Bill > AB2068

This bill establishes a more structured and transparent process for hiring presidents of the California State University (CSU) campuses. It requires any campus president to provide written notice to the CSU Trustees (the governing board) and the Chancellor of the CSU before resigning or leaving their position. Within 30 days of this notice, a nine-member Presidential Search Committee must be formed, composed of representatives from the campus's academic senate, faculty and classified unions, student government, campus administration, alumni, local education leaders, and the public. This committee, with help from the Chancellor's office, will define the desired qualities for a president, create a job description, develop a scoring system for candidates, conduct recruitment and initial screening to narrow down applicants to the top five, and then interview them to select the final three candidates. Before the Trustees can make an offer, the Chancellor must host a recorded public forum where the final three candidates present their qualifications and vision and answer questions from the committee, the Chancellor, and the public. The recording of this forum will then be shared with the Trustees in a closed session, after which they must make an employment offer and appoint a president from the final three candidates, ensuring no offer is made before the public forum participation.