When Charlie Reed was hired as the Chancellor of the CSU in 1998 it was done in complete secrecy. The Brain Trust running the CSU at the time argued that secrecy was essential to recruiting the best possible candidates and choosing the person who would lead the CSU.

So how did that work out for you? You hired Charlie Reed.

Nothing has been decided about the hiring process this time around. But if I was a betting person I would wager that the Board of Trustees will listen to the “experts” again and close the process to the students, faculty, and employees of the CSU.

In the past year the Board approved a new hiring process for campus presidents that relies on secrecy. It excludes campus visits for candidates and solicits only minimal input from the campus the candidate will lead.

How has this worked out so far? Well, at CSU San Bernardino it led to the selection of Tomás Morales from the College of Staten Island. Morales never visited the campus. Students, faculty, and employees at CSUSB did not find out about the selection until the news was made public; they had no input into his selection.

Once Morales’ name was made public it also came to light that Morales was the subject of a vote of no confidence by the Academic Senate at Staten Island that split the faculty on his campus.

Secrecy. How did that work our for you Trustees? Not an auspicious result for your shiny new policy.

The CSU is a public institution. It is accountable to the people of the State of California. Each campus, and the CSU, is subject to shared governance. Students, faculty, and staff have a responsibility to engage in selection process on their campuses and at the system level.

There is no room for secrecy in the CSU.

To those candidates who claim they will not apply for a job in which the names of the finalists will be disclosed: We do not need you.

Secrecy breeds secrecy. Secrecy is the bedfellow of despotism and corruption. Hire the next Chancellor in the open.