well as social sciences. With over a quarter of undergraduates being first-generation college students, CSU plays a vital role in expanding opportunities for California's diverse population.

The sponsors of AB 2087 released the following statements:

"Let's face it, 29,000 faculty are one of the most important parts of CSU, and yet we only have one voice on the Board of Trustees," said Margarita Berta-Ávila, California Faculty Association (CFA) President and Sacramento State professor. "More faculty voices on the board will lead to more board decisions that reflect daily realities of the people who make the CSU run. CFA members will fight to pass this bill, which democratically increases shared governance for students and staff, too."

"For too long, the CSU Board of Trustees has failed to hear voices of the people who make our universities run," said Catherine Hutchinson, President of the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU). "While staff face cuts and campuses struggle, we've seen executives receive massive raises with little accountability. AB 2087 is about bringing balance and democracy to the system, ensuring that workers have a seat at the table and a voice in the decisions that impact our campuses, our students, and our future."