Fairfax, Va.

When California State University Chancellor Charles Reed talks about his commitment to cut the racial achievement gap in California’s primary and secondary schools, he has a ready response to those who say K-12 is not really the business of a higher education administrator.

“We prepare about 65 percent of all the teachers in California and 12 percent of all the teachers in America,” Reed told the Diverse: Issues In Higher Education editorial team Tuesday, explaining how the CSU system can and should have an impact on K-12 achievement.

“I have made a commitment to cut the K-12 achievement gap by 50 percent by 2012,” Reed said. “We need better teachers and more teachers who can teach math and science. I made a commitment to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to double the number of math and science teachers. They are going to come from communities of color. We are recruiting students to become teachers in high school. We even have some districts guaranteeing students a job once they receive their teaching certificates.”

The CSU system is the largest four-year university system in the nation and one of the most diverse. It consists of nearly 460,000 students, more than 50 percent of whom are students of color.

Reed, who also served as chancellor for State University System of Florida, said he is committed to extending college access to underserved groups. President Barack Obama’s plan to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world relative to population by the year 2020 is aligned with Reed’s vision of access.

“I was ecstatic to hear the president say that he was setting a goal for the U.S.,” said Reed. “To reach that goal, the president must provide the resources for people of color from underserved communities to access higher education. I really like people who set goals. When you set a goal like that, you can measure it. You can see if you are on track to do it or not.”

Like other university systems, the CSU system is facing severe state budget deficits. The budget recently passed by the state Legislature reduces state general fund support to the CSU system for the current fiscal year by $97.6 million and mandates an additional $66.3 million in cuts for 2009-2010. Overall, the reduction places CSU $283 million below its operational needs. As a result, the system has been forced to reduce enrollment levels by 10,000 this fall.