Scholars Recognized for Perseverance
Twenty-three of the CSU's most outstanding students - many of whom have overcome adversities such as poverty, homelessness, drug abuse and domestic violence - were honored by the CSU's Board of Trustees at its meeting this week.

The William R. Hearst/CSU Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement is given to one student at each campus who has experienced personal hardships, demonstrated financial need, and has superior academic performance, exemplary community service and significant personal achievements. Each student was awarded a $3,000 scholarship and in a surprise announcement, the students also were presented with a Sony VAIO notebook, camera, an MP3 player and a memory card as part of Sony's education scholarship program with the CSU and other universities. This is the second year that Sony has donated the technology packages to the students.

"These extraordinary student scholars exemplify strength, perseverance through adversity, dedication to learning, and commitment to others," said Ali C. Razi, CSU trustee emeritus who has endowed a scholarship fund to recognize the top scoring Hearst/Trustees' award recipients known as the Razi Scholars. Two $10,000 Trustee Ali C. Razi Scholarships were awarded to Elise Patricia Anne Haas at Humboldt State and Robert David Black at CSU Los Angeles.

Former Chair of the CSU Board of Trustees and Trustee Emeritus Murray L. Galinson also endowed a scholarship fund to recognize a Hearst Scholar for extraordinary public service to his or her community. Adrienne D. Wilson of San Francisco State was recognized as this year's Trustee Murray L. Galinson scholar and awarded $6,000.

In recognition of the CSU's 50th anniversary this year, the CSU Foundation designated a special CSU 50th Anniversary Scholar and awarded a $5,000 scholarship to Sherry G. Hill of CSU Stanislaus. More information.

CSU National Leader in Professional Science Master's Degree Program
Responding to industry's call to prepare scientists to work in corporate settings, the CSU's Professional Science Master's (PSM) degree program has become a national model and continues to garner funding to expand.

The PSM program combines graduate study in science or mathematics with coursework in management, policy, or law, and leads to a master of science degree. An update on the PSM program given at this week's Board of Trustees meeting showed that there are now 25 PSM programs within the CSU at 18 campuses. The program, which enrolls 500 students and awarded more than 150 degrees in 2008-09, is expected to train more than 1200 professionals in the next five years.

The program was originally launched with $1.3 million in funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This year, the National Science Foundation's Science Master's Program granted $2.1 million in funding to support the PSM program. More information.

Strategic Vision for Human Resources Presented to Trustees
The CSU's strategic vision and goals for human resources, which provides a framework in which employees share responsibility for the CSU's mission of serving students, was presented to the Board of Trustees at its meeting this week.

The strategic vision outlines five goals for the campuses and Chancellor's Office:

• Employees are engaged and productive with the skills and behaviors required to meet the CSU's mission.
• The CSU demonstrates concern for the health, well-being, and safety of its employees.
• Risk and issues of compliance related to human resources are well managed.
• The CSU fosters an environment of continuous human resources improvement.
• Collective bargaining is focused on accomplishing the CSU's mission.

This is the first time a comprehensive vision for human resources has been developed, and is based on the ideas in Access to Excellence, the CSU's larger strategic plan. A preliminary version of the human resources strategic vision and goals was presented to several constituent groups within the CSU, including the campus presidents, provosts, business officers, human resources officers, and the academic senate. Their input was used to create a white paper which elaborates on each goal. Key outcomes and measures were then developed to monitor progress.

"Although we face severe economic challenges, our workplace is changing and we want to create a positive, employee-focused roadmap to help the CSU move forward," said CSU Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Gail Brooks. "This is an opportunity to sharpen our focus and make decisions that support the CSU's mission. It is an opportunity to recognize the excellent work being done by our employees and to reaffirm our commitment to an outstanding faculty. The recruitment and retention of faculty is and will be a priority for the system to the extent of our ability and within the limits of our resources."