Current Initiatives

The provost is proud to report here on planning and initiatives related to the academic mission of Sonoma State. These initiatives represent the various departments within the Division of Academic Affairs working in concert with diverse stakeholders across the university. The following projects are aimed at furthering the university's strategic priorities, while adhering to the core values all Seawolves share.

Academic Affairs Reorganization:

During the 2023-2024 academic year, departments partnered to form thematic schools each led by a Chair. These schools then clustered to form three colleges each led by a Dean. Exploration of possible models, using guidelines provided in a July 21, 2023 memo, began with a department chairs and deans retreat August 8, 2023. This structure went live on July 1, 2024 with the creation of three colleges: College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts; College of Science, Technology, and Business; and College of Education, Counseling and Ethnic Studies. A table of the School clusters within each College can be viewed here.

Academic Master Plan

An Academic Master Plan (AMP) is a visioning and decision-making process that is based on the University’s mission, strategic priorities, and core values, and it communicates how the academic enterprise will endeavor to meet the changing needs of our students. Our AMP will be informed by the academic identity of Sonoma State as a public liberal arts and sciences university, and it creates a framework for aligning our resources with the academic mission.

This work was supported by five Working Groups:

Accreditation

Accreditation is academia’s quality assurance system. In the U.S., private, non-profit accrediting organizations take on the herculean effort of accrediting schools and universities by evaluating their overall faculty, resources, curriculum, competency, and credibility. Sonoma State University is proud to be an accredited institution since 1969.

» Learn more about Sonoma State University’s accreditation – 40 years and going strong.

Graduation Initiative 2025

One of 23 universities in the California State University (CSU) system, Sonoma State University is proud to fulfill CSU’s ambitious initiative “Graduation Initiative 2025”, aimed at increasing graduation rates for all CSU students while eliminating equity gaps.

» See how Sonoma State is achieving its Graduation Initiative 2025 goals.

Early Start Initiative

In addition to adopting CSU’s Grad Initiative 2025, Sonoma State has also embraced CSU’s “Early Start Initiative,” which mandates that all incoming CSU students get the help they need in English and math before their first semester at college.

» See how Sonoma State’s Early Start Program is greatly improving its student’s college graduation rates.

NAGPRA - Native American Graves Protection and Repatration Act

Sonoma State University's NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) Initiative is administratively housed in the Office of the Provost, as the Provost serves as the President's designee for NAGPRA compliance. This strategic placement underscores the university's commitment to honoring and adhering to state and federal mandates concerning the respectful return of Native American cultural items and human remains. By being centrally located in the Provost's Office, the initiative ensures coordinated efforts across departments to engage in meaningful dialogue with tribal communities and uphold ethical stewardship practices.

Past Initiatives

For information on past initiatives within Academic Affairs, please explore the links below:

Strategic Enrollment Management Plan: Developed in fall 202 and updated in November 2022, the Strategic Enrollment Management Plan develops a robust strategy for advancing enrollment goals at Sonoma State.
Academic Affairs Budget Working Group: Established to serve the Provost in an advisory and consultative capacity, the Academic Affairs Budget Advisory Working Group focused on addressing matters regarding the amount, structure, and distribution of the budget for Academic Affairs, while maintaining the clear connection between the budget and the University's Strategic Plan priorities and core values. The work of the Academic Affairs Budget Advisory Working Group culminated in a final report and recommendations to the provost, shared on April 21, 2022.
Academic Affairs Call to Action: On June 5, 2020 the Provost’s Leadership Council announced a call to action in response to the anti-Black, racist violence in our country. As a result of the call to action, we have created a report that catalogs specific, detailed actions that each school is taking to address this issue.
Adobe Sign: Adobe Sign is being adopted across the CSU. It will be an important tool as we move to make university materials and processes more available and accessible. Taking our forms online will also allow us to further reduce our environmental impact and meet our sustainability goals.
Strategic Budgeting for Academic Affairs: In 2019, the Division of Academic Affairs compiled a report detailing efforts of the division to align the budget with university strategic priorities.
New Scheduling Modules: Approved in Fall 2020, the modules offer maximum flexibility for faculty and academic departments while providing students with a standardized set of meeting times and at least 10 minutes to move between classes with greater ease.
General Purpose Classrooms Refresh Initiative: Began in the Office of the Provost in 2018 with the recognition by faculty, staff, students, and administrators that many of our classrooms were in poor condition and needed technology upgrades to ensure the highest quality teaching and learning possible.