San Francisco State Faculty Protests Selection of Hayakawa's Successor

The San Francisco State University faculty's academic senate has disputed the manner in which the trustees of the 19-campus state university have selected the successor to University President S.I. Hayakawa. Paul F. Romberg, currently president of the state college at Bakersfield, was appointed last Tuesday to succeed Hayakawa, who is stepping down because he considers his mission to restore order to the university finished.

Romberg was urged by the faculty senate not to accept the appointment on the grounds that it had not been allowed to participate significantly in the selection process.

In a statement delivered to Romberg the day after his appointment, the faculty group said that "given the circumstances of your selection, the necessary faculty support cannot be forthcoming," and expressed the belief that "the interests of the university and your professional interests require that the normal presidential process continue until the faculty and trustees have a true meeting of the minds on the presidential appointment."

The chairman of the faculty senate, Richard Axen, said yesterday that "we have had a tradition" in which a faculty-elected committee shares a "mutual veto" with the trustees over presidential appointments, and the faculty's presidential selection committee is allowed to gather data and research candidates.

Axen said yesterday that this tradition was violated in the Romberg appointment because the committee was convened for only 24 hours, not allowed to gather data or make a "field report," and granted only a 45-minute interview with Romberg.