President Gayle Hutchinson discussed strengths, challenges and avenues for investment at the last open forum of her listening tour Oct. 24 in the Performing Arts Center.
President Hutchinson has met with students, staff and faculty for the past 74 days of her listening tour to collect feedback on campus climate and build trust in the administration.
“I have to earn your trust,” President Hutchinson said. “So every day when I get up and every day when I go to sleep, I’m not only thinking about how I can best serve students and help with their success, but I’m also trying to determine how I can better earn your trust in everything that I’m doing and certainly everything senior leadership is doing to work with you and advance the mission of this institution.”
With about 70 faculty and staff members in attendance, topics of discussion at the forum included:
- Celebrating Chico State traditions and creating “touchpoints” for students to resolve the university’s party school image
- Training faculty to be better advisers and mentors
- Adding a state-supported center for LGBTQ+ students
- Better understanding the changing student demographics and giving students what they need
- Expanding K-12 outreach
- Improving the technology infrastructure on campus
At the end of President Hutchinson’s listening tour, she will release a report detailing what she has learned over the first 100 days of her presidency. She intends to use this feedback while drafting the strategic plan for the university.
Molly Sullivan can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.
