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Report Number: 2016-122

California State University
Stronger Oversight Is Needed for Hiring and Compensating Management Personnel and for Monitoring Campus Budgets

Figure 1

Figure 1 includes 2 pie charts pertaining to fiscal year 2015–16. The first pie chart shows that CSU had 52,246 total full-time equivalent staff, of which 26,857 (51.4%) were nonfaculty support staff, 21,409 (41%) were faculty, 3,950 (7.5%) were management personnel, and 30 (0.01%) were executives. The seconed pie chart shows that CSU paid these employee groups $3.16 billion in total compensation, of which $1.23 billion (39%) went to nonfaculty support staff, $1.47 billion (46.5%) went to faculty, $447.9 million (14.2%) went to management personnel, and $10.6 million (0.3%) went to executives.

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Figure 2

Figure 2 displays the proportion of management personnel that are administrators, professionals, and supervisors in 2016.Of the 4,131 management personnel, 1,787 (43%) were professionals, 1,681 (41%) were administrators, and 663 (16%) were supervisors.

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Figure 3

Figure 3 displays the major sources of revenue for CSU during fiscal year 2015-16. Of the $7.86 billion in total revenue, $3.7 billion (47%) came from State funds, including grants and contracts; $2.2 billion (28%) came from tuition and fees; $1 billion (13%) came from federal funds, including grants and contracts; $485 million (6%) came from sales and services of auxiliary enterprises, and $437 million (6%) came from other revenues.

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Figure 4

Figure 4 separates CSU employees into four employee groups and displays the percentage growth in the number of employees for each employee group from fiscal year 2007-08 through 2015-16. Management personnel grew by 503 full-time equivalent positions, or FTEs (15%), faculty grew by 1,328 FTEs (7%), executives grew by 2 FTEs (7%), and nonfaculty support staff grew by 1,514 FTEs (6%).

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Figure 5

Figure 5 displays the various categories that make up nonfaculty support staff and provides the growth rates in number of employees for each category from fiscal year 2007-08 through 2015-16. From highest to lowest, the growth rates were: academic student employees at 29.2 percent (426 FTEs), academic support at 24.7 percent (541 FTEs), health care support at 22.3 percent (91 FTEs), confidential classes at 21.7 percent (73 FTEs), technical and support services at 13 percent (825 FTEs), excluded classes at 9.2 percent (484 FTEs), operations and support services at 7.6 percent (139 FTEs), public safety at 6 percent (20 FTEs), skilled crafts at 2.7 percent (28 FTEs), operating engineers at the California Maritime Academy at 1.5 percent (less than 1 FTE), physicians at -5.5 percent (-4 FTEs), and clerical and administrative support services at -17.5 percent (-1,044 FTEs).

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Figure 6

Figure 6 shows the percentage growth in total compensation for four employee groups from fiscal year 2007-08 through 2015-16. Management personnel grew by 24 percent, or $87.4 million; executives grew by 14 percent, or $1.3 million; nonfaculty support staff grew by 13 percent, or $145.8 million, and faculty grew by 10 percent, or $128.6 million.

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Figure 7

Figure 7 shows growth in average compensation for four employee groups from fiscal years 2007-08 through 2015-16. Management personnel grew by 8.4 percent, or $8,824, nonfaculty support staff grew by 7 percent, or $3,014, executives grew by 6.3 percent, or $20,804, and faculty grew by 2.8 percent, or $1,871.

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Figure 8

Figure 8 shows the annual salary supplement amounts awarded by foundations to the CSU chancellor and presidents of six campuses for calendar years 2007 through 2016. The chancellor received $30,000 per year from 2012 through 2016; the president of CSU Northridge received $29,500 per year from 2012 through 2016; the president of CSU San Bernardino received $29,000 per year from 2012 through 2016; the president of San Diego State University received $50,000 per year from 2011 through 2016; the president of San Francisco State University received $25,251 per year from 2012 through 2016; the president of San Jose State University received $25,000 per year from 2008 through 2015; and the president of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo received $30,000 per year from 2011 through 2016.

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