San Francisco State UniversityCampusMemo
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July 16

Volume 49, No.01
In memoriam: Anthony Geist In memoriam: Billie Beatty Set sail for a good cause
Opening faculty meeting WASC reaccredits SFSU CSU Compensation Q&A
Memo note Minority Undegraduate Degree Rankings, 1999-2000 Star bright


In memoriam: Anthony Geist

A celebration of the life of Anthony (Tasso) Geist, assistant to the director in the Office of Student Programs/Leadership Development, will be held 2 p.m. July 24 in the SFSU Memorial Grove. A reception will follow in the Cesar Chavez Student Center's Ribogerta Menchu Room. Geist died June 3.

Geist started his relationship with SFSU as a student and student worker. After receiving a bachelor of arts degree, he took a staff position in the College of Business. He also worked for the Division of Student Affairs and eventually the Office of Student Programs/Leadership Development, where he excelled in the promotion of student involvement and leadership. He had a genuine commitment to student advocacy.

Geist was always willing to share and guide others. He was an activist against social injustices. In May 2001 he received the SFSU Robert J.Westwood Leadrship Award for outstanding student organization adviser. Contributions may be made in Tasso Geist's memory to the Cindy Kolb Fund.

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In memoriam: Billie Beatty

Billie Camp Beatty, a longtime professor in the Counseling and Psychology departments who served as a mentor to young faculty members, died last month in San Francisco. She was 79.

Beatty, who earned the unofficial title of "grand dame of the department," retired in 1980 after 12 years with the University. She died June 21 and leaves behind her husband of 40 years, Walcott Beatty, six children and four grandchildren.

Former colleagues remember the Southern-born Beatty as a gentle woman and a talented teacher.

"She was modest about her brilliance but it was there. She was well-known in the field and she was straightforward and would say what she thought," said Elizabeth Van Dalsem, a former counseling professor who retired in 1993. "She was born in the South, and her honesty was appreciated."

Amy Hittner first met Beatty as a student when she enrolled in one of her classes. Years later they worked together as faculty members.

"She was a gentle and caring person well-versed in the subject of counseling," said Hittner, now a counseling professor. "With her warm and caring nature she created a positive learning atmosphere."

Robert Chope recalls Beatty as a professor who put her students first and a mentor who always made time for her colleagues. He also served with her on the Academic Senate.

"I remember her taking younger faculty under her wing," said Chope, a counseling professor. "She was the grand dame of the department."

Beatty's husband, Walcott Beatty, is a psychology professor emeritus who retired from the University in 1989.

Memorial contributions for Beatty can be made to the San Francisco Food Bank.

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Set sail for a good cause

The University Women's Association's 10th anniversary cruise sets sail Jan. 6, 2002, for a 14-night journey from Auckland, New Zealand, to Sydney, Australia. The UWA cruise generates funds for its scholarships for talented SFSU students in need. For every 10 fares booked, the equivalent of one fare goes into the scholarship endowment.

Prices begin at $1,449 per person and include virtually all shipboard meals, accommodations and activities. Book early to take advantage of $599 round-trip airfare from San Francisco. Pre- and post-cruise hotel programs are also available. Call Tom Fell Sr. for details and any other questions at 1-800-321-3355.

See the flier in campus mailboxes for all the details including the many activities and amenities available on the ship.

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Opening faculty meeting

The new academic year begins with the annual faculty meeting from 8:30 to 11 a.m on Monday, Aug. 27, in McKenna Theatre.

As in previous years, faculty will have a chance to welcome back colleagues and meet new faculty in the lobby of the Creative Arts Building starting at 8:30 a.m.

The faculty meeting will begin at 9:15 a.m. There will be welcoming remarks by Pamela Vaughn, chair of the Academic Senate. Remarks also will be given by President Robert Corrigan and Mitch Turitz, SFSU chapter president of CFA. Thomas La Belle, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will introduce new faculty and administrators.

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WASC reaccredits SFSU

San Francisco State University received outstanding accolades for its leadership in developing community service learning programs from a national agency that reaffirmed the University's accreditation for the next 10 years.

SFSU also earned high marks for its efforts in academic excellence, addressing student needs and strategic planning from the nine-member visiting team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

After the WASC team's four-day visit this spring, it described SFSU as "an energetic, dynamic university involved in revitalizing its urban mission. It is an engaged university that genuinely cares about its community. It is an ethnically and racially diverse university where composition of its students, faculty and staff mirrors that of its surrounding geographical areas."

Chaired by William DeLauder, president of Delaware State University, the team was charged with examining four areas: planning and administration; academic excellence; teaching, learning and community orientation; and diversity, internationalization and user-friendliness.

In the recently released report, the team concluded the University "seeks to continue to evolve with its community, recognizing community's needs, and providing education designed to bring that community, and its students to the highest possible level of achievement."

"We are delighted that the WASC team recognizes the strengths of San Francisco State and the many benefits offered to our students, faculty, staff and greater community," Corrigan said. "The team reaffirms what many on campus and in the community already know: contributions by students and faculty on and off campus reflect the University's spirit of service and innovation as well as research and academic excellence."

Like other public and private four-year universities and colleges across the country, the University's programs and services are reviewed every decade to reaffirm its accreditation.

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CSU Compensation Q&A

This Q&A, drawn from a recent CSU fact sheet, is presented in an effort to clarify the process of employee compensation.

How, generally, are compensation increases arrived at?

Each year CSU bargains increases for salaries and related benefits on a percentage basis. Once that increase has been settled on, and funding is in place, all employees receive that exact percentage increase in their salaries and related benefits for that fiscal year. This is a process that parallels how salary increases are determined for all state employees. Employees never receive a percentage increase smaller than was bargained with their union.

How does the CSU budget compensation increases?

Budgeting requires the use of estimates. The CSU estimates how much it will cost to fund the bargained percentage salary increase for its employees. As with all budget estimates, there is a difference between the estimate and what actually gets spent. In the case of compensation budgets, estimation variances occur when employee turnover is different from what the CSU had allowed for, leaving more or fewer positions filled than was anticipated.

The CSU budget office works with the state Department of Finance to ensure that these estimates are as accurate as possible, but because they are estimates, they will never be exact.

How accurate are budget estimates?

The accuracy of budget estimates can be determined by comparing actuals (the actual amount spent) with the estimates. To use faculty compensation as an example, in the 1998/1999 fiscal year, the difference between actuals and budgets for the whole system was about $400,000 in a faculty compensation budget of more than $54 million--an overestimate that was less than 1 percent of the projected cost.

The estimates can also go the other way. In 1999/2000, the budget for the whole system was about to $80,000 under what was required to pay faculty compensation--an underestimate of about one-tenth of a percent. In years where the budget is under the costs, the CSU makes up the difference from other funding sources. CSU budget estimates follow standard state practice for budgeting and have been generally quite accurate.

The confusion over budgeting and bargaining compensation:

The budgeting and bargaining processes are complex, and employees can become confused by the difference between estimated and actual budgets. Tying salary increases for employees to budget estimates would create total budget chaos because salaries in some years would be greater than and in some years less than what was bargained for.

There will always be some differences between budgets and actual expenditures. In some years, the CSU overestimates enrollments and underestimates compensation. In other years, just the opposite happens. The differences tend to balance out.

It would be unfair, impractical and even illegal to subject employee compensation to the vagaries of these budgeting processes. Any change that required employees be paid according to fluctuating budget estimates would create serious problems. The current compensation process, which is based on percentage salary increases, is consistent with standard state budgeting practices.

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Memo note

The next issue of CampusMemo will appear on Monday, Aug. 27.

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Minority Undergraduate Degree Rankings,1999-2000

The following rankings, taken from the June 7 edition of Black Issues in Higher Education, are based on the total number of baccalaureate degrees awarded. The survey included data from 3,000 institutions of higher learning across the United States.

SFSU ranked:

  • 13th in the total number degrees awarded to minorities (all disciplines)
  • 7th in the total number of business degrees awarded to minorities
  • 7th in the total number of degrees awarded to minorities in area/ethnic/cultural studies
  • 11th in the total number of degrees awarded to minorities in English language/literature/letters
  • 12th in the total number of degrees awarded to minorities in psychology
  • 18th in the total number of degrees awarded to minorities in communications

SFSU was also well represented in the awarding of degrees in various disciplines to specific minority ethnic groups. See further issues of CampusMemo for more survey results.

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Star bright

Rosa Valencia, office manager in the Design and Industry Department (DAI), is SFSU's STAR of the month for July. Ce Ce Iandoli, acting department chair, said that Valencia's social warmth is matched by her ability to get things done efficiently. Valencia has been with DAI for only a year, yet within her first month, she reorganized the entire filing system, memorized policy issues, understood the budget, and kept her staff of four people busy and happy. She is a natural, proactive leader, driven to learn and listen well. Her presence has changed the tenor of the department--it's a student-centered zone, with hospitab le people welcoming students. Be sure to congratulate Valencia when you see her on campus! As the STAR of the Month, Valencia will enjoy four free lunches on campus and a free parking pass or one month's public transportation cost. She will also be eligible for the STAR of the Year award. To nominate an SFSU staff member for STAR of the Month, pick up a nomination form in Human Resources, ADM 252, or visit: www.sfsu.edu/~hrwww/directives/p570a.htm

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