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Dear Cal State East Bay community,

As I have written before, we are working hard to align our costs with our current revenue and enrollment. In addition to the many cost cutting efforts we have made, we have also been looking for innovative ways to reduce costs, particularly administrative costs. I share today a new effort toward financial sustainability that Chancellor Garcia announced in her report to the Board of Trustees today.

I, along with the presidents of San Francisco State University and Sonoma State University, provided the Chancellor with a written commitment to create a single administrative network integrating a range of transactional operations, likely to include all finance and administrative services (e.g., audit, budget, finance, capital planning design and construction, human resources, payroll, procurement, IT, IT security and academic technology, etc.). We propose this be called the San Francisco Bay Region Network. Other services to be explored include networked library services and Title IX/DHR operations as well as some back-office financial aid, admissions, records other enrollment services, among others.

Please be assured we are NOT proposing the merger of three universities. Absolutely not. Cal State East Bay, San Francisco State, and Sonoma State University will remain independently accredited universities serving their regions in unique and distinct ways with their own executive leadership and Academic Senates.

No immediate workforce reductions are planned at this time related to this initiative. Existing employees in administration and finance functions will be needed as part of the networked operation, campus-based service centers, and during the design and transition period. Please note that this proposed network will not supplant or delay expense reduction initiatives currently underway at all three universities. We are paying keen attention to the CSU’s state budget allocation for FY2025-26. Our focused program review process will continue as will other cost-cutting measures.

We are just at the beginning stages of thinking about how the network will be created and function, but it shows great promise to help us reduce administrative expenses even further. We have requested funding from the Chancellor’s Office to assist with design and implementation. What happened today was a statement about an initial commitment to create networked administrative functions involving our university. Many more steps will follow. Presidents Cutrer, Mahoney, and I  will provide a more detailed information item to the Board of Trustees at their May 2025 meeting and I commit to keeping the entire campus community involved as this network is developed.

Thank you, as always, for all you do for our students and university.


Warmly yours,

Cathy Sandeen
President

March 25, 2025