Cal State Spent $1-Million to Renovate Campus Leaders’ Homes

The California State University system spent more than $1-million in the past year to renovate university-owned residences for its campus presidents, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Coming amid tuition increases, cutbacks in state funding, and controversy over Cal State administrators’ pay, the use of public and private money for the renovations drew criticism from faculty organizations and some politicians.

University officials said work on the homes of 11 campus presidents and Chancellor Charles B. Reed had been delayed for years and was needed as the executives come under greater pressure to attract donors and host fundraisers.

“We do need to be cautious with the dollars we have available, but with that said, we do need to be able to run our business,” said Mike Uhlenkamp, a spokesman for the system. “We need the presidents to have the best array of tools possible to perform their jobs.”