It's May in Academic Affairs!
Finals, Commencement activities, and an unbelievable number of inspiring student showcases across campus. It is definitely May in Academic Affairs.
Please attend “Revisiting Mission in a Time of Change in Higher Education” - May 20 @ 12-2pm in CTET Events Room (Salazar 1061) or Zoom
On May 20, we will hold a hyflex in-person/Zoom session with Melanie Overton, who is a higher education research director at EAB. I hope you will join us. The goal is to help establish shared context for conversations we will have in the fall related to mission alignment.
Sonoma State is not alone - across higher education, institutions are navigating enrollment changes, financial pressures, and growing expectations around career outcomes while also trying to remain grounded in their core mission and identity.
Part of our challenge is that people often hold different understandings of what a liberal arts mission means, and how it should be expressed in the current higher education environment. My hope is that this conversation helps provide some shared context for thinking about those tensions thoughtfully and collectively as we move into the next phase of work this fall.
If you would like to attend in person, please RSVP by noon on Wednesday, May 13, if you will be joining us for lunch.
Contribute Your Thoughts on Revisions to the César Chávez Mural
Last week, we heard a thoughtful and inspiring presentation from the original artist, Johanna Poethig, on “Tiene la Lumbre Adentro / He Has the Fire Within: SSU César E. Chávez Memorial.” Among those in attendance were two members of the original mural selection committee. Special thanks to Silvia Soto (Ethnic Studies) for her wonderful introduction.
Poethig followed her presentation with a workshop exploring how the mural might be revised in light of newly surfaced historical context, with the goal of more fully centering the broader Farm Worker Movement.
There is still an opportunity to contribute your thoughts. Please complete the worksheet when you have a moment. I will make sure all feedback is shared with the artist. She will return in the fall to present developments and continue the conversation with the campus community.
Students from other CSUs can Study Away at Sonoma beginning this fall.
Our Global Engagement team has streamlined a program that allows students from other CSU campuses to study at Sonoma State for a semester. Students from overenrolled campuses will benefit from guaranteed housing and the kind of personalized attention and support that Sonoma State is known for. Kudos to Hope Ortiz and Katie O’Brien, who are now working with our Marketing team to get the word out.
Drop in: Fireside Chat with the Interim Provost - May 28 @ 9am
Drop in and chat with colleagues and me in a relaxed setting with no agenda. The goal is simply to listen, connect, and better understand the experiences and ideas of our campus community. We will be near the fireplace in the Living Room of the Student Center (1st floor) on May 28 at 9am.
Wishing you all the best as the academic year comes to a close,
Stacey
Stacey J. Bosick, PhD
Interim Provost & Vice President
Academic Affairs
Sonoma State University
