* Well-reasoned, thoughtful and destroys several of Gov. Rauner’s arguments…
January 21, 2015
The Honorable Bruce Rauner
Governor, State of Illinois
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62701
Dear Governor Rauner,
I enjoyed meeting you personally as we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I especially appreciate the expression of support you offered to me regarding Chicago State University. In the spirit of engaging that support, I am writing in response to the memo issued by your Deputy Chief of Staff Mr. Richard Goldberg in hopes of clarifying any misstatements.
The overall tone of the Mr. Goldberg’s memo calls into question the academic integrity of CSU. To that end, I would ask your administration to consider our independent accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), and their 2014 decision to grant Chicago State University a full 10-year reaccreditation. I can assure you this reaccreditation is no rubber stamp and did not come easy. A committee of respected higher education experts thoroughly reviewed every aspect of our operations and decided that CSU had earned the highest reaccreditation a university can receive.
Most of the critiques in Mr. Goldberg’s memo have one thing in common; they are based on a mistaken construct that Chicago State University is comparable to more traditional universities. The truth is that CSU serves a unique and diverse population and a simple “apples to apples” comparison to other universities with traditional student bodies paints an inaccurate picture of our impact and our student’s successes.
Unlike other state universities, the majority of students at CSU are transfer students. This is an important fact because the graduation rate numbers quoted in your memo are drawn from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a federally generated metric that does not count transfer students. For example, in the cohort of 6820 students referenced in your memo, only 9% would be counted by IPEDS. Full-time and part-time transfer students make up two-thirds of our student body and are a much more accurate metric by which to measure student progress at CSU. For example, the graduation rate for full-time transfer students in the 2008 cohort referenced in Mr. Goldberg’s memo is 51%. That graduation rate, however, is not reported by the federal system. It is also worth noting that 42% of our students are first-generation college students and 55% come from homes below the poverty level. Experienced educators will tell you that students with this background can and do succeed, but need an increased level of academic support services, and are therefore more expensive to educate.
CSU is an extremely important educational outlet for the south side of Chicago, in large part because it provides an affordable pathway to a degree for the city’s African American communities. It is implied in your memo that CSU is graduating white students at 83%, a much higher number than students of color. This misleading statistic fails to recognize that within the 2008 cohort referenced, six white students began their degree, and five completed. For point of reference, CSU issues on average 800 degrees annually, graduates 1 out of 2 African Americans receiving a bachelor’s degree from a public university in Chicago and 1 out of 6 in Illinois.
Perhaps the most troubling portion of Mr. Goldberg’s memo is that your staff refers to CSU as a university that “rejects reform.” Governor Rauner, nothing could be further from the truth. As I write this letter, I have been President of CSU for less than three weeks. One of the things that attracted me to the position was that I saw a university emerging from a significant transformational change and poised to soar. Over the past five years, CSU made difficult decisions to prioritize academic quality and integrity over pure enrollment numbers. That decision led to several students being dismissed, but helped ensure that our student body is comprised of those ready to succeed in college.
Furthermore, over the past four years CSU has reduced audit findings by 55% and improved both compliance and transparency. Your memo references unaccounted for university property. I would like to highlight that the amount referenced accounts for less than 1% of all university property. Several other issues cited including past lawsuits which are still in appeal and have not been paid by the university to date, claims made in the media by former employees who were terminated, and improperly inflated administrator head counts are all issues in the past. CSU is poised to move forward.
Over the past week your office has raised several concerns, many of them legitimate and worthy of further discussion about the need for reforms. Since January 2015, CSU has cut 10% of its work force and trimmed administrative costs by over 20%. In addition, administrative salaries have been frozen, we have reduced travel, delayed payments to vendors and cut back on purchasing throughout the year. We have also not filled vacancies and consolidated both positions and academic programs. We fully recognize the state of finances in Illinois and we have worked and continue to work to tighten our belts.
I also feel it is important to express that one of my top goals as I enter CSU is to increase the amount of private revenue coming into the university. I know that we cannot simply continue to look to the state for increased funds and must do more on our own to maximize outside investment. Like any university looking to cultivate more revenue, we are in the early stages of a broader effort that we feel will in time result in a reduced reliance on state funds.
As for necessary reforms to areas of spending such as procurement, workers compensation, pensions and cutting costs, we remain ready to work with you and your staff on any proposals that will help create a more efficient, transparent and effective public university system for Illinois students. However, the work of enacting meaningful reform takes time, and time is simply not a luxury the CSU campus community has at the moment. As you have likely seen in the news recently, the lack of state appropriations to both higher education and to the MAP grant program has created a significant shortfall in our operating budget. At the moment, we are struggling to complete the current semester and the fate of multiple public universities after the current semester is uncertain.
On behalf of the students, faculty, alumni and staff of Chicago State University, we stand here today ready to work with you to make meaningful reforms in higher education and we are willing to lead by example. With that said, we cannot enact such reforms if we do not have the ability to function.
Each day I meet students who are working every day to lift themselves out of poverty and get the education they need to build a better life for themselves and their families. These students are the lifeblood of our university and they will be the victims if public universities are allowed to collapse under the weight of financial pressure. I implore you, as a lifelong educator, a minister and a fellow seeker of change to provide the funding CSU and its sister universities need to operate through the fiscal year so that we may be in a better position to help your team achieve real results that will benefit every student and parent in Illinois.
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Calhoun Jr., PhD
President, Chicago State University
That white graduation rate debunk is particularly strong.
- Tired or Hangry - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:18 pm:
What a well written letter. Very respectful, attempts to address point for point. I’ve all but given up hope endeavors like this communication matter in this climate. What good are reasonable arguments in policy recommendations when none of it matters?
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:19 pm:
=====. It is implied in your memo that CSU is graduating white students at 83%, a much higher number than students of color. This misleading statistic fails to recognize that within the 2008 cohort referenced, six white students began their degree, and five completed.
As someone who does a lot of higher education reporting and institutional research. That is an awesome point that we should all hope to have as good of at some point in our career. I just had mine a few months ago, but with a readership of about 10 people.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:20 pm:
And I hope and now expect Calhoun is going to be a good change for CSU.
- Losing My Edge - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:21 pm:
No. I don’t believe it. It’s Goldberg we’re talking about. Goldberg doesn’t make mistakes. He’s never mischaracterized anything in his life, be it the construct of CSU or his salient comprehension of how Madigan thinks using OODA loops.
- Humm - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:21 pm:
It would be nice if the Governor’s Office could be a partner for change. Maybe have a meeting with CSU and work on the issues, rather than publicly berating it and calling those associated with CSU corrupt.
- Nearly Normal - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:23 pm:
Well written, very much takes the high road. Good start by Dr. Calhoun.
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:24 pm:
Goldberg can go on the attack against legislators, but I think the Rauner Team might want to bring their attack dog back in the doghouse after going against educational institutions.
The insight on comparing on CSU to other public universities in Illinois was great. I thought that was a great rebuttal as well.
Well done by CSU
- ILPundit - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:24 pm:
Is this the worst week Rauner has had? Has he done anything this week that hasn’t blown up in his face?
- Because I said so... - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:25 pm:
Well said CSU!
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:25 pm:
Remind me again why students at private institutions and community colleges are also having their grant funds held hostage while we wait for “reform” to problems already being addressed at CSU?
- Anon221 - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:29 pm:
Excellent, excellent, excellent!
****
“Experienced educators will tell you that students with this background can and do succeed, but need an increased level of academic support services, and are therefore more expensive to educate.”- Rauner could get this advice at the dinner table.
“As you have likely seen in the news recently, the lack of state appropriations to both higher education and to the MAP grant program has created a significant shortfall in our operating budget.”- ‘All I can say is, I don’t pay attention to (it was polls, but you fill in the blank),” Bruce Rauner.
“Each day I meet students who are working every day to lift themselves out of poverty and get the education they need to build a better life for themselves and their families.”- and Ken Dunkin and A.D.M.E aren’t going to fill that role!
- burbanite - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:29 pm:
Hope this gets the same exposure as the hit piece. But doubt it. Well done Dr. Calhoun!
- Austin Blvd - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:30 pm:
Goldberg and his boss are a disgrace. Period.
- Qui Tam - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:30 pm:
The letter is very good with one exception. It touts the appeal and rejection of the court’s Ethics Act findings against CSU. While every party has the right to appeal, these types of appeals are simply meant to further bleed out the whistleblower while the perpetrating institution (CSU) avoids accountability.
- AlabamaShake - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:31 pm:
**It is implied in your memo that CSU is graduating white students at 83%, a much higher number than students of color. This misleading statistic fails to recognize that within the 2008 cohort referenced, six white students began their degree, and five completed.**
Wow, wow, wow. So the Rauner Geniuses used the fact that 5 white students graduated as something that was at all relevant? And used it to try to make a point about how the school is failings its black students but not its white students?
Unfortunately it isn’t unbelievable. But it is pretty amazing.
Goldberg and friends should be ashamed.
- siriusly - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:33 pm:
A well written letter with good and accurate information. Clearly Goldberg will ignore all of that because information is not his style.
This exchange highlights a lot of what is wrong with Team All Star’s approach.
- Triple fat - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:34 pm:
I like the letter… I question the moniker of ‘The Honorable’… Kind of a mischaracterization if you ask me.
- GetOverIt - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:36 pm:
What is the administrations end game? Do they even know?! This Governor is a catastrophe and has no clue what governing and diplomacy are about. Furthermore, his use of tact evidences only his ego and myopic world view. If you’re publicly going to trash an institution to score a political point you better also appreciate the political liability tied with said trashing in the event it comes back to bite you. This week our dear leader has been mauled.
- King Louis XVI - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:37 pm:
Rauner Administration humiliated twice in a single day.
Super Stars have earned their stripes.
- Anon221 - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:38 pm:
Refresher course for Goldberg and Associates-
https://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~ricko/CSE3/Lie_with_Statistics.pdf
- cb - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:38 pm:
** the graduation rate for full-time transfer students in the 2008 cohort referenced in Mr. Goldberg’s memo is 51% **
Still not a very good graduation rate. But I would agree with Mr. Calhoun the white student graduation rate reference is a not relevant with only 6 students as the population.
- @MisterJayEm - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:41 pm:
Like Barry Horowitz or Iron Mike Sharpe, Gov. Rauner tends to make the people he goes up against look much better than they did before.
– MrJM
- Joe Bidenopolous - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:42 pm:
===Wow, wow, wow. So the Rauner Geniuses used the fact that 5 white students graduated as something that was at all relevant? And used it to try to make a point about how the school is failings its black students but not its white students?
Unfortunately it isn’t unbelievable. But it is pretty amazing.===
And it’s some pretty obvious race baiting. Rauner and Goldberg would make good Trump campaign surrogates.
- GetOverIt - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:42 pm:
Also, the covert race baiting is ridiculous. It really is all that covert….
- Get Over It - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:43 pm:
“If” it…
- Norseman - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:44 pm:
What does the Rauner administration have in common with the Internet?
You can’t believe what is written by either one.
- IllinoisBoi - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:46 pm:
Classy letter. Too bad its recipient doesn’t care.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:46 pm:
Nice to see a Calhoun Rich can like.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:48 pm:
===Still not a very good graduation rate.
Actually given the group identified, that is a pretty high rate. For students attending their first institution at a four year public college, the average six year grad rate is about 58% in cohort 2007 (and remember you need six years to pass to get the numbers).
In talking about transfer students they tend to have more challenges.
If you are looking at a way to criticize the number it probably is that there may not be a lot of students who are full time transfers. That’s available in the IPEDs report so one could check.
As someone who works with these numbers a lot–that was higher than I expected given CSU’s reputation and population.
- Former Hoosier - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:54 pm:
===Still not a very good graduation rate. But I would agree with Mr. Calhoun the white student graduation rate reference is a not relevant with only 6 students as the population.===
Agree, 51% is not a stellar rate. But, look at the situation. 42% of CSU students are the first generation to attend college and 55% live in poverty. CSU educates a very high risk population, one that may not be able- either financially or academically- to attend and graduate in a normal time frame. Also, consider the average ACT score of CSU students, which I believe ranges from 16-20. The national average is 21, so CSU students need a lot of remedial work which also will slow down their graduation rate.
- crazybleedingheart - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:55 pm:
“Too bad you didn’t bother to have a serious discussion with us or even bother to get your facts straight before you used us as an MLK Day prop.”
Simply devastating.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 3:56 pm:
===”As I write this letter, I have been President of CSU for less than three weeks. One of the things that attracted me to the position was that I saw a university emerging from a significant transformational change and poised to soar.”===
“Significant transformational change.” “Poised to soar.”
Uh, oh! Those are words to be ridiculed in these parts. No such thing as transformational changes. That is just “decimate union” talk that never works.
If this 3-week President of this institution is to be believed, and I have no reason to doubt him at this moment, it sounds like they went through their own type of “Turnaround Agenda.”
Institutional reforms that may be working? In Illinois? Whoa!
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:05 pm:
I would be cautiously optimistic about the new CSU president. His predecessor bears the blame for much of the bad press that the university has received. Calhoun has to clean up messes that others left him.
The bigger question left unanswered is why CSU was allowed to operate like a rogue institution for so long? Had these events taken place at any other campus, heads would have rolled.
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:06 pm:
I wonder how goldberg feels after being publicly proven wrong? Perhaps he should write the word “credibility” 1000 times on the chalk board, and maybe he will finally get some.
- Former Hoosier - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:07 pm:
Thank you Dr. Calhoun for writing such an informative, fact based response, to an outrageous attack that was based on half truths presented in the most derogatory manner.
- Earnest - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:08 pm:
Nicely written response. I saw some vision, some real numbers and some willingness to work in a collaborative fashion. All of those things were truly nice to see.
- Jon - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:09 pm:
I caught the tail end of an interview with a CSU student on NPR over lunch regarding MAP grants, one of the first times I’ve heard or read anything regarding the current state of things in Illinois out of a national media outlet. I realize we are “flyover” territory, but the cynic in me is beginning to think maybe Rauner keeps ratcheting up the ridiculousness to get national attention for himself a la Scott Walker. Maybe Rauner does have his eyes on something bigger as some grotesque Trump/Walker hybrid candidate for president.
- cb - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:15 pm:
** In talking about transfer students they tend to have more challenges.**
According to this Study (not vouching) 60% of transfer students graduate within 6 years.
http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/about/media_center/press_releases/files/release_2013-08-06.pdf
not bad but less then the 73% overall graduation rate for ISU.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20151112/news/311129953/
- Norseman - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:18 pm:
Typical Raunerite trash the people and ignore the information response, Louis.
Frankly, I suspect this person’s work has been more beneficial during those 3 weeks than Rauner’s has in the last year.
- @MisterJayEm - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:19 pm:
Chicago State University isn’t in Illinois House District 5 — but if I was Juliana Stratton, I might pay the campus a visit nonetheless. Maybe have a few photos taken while I’m there.
– MrJM
- Harold's Left-wing Dinner - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:20 pm:
Jon, wasn’t (is?) Rauner’s campaign consultant the same guy who advised Pawlenty? Fortunately, if he keeps down his current path, he’ll soon go the way of that dodo. Unfortunately, he’s taking a lot of innocents down with him.
- Juvenal - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:22 pm:
Richard Goldberg has been measured, he has been weighed, and he has been found wanting.
His fancy northwestern education was just fileted by a university his boss says is “in the toilet.”
Someone should track down a Northwestern Prof of Journalism Ethics to get a take on Goldberg’s selective use of the facts.
- Former Hoosier - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:28 pm:
Juvenal @ 4:22- Perfect!
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:42 pm:
One thing that Dr. Calhoun did not address is the declining enrollment at Chicago State. If the enrollment does not stabilize, CSU may still be at risk for closing.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:43 pm:
===One thing that Dr. Calhoun did not address is the declining enrollment at Chicago State===
It’s in there.
They purposely downsized. Read it.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 4:54 pm:
cb–this has been a hot issue over at the Chronicle of Higher Ed this week.
This report is getting a lot of attention
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/tracking-transfer-institutional-state-effectiveness.pdf
Table 19 addresses the average rates and CSU seems to be hitting above average even with a large low SES population. CSU appears to be doing better on average with low SES populations.
I’m not sure on the discrepancy with the clearing house report you link to, but I’d have to dig into the comparability.
All of that said, and with all the frustrations with Illinois all on this blog complain about including me, Illinois is one of the top states in the nation at having students transfer from 2 year to 4 year schools and have student obtain 4 year degrees.
Lower quintile SES students tend to graduate at about 30 percent upon transferring on average.
All that said, we aren’t controlling for full time versus part time which has significant effects on those rates as well. It’s complicated, but I take the CSU numbers as doing decently for the student population they serve. Always room for improvement, especially with lower income students, but it’s not the disaster many would have thought.
ISU does have a very good graduation rate and does a great job. Most of their students are attending their first post-secondary school (so not transfers) with about 75% or more in that category. They also have a poverty rate of less than half of CSU. In addition when you look at their African-American grade rate it goes down to 57%. None of that is criticism of ISU which does a good job overall. It’s more to point out that CSU’s numbers are better than I would have expected.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 5:46 pm:
===predecessor bears the blame for much of the bad press===
Oh, please. That president took on a faculty that wasn’t teaching and an administration that wasn’t administrating.
Most all of the major reforms discussed above were enacted by that predecessor, who was one of the most underrated and underappreciated administrators I’ve seen in a while.
- sal-says - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 6:13 pm:
Not that smart about previous CSU issues. But my take? Great response. Raunner & his SuperStarts? Clueless, find the worst to spew to their benefit, and couldn’t care less about IL; but we ALWAYS Love snark & attacks.
- PENSIONS ARE OFF LIMITS - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 6:22 pm:
The letter conveys a tone of professionalism appropriate for the gravity of its subject matter. It will not be noticed by this administration.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 7:16 pm:
There are high schools with larger enrollments than Chicago State University.
- Lincoln Lad - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 7:16 pm:
Well done Dr. Calhoun. Well said.
- CCatCSU - Thursday, Jan 21, 16 @ 10:24 pm:
Rich Miller, Puh-leeze. Ex-CSU Prez Wayne Watson, the pol masquerading as an edu-ca-tor, is “one of the most underrated and underappreciated administrators” you’ve seen in a while? Oh really? Do you know anything about the corruption this man has been involved with at Chi City Colleges as well as at CSU? He brought ward politics to CSU on a massive scale. The mess, cronyism, and near-criminal operation of the university must be laid on his shoulders and the crony-ridden board of trustees given to him compliments of ex-Gov Quinn, the local Chi pols, preacherticians, as well as the Illinois Black Caucus. Watson deserves no sympathy and no accolades. He and his friends milked CSU for their benefit and now it’s done. You want the details–read the CSU Facultyvoice blog.
- Mike Kelly - Friday, Jan 22, 16 @ 3:03 am:
I graduated from Chicago State College when it was popularly described as “a white island in a black sea.” This wasn’t exactly true, but there were plenty of white students matriculating at that moment in time! It was on 68th and Stewart and had just turned into the beginnings of a liberal arts college after being a teacher’s college for just shy of a century… I griddled burgers in a student union called “the Whole” run by a Hippy farmer from Gurnee in the basement of a slightly off campus Episcopalian church with Janis Joplin belting out her blues over the loud speakers while crystals appeared to melt in psychedelic slideshows projected on two of the dining area walls–if you get the picture. Last year, I returned to Chicago State now appended with “University” and upended to 95th and King Drive to teach web design and multimedia after leaving another college turned university after a little over 22 years. I was immediately and absolutely bowled over by the civility, acceptance, camaraderie, openness, humor and warmth projected by the student body and felt as if I had never left the place. In fact, I felt more at home there at that moment than I ever had as a young adult. It’s going on two years now, and I continue to bask in the sweet, student humanity to be found at this place. This can’t really be about President Watson anymore since we have a new President… It’s about thousands of beautiful students who are about to be disenfranchised as political fodder, as nameless pawns on a board game being played out in Springfield by men apparently being more lead by territorial imperatives than by their love for these constituents, their young citizens. Our students are the one and only issue of any importance here, and I would love for them to look back on Chicago State and remember it fondly as the place where their dreams started coming true the way that mine did, and I ended up at U of M on a full tuition scholarship for graduate school. Why shouldn’t they have that kind of chance? We have a new President and the opportunity for another new beginning; in my experience, this place is all about new beginnings. I have met the new President twice (the first time at a student march–in the freezing rain–against the freezes and cutbacks in Springfield) and was each time impressed with his sincerity and obvious concern for CSU students. He should be given the chance to make his own imprint, and our students should be given the chance to continue to grow so that they can likewise make their imprint on future generations. The way I see it there are only two roads to go down at this juncture. One certainly poses the threat of leading to perdition. Why is it so difficult to choose to take the other?
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 22, 16 @ 8:27 am:
===There are high schools with larger enrollments than Chicago State University.===
So? What has that got to do with the price of beer?
My alma mater never had more than 1,900 students, and, today, it only has 2,000. I graduated from a HS that normally has 3,000 students. What’s your point?
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 22, 16 @ 9:57 am:
Is a lack of diversity (students and faculty) part of the problem at Chicago State?
http://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/chicago-state-university/student-life/diversity/
- Ferris Wheel - Friday, Jan 22, 16 @ 10:50 am:
This is a beautiful attempt by CSU president to attempt to have a meaningful, FACTUAL, discussion about important issues rather than just throw dirt and innuendoes, a la Rauner. I applaud this letter and the president’s approach, and I hope we see more like this from him and from all organizations affected by Rauner’s strategy of governing through the media.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 22, 16 @ 3:07 pm:
===There are high schools with larger enrollments than Chicago State University.===
If the enrollment statistics are credible, CSU has lost roughly 50% of its enrollment since 2009 (dropping from 7,200 to 3,600), but, in percentage terms, employs more administrators than the U of I, which has multiple campuses.
The university describes its enrollment declines as “right sizing” the student body.
Something is seriously wrong and the question becomes at what point is it responsible to close the university rather than bailing it out?