THE
[c1]
WHEREAS On May 15, 2001, the Academic Senate of San
Francisco State University approved a
resolution on the leadership of Chancellor Charles B. Reed (#RS01-182), in
which the Senate adopted a statement of concern regarding the leadership of
Chancellor Reed, voiced its lack of confidence in the leadership of Chancellor
Reed, and called upon the Board of Trustees to address those concerns; and
WHEREAS The statement of concerns
adopted by RS01-182 included the following:
“2. Common Management System. This is yet another example of failure to
consult before committing the resources (in this case, of individual campuses)
to pay for the installation of a system that may not be as effective for campus
needs as those currently in place. We
acknowledge that the computer systems of a vast university need to be able to
‘communicate.’ What we question is the
fiscal wisdom of committing, without adequate prior consultation and research,
the resources of already under-funded campuses to a computerized management
system whose efficacy is, at best, questionable”; and
WHEREAS Report #2002-110 of the California State
Auditor, entitled "California State University: Its Common Management
System Has Higher than Reported Costs, Less Than Optimal Functionality, and
Questionable Procurement and Conflict-of-Interest Practices," released in
March 2003, concludes that
·
The university [
·
The university's
previous cost projections understated the full costs of CMS over its now
nine-year project period; these costs--including an estimated $269 million for
maintenance and operations--are now expected to total $662 million.
·
Problems exist that
cast doubt on whether CMS will achieve all the objectives intended, nor offer
what could have been achieved from a systemwide project.
·
Although the
university followed recommended procurement practices to acquire data center
services, its procurements for software and consultants on the project raise
questions about the fairness and competitiveness of the university's practices.
·
The university did not
do enough to prevent or detect apparent conflicts of interest on CMS-related
procurements.
(“Audit Highlights”, California State Auditor/Bureau of State Audits Summary
of Report Number 2002-110, http://www.bsa.ca.gov/bsa/summaries/2002-110.html); and
WHEREAS CSU
administration does not dispute the factual findings of the audit and has
stated that it accepts almost all its recommendations; and
(over)
WHEREAS The conclusions of the
audit were the subject of widespread media coverage and of a hearing by the
Joint Legislative Audit Committee on April 3, 2003, at which several prominent
members of the Legislature, including both Democrats and Republicans, strongly
criticized the CSU administration for its handling of this project and at which
the chancellor indicated willingness to develop a business plan for CMS; and
WHEREAS Faculty, staff, and administrators on many CSU
campuses—including San Francisco State University—have expressed strong
reservations about the viability of the CMS system; and
WHEREAS CSU administrators’
management of the entire project, and their response to the legislature, have
cast the CSU in a very negative light; and
WHEREAS From the time when CMS
was first proposed, faculty leaders -- including the California Faculty
Association and the Academic Senate CSU – have cautioned the Chancellor's
Office that the project was too costly and should be funded outside of the
general University budget; and
WHEREAS The drain on
instructional resources to which CMS has contributed is now exacerbated by the
state's budget crisis, which has severely limited state funding for the CSU and
threatens the University's ability to maintain high-quality academic programs;
therefore be it
RESOLVED That
the Academic Senate of San Francisco State University call upon President
Robert A. Corrigan to suspend where possible implementation on this campus of
CMS; and be it further
RESOLVED That
the Academic Senate of San Francisco State University call upon the Board of
Trustees of the CSU to suspend where possible any further implementation of the
Common Management System (CMS), including a freeze on hiring for all CMS
positions currently being advertised, until
a) All
recommendations of the March 2003 report of the California State Auditor
(2002-110) are implemented to the satisfaction of the
b) Earmarked financing for CMS is obtained
from the legislature or elsewhere so that the project is no longer funded from
the general fund allocation to the CSU provided principally for instruction;
and be it further
RESOLVED That
the Academic Senate of San Francisco State University call upon the Board of Trustees of the CSU to
cooperate with the Legislature and other relevant government bodies to ensure
that those CSU administrators responsible for the problems and flawed practices
documented in the Auditor's report are held fully accountable for their
actions; and be it further
RESOLVED That
copies of this resolution be sent to President Robert A. Corrigan; Chancellor
Charles Reed; Vice Chancellor Richard West; the Board of Trustees, CSU; other
CSU campus academic senates and the Academic Senate CSU; the Speaker of the
Assembly; the President pro Tempore of the Senate; and Governor Gray Davis.