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California State University Chancellor Timothy White visited CSU Bakersfield to speak on the importance of faculty and staff in regards to the success of the CSU system, the importance of student research and the future of baccalaureate education in California.

During the chancellor’s second-ever visit to CSUB on April 28 and 29, he focused on the theme “Innovation in the Learning Environment.” At the chancellor’s request, there was an open-campus forum held for students, faculty and staff at the Student Housing East Multipurpose Room on Friday.

White, alongside CSUB President Horace Mitchell, sat on stage during the forum to speak to the CSUB community and to answer any questions the attendees had.

White spoke about the future of baccalaureate degrees and how it impacts the CSU system.

“The rate at which baccalaureate degrees are being earned in California today… if you forecast out 15 years from now, we will be over a million degrees short of what this economy is going to require,” said White. “These degrees include all California higher education institutions, and [although] 2030 sounds like a long time away, the students who will be graduating in 2030 are in first grade today.”

The chancellor pointed out that the CSU system is responsible for over 50 percent of all the bachelor’s degrees in California.

“When you think about 1.1 million degrees short in 15 years,” said White. “That means that somehow we have to find a way to up our game by half a million degrees between now and 2030…that’s a tall order and we can’t do it by ourselves. We are going to need help from Sacramento.”

Following the chancellor’s remarks, a question and answer session was opened to attendees where faculty, staff and students asked White about his credibility following the salary increase negotiations, rumors of managers getting increases and his decision-making process.

CSUB professor Bruce Hartsell first thanked the chancellor for the progress that was made on the recent salary increases, where the CSU leaders and the California Faculty Association came to an agreement that will raise faculty salaries by 10.5 percent over the next three years.

Hartsell then asked White about the lack of retroactivity, and the rumors that managers will be getting raises, despite the assertions that there was simply not enough money in the CSU system for raises.

Hartsell also questioned the chancellor about what he can do to improve the credibility that he lost during the CFA and CSU faculty increase negotiations.

“It was never a discussion or dispute about the importance of raising, not only faculty salaries, but staff salaries as well,” said White. “The problem in the discussion with the CFA was that the solution was to be found during this current fiscal year, which ends at the end of June.

“What actually opened up Rubik’s cube, solved the puzzle a little bit, was going from three months to solve it, to three budget years to solve it.”

As for the lack of retroactivity following the agreement between the CFA and the CSU, White made it known that it was a big part of the discussion.

“The lack of retroactivity was part of the discussion with the CFA leadership,” said White. “People don’t like me to say it … and I wish I didn’t have to say it, but we have to live within our means and I can not agree to something, even if I would like to do it or want to do it, that I can’t execute.”

As for his credibility, White defended himself by focusing on his arc as chancellor.

“I think if you look at the arc of my time…that by the end of next year I will have raised compensation across all of our employees by 15.6 percent,” said White.

In addition to the change in compensation, White talked about his successes in taking off the brakes from the equity programs that were previously stalled during the recession and his reinstating of funds for faculty research.

“If that still challenges my credibility as an academic leader, then we ought to have another conversation,” said White.

In regards to rumors that managers will be receiving raises, White assured that managers are definitely eligible.

“Are managers going to be eligible for pay raises? You bet they are…because they are working just as hard as faculty, just as hard as staff,” said White. “They have a market just like everybody else does and if we ended up saying yes to everybody, but not to a certain class of employees because of the title, that seem to be…unfair to them.”

White continued, saying that he would never attempt to pit groups against each other.

“One of the things that I will never do is pit one group of employees in our university against another group of employees and say ‘let’s duke it out and see who matters the most,’ because they both matter,” said White.

The chancellor met with student athletes, stopped by an environmental engineering class, met with selected faculty and toured the Chevron Fab Lab on campus.