The initiative began in 2010 and is sponsored by the Technology Steering Committee (TSC), a subset of campus presidents that provides advice and recommendations to the chancellor about major technology initiatives. The process has included a CSU Online Working Group composed of Distance Learning management, faculty representation and Academic Senate members. The Online Working Group managed a consulting firm hired to conduct a detailed analysis of online learning at the CSU. The consultants held meetings with a large number of CSU constituents and advisory groups, and held hundreds of interviews with faculty, students and administrators at several campuses.
Following the consultant’s work, the Technology Steering Committee drafted an overview document that outlines a plan for the CSU’s online learning initiative. The first step is to hire a CSU Online executive director. Interviews are in process and a candidate is expected to be announced in the next several weeks. Once the executive director is hired, a broad based consultative process will begin to give shape and focus to the online initiative. Background, documents and detailed information on the initiative are available here;
CSU Joins National STEM Initiative
The CSU has joined ”100Kin10”, a multisector movement composed of more than 80 partners committed to recruiting, developing and retaining 100,000 excellent STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teachers over the next decade. Led by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Opportunity Equation, the partners include Google, NASA and the New York City Department of Education, among others.
As part of its commitment, the CSU will prepare 1,500 new math and science teachers annually through 2015. Half will teach in high-need schools for at least three years, and 10 percent will earn dual certification, addressing the needs of hard-to-staff schools. Announced at the Clinton Global Initiative America’s June meeting, the 100Kin10 initiative has an initial funding base of $20 million in pledges to be allocated to 100Kin10 partner organizations as selected. More information.
Fall 2012 Applications Open
First-time freshmen and community college transfers are being encouraged to apply to the CSU for the fall 2012 term no later than November 30, 2011 as most campuses will stop accepting applications then.
The CSU’s application period opened October 1 and many campuses and some programs are impacted due to the continuing decline in state funding and the high demand for a CSU education. Impaction means that a campus will likely have more applicants than available slots. Last year, the CSU saw an all-time high in applications for the 2011 fall term, but massive budget cuts limited enrollment at many of the campuses.
The fall 2012 application period also opens for the CSU’s new post-master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Physical Therapy“http://www.calstate.edu/app/dpt/” programs offered at select CSU campuses, which will help the CSU provide high-quality and affordable degrees to help meet the state’s growing need for licensed healthcare workers and qualified nursing faculty. The CSU awards 60 percent of the bachelor’s degrees in nursing and one-third of the physical therapy degrees in California.