Next CSUN Head to Face Festering Problems

Whoever leads Cal State Northridge following the sudden resignation Tuesday of President Blenda J. Wilson will assume a lengthy list of festering problems and half-finished priorities, from completing the rebuilding of the quake-damaged campus to restoring order to depleted administrative ranks.

But it remained unclear Tuesday whether the person next facing those challenges will be an interim successor or permanent replacement. Wilson will continue at the university until the end of the spring semester.

CSUN is already down two vice presidents following the recent resignations of Ron Kopita, who stirred controversy over his handling of the athletic department, and Arthur J. Elbert, who oversaw rebuilding of the campus after previous administrators became embroiled in scandal.

Kopita incurred the wrath of residents and student leaders two years ago when he went fishing after CSUN announced it would eliminate the men’s baseball, volleyball, soccer and swimming programs rather than raise money to meet gender-equity requirements. All the sports were eventually restored following an outcry by alumni and local political leaders.

Elbert, who left to join the Cal State University chancellor’s office, was brought in to replace Bill and Jane Chatham, the couple formerly heading post-quake reconstruction efforts. They became mired in several controversies, including the disclosure in The Times that quake-repair contractors did free work on their Northridge home.

Both positions are now being filled by interim vice presidents.

The university is also operating with an interim athletic director, Sam Jankovich, who was brought in after the former athletic director, Paul Bubb, resigned. Bubb stepped down last year, a week after former women’s basketball coach Michael Abraham was indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.

Keith Richman, part of a committee searching for a permanent athletic director to recommend to Wilson, said he hoped the panel’s work would not be cast aside now that she is moving on.

“I hope that the progress we have made as a task force will not be forgotten at the university,” Richman said. “Is there uncertainty following the resignation of the president? Sure.

“Certainly, there are concerns that direction will change in the future,” he added. “There are questions about the hiring of the new athletic director. Those concerns are true throughout the university, with the vice president positions.”

CSUN spokesman John Chandler said it remained to be seen whether Cal State officials would allow the three administrative positions to be filled quickly, or would await the hiring of a new president.

“Depending on how things happen, these may or may not be issues come the end of the spring semester,” Chandler said. “Do we have an interim president or a new president? That is the first issue. We may have a better sense by the end of the week.”

The new president will also have to make an important decision regarding a plan to build a new 8,500-seat football stadium--a plan that has encountered significant opposition from neighbors.

A committee formed to decide whether the stadium should be built on campus, a plan opposed by four homeowner groups, or miles away in Woodland Hills declined to choose, passing the buck instead to the president’s office. Wilson has yet to receive a report on the dual proposals, Chandler said.

And although CSUN has rebuilt or repaired many of the 107 structures damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which caused $393 million in damage on the campus, many projects are still underway.

Among the projects still unfinished are reconstructing the adjoining wings of the Oviatt Library; building a new administration complex, a new Health and Human Development College headquarters/technology center, and College of Arts, Media and Communication building.

The library is expected to be rebuilt by the start of the fall semester, while the other projects are all expected to be done by 2000.

Other issues facing the next head of CSUN include overseeing plans by Sylmar-based entrepreneur Alfred Mann to develop an $85-million biotechnology complex in the North Campus area for his firm MiniMed, a maker of insulin pumps. The plan, which has received final approval, is expected to bring the university $32.5 million over the 42 years of the lease.

Mann has expressed an interest in expanding the project to some adjoining property. But that would include only a fraction of the remaining land, and should not prove controversial, Chandler said.