Open Letter to the CSUN Community

February, 2006

Open letter to the CSUN community:

The Board of Trustees CSU has a policy requiring its presidents to be reviewed every three years. It is now time for the review of Dr. Jolene Koester, President of California State University, Northridge (CSUN) to be conducted.

This process is intended to provide feedback to the Board of Trustees and the Chancellor about the leadership of President Koester and the current state of affairs at CSUN. It should also provide information that will further the university's progress and assist President Koester in the leadership of CSUN.

As has been the policy and practice in the past, a number of officers of the university and the chairs of its major constituencies, namely, the Academic Senate, the Alumni Association, the Associated Students, and the University Advisory Board, are being contacted for their comments with respect to specific criteria, which are cited below. A sampling of faculty, administrators/managers, staff, and community is also being invited to submit individual comments.

It is CSU policy to inform the university community of the review and to allow anyone not selected on an ex-officio or random basis to submit comments that respond to the specific criteria. The criteria are posted at www.calstate.edu/datastore/PresCriteria.shtml on the CSU website. Those wishing to submit confidential letters should keep in mind that every effort should be made to address the criteria and that neither unsigned letters nor petitions will be accepted. Please do so no later than March 9, 2006, addressed as follows:

The written responses will be summarized into a confidential report that will be discussed with Dr. Koester. The report will be presented to the Board of Trustees. None of the commentators will be identified by name, and responses will be treated in confidence to the extent permitted by the law. After the Trustees receive the report, a general summary will be prepared for release to the campus community.

Please keep in mind that this is intended to be a constructive process that should benefit the presidency and the university.

With kind regards,

Sincerely,