CSU Board of Trustees Meeting Overview

The CSU Board of Trustees met from March 23-26 to address critical issues, including financial challenges, faculty working conditions, and student needs. CFA members and students mobilized to demand transparency and accountability from CSU management.

During public comment, CFA members called for increased funding for mental health services, better compensation for faculty, and greater engagement from Chancellor García.

Karla Castillo, CFA San Francisco member and a tenure-track counselor at San Francisco State, emphasized the urgent need for more mental health support:

“Student mental health and CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) are needed now more than ever. We need your support to fund more counselors so that each CSU campus can meet the ratio of one full-time equivalent counselor faculty for every 1,500 students. Fair compensation is critical to attract and retain counselors in the CSU,” said Castillo, who is also co-chair of CFA’s Counselors Committee.

Andrea Terry, CFA Sacramento Political Action and Legislative Committee Chair and Sacramento State professor, challenged the Chancellor’s lack of engagement with faculty. She asked, “Why does it feel like you consistently hide from faculty? If you love us, why don’t you engage with us?”

Chancellor García has positioned herself as CSU’s “Chief Reminder Officer,” empowered to “tell the system’s incredible story far and wide.” However, an honest telling of CSU’s story must include the full picture—how faculty are treated, how money is managed, and how advocacy work is valued (or ignored). Faculty have been clear: the reality on campuses does not match the administration’s polished narrative. CFA members continue to demand accountability, transparency, and fair treatment for faculty and students.

The Academic Senate of the CSU (ASCSU) shared recommendations on improving working conditions for lecturers. These included increased job security, multi-year contracts, and equitable pay structures.

CFA members continue to push for policies that recognize lecturers’ essential contributions and ensure fair treatment across campuses.

SOVA, the consulting firm facilitating the CSU’s Strategic Plan, provided updates on the process. Faculty and staff have raised concerns about transparency and meaningful faculty inclusion in shaping the plan’s priorities. We are monitoring this closely to ensure that faculty voices are not sidelined in decisions impacting the future of the CSU system.

Key agenda items, including the annual debt report, were postponed to the May 2025 meeting. We remain committed to holding CSU leadership accountable and ensuring that faculty and student concerns drive decision-making.