Dr. Jolene Koester is President of California State University, Northridge.
Comments on topics of interest to the Cal State Northridge and broader community will be posted here on a periodic basis. Due to the demands of the President’s schedule and her diverse responsibilities, however, readers of this site should not expect “real time” commentary on university issues and incidents that may arise.
A videotaped message from President Jolene Koester welcoming students to the 2010-11 academic year has just been made available at the Cal State Northridge website and can be viewed below. In the message, Dr. Koester also discusses the current state budget situation and its implications for our campus.
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This week marks the beginning of the 2010-11 academic year! The campus has been abuzz the past few weeks in anticipation of the arrival of students and this week brings to fruition these many preparations. The start of the fall semester is an exciting time when our classrooms, labs and other learning spaces are filled to capacity with faculty and students, and everyone settles into the activities and rhythm of the new academic year.
As many of you know, this semester we are welcoming many more freshmen and transfer students than we initially anticipated. They join an already sizeable body of continuing students. While we should be proud that more individuals are making Cal State Northridge their university of choice, we also need to be attentive as a community to the many pressures that our students face.
As I mentioned in my recent Convocation address, the budget issues and fiscal environment we have experienced the past several years will continue to be significant challenges this coming year. Students will particularly feel pressure and anxiety due to concerns related to the fee increases, increased competition for limited classes, and a difficult economic environment where jobs are scarce. We are doing our best to anticipate these issues, and have asked the colleges to add as many classes as possible to accommodate demand.
For these reasons, I would like to reiterate a request sent to faculty and staff recently by Vice Presidents Harry Hellenbrand and William Watkins, and in my Convocation address last week, to be sensitive to the needs of the students we serve and to do what you can to make their transition into life at the University as smooth and painless as possible. We are also asking staff and faculty who notice certain trends and commonalities in the student concerns they see to bring these concerns to the attention of their supervisors, college or departmental administrators, or other senior staff, including the vice presidents. Such alerts will enable the University to respond quickly to these issues.
Again, welcome to the new academic year. The depth of dedication of Cal State Northridge’s staff and faculty are well known, and were key to the way we weathered the difficulties of last year—furloughs and all—as a community. Please know I am grateful for the commitment, grace and good humor everyone in our campus community continues to show as we face another challenging year. These qualities are a strength of the University and serve as an exemplar for the students we serve.
Note: The President’s Convocation from August 19, 2010 is now available here.
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As a reminder, the President’s Annual Convocation is scheduled for Thursday, August 19, 2010, on the lawn south of the Oviatt Library. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the traditional welcome back coffee. The Convocation will commence at 9 a.m.
The President’s Convocation traditionally marks the start of the new academic year.
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