News and Announcements
The COVID-19 quarantines of 2020 forced educators and artists alike to work in new and creative ways. One such collaboration involving SF State’s School of Cinema just recently enjoyed its debut. “A Pocket Magic Flute” is an animated film adaptation of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” produced by the Pocket Opera company of San Francisco. It is a finalist for the Digital Excellence in Opera Award from Opera America.
Nicolas A. Garcia, artistic director of the San Francisco Pocket Opera, conceived the film project and garnered funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Opera America. He contacted SFSU Cinema Professor Martha Gorzycki to get students involved. Gorzycki (MFA, ’02), the director of the University’s Animation Program, mentored five student interns who worked on pre-production and production: Estrella Torres, Jacqueline “Rosie” Nares, Alex Wood, Madeline Ko and Jessie Plascencia.
“It really helped me understand how the pipeline of production works in animation,” said Nares (B.A., ’22), now a library media assistant at an elementary school in Stockton. “I already had a bit of an idea just because I’m a huge animation fan. But being firsthand, I got to try a little bit of everything. Working in background, character and prop design, I was able to figure out where I fit in the pipeline, too, because it is my dream is to work in the industry.”
Torres (B.A., ’21) helped create storyboards and design characters and props. She says working on “A Pocket Magic Flute” was a pivotal moment for her.
“It gave me my first real opportunity to step into the animation world and feel confident in my skills,” Torres said. “When Martha reached out to me specifically because of my talents, it was such an honor. It gave me the encouragement I needed to believe in myself and my abilities as an artist. The class she created was small, with only five students, and I felt so fortunate to be one of them.
“The experience not only helped me grow as an artist, but also reinforced my love for animation as a medium for storytelling,” added Torres, now an instructional aide for middle-school students with disabilities in Brentwood. “I’m truly excited to see how it resonates with audiences and how it might inspire others.”
Shawneé Gibbs (B.A., ’02) and Shawnelle Gibbs (B.A., ’02) are the lead producers, screenwriters and animation directors on “A Pocket Magic Flute.” The siblings comprise a powerhouse team, writing scripts for cartoons for many of the major studios and networks. Miriam Lewis (MFA, ’12) is the lead costumer. They all attended the world-premiere screening, held in the August Coppola Theatre at SFSU on Sept. 25.
“A Pocket Magic Flute” has brought together numerous arts organizations, including the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Oakland Youth Symphony, Sacramento Youth Symphony and Sirnare Animation Studio in Kenya.
“A Pocket Magic Flute” is now traveling to classrooms of fourth to eighth graders, accompanied by a curriculum and appearances by the artists in person.
“This was a local and international collaboration of diverse teams of scholars and artists coming together remotely to produce a 20-minute animated film,” Gorzycki said. “One of the primary goals of this project is to educate youth and especially BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and People of Color] youth on collaborative and creative career possibilities in the performing arts, fine arts and media arts.”
Learn more about the SFSU School of Cinema.
Image courtesy of Pocket Opera
The last day of instruction for fall 2024 is Friday, Dec. 13, and finals week is Saturday, Dec. 14 – Friday, Dec. 20.
Academic Technology presents tips and reminders to help wrap up the semester successfully:
- Final grades for fall 2024 are due in the Faculty Center on Monday, Dec. 30.
- Grading in Canvas
- Student Evaluations of Teaching Effectiveness: Students must complete evaluations by Friday, Dec. 13, at 11:59 p.m.
- Migrate collaborative site content to Canvas by March 2025: Collaborative sites in iLearn will no longer be supported as of March 2025, as part of the Canvas transition at SF State. For assistance migrating collaborative site content to Canvas, please email Academic Technology at at@sfsu.edu with the name of the site as it exists in iLearn.
Photo by Gino de Grandis
President Lynn Mahoney and her cabinet invite all staff and faculty to an “End of Year Celebration” recognizing all that they have done to support students and the University in 2024. It takes place Wednesday, Dec. 18, 3 – 5 p.m., in Jack Adams Hall, Cesar Chavez Student Center.
This year’s celebration is sponsored in part by San Francisco Federal Credit Union. Account representatives from the credit union will be present.
The University Police Department (UPD) hosts its annual toy drive to benefit the San Francisco Fire Department Toy Program. To make a donation, please bring a new, unwrapped toy to the UPD lobby on North State Drive through Thursday, Dec. 12.
Heading into final exams, the J. Paul Leonard Library has partnered with Health Promotion & Wellness and Food+Shelter+Success to transform the Events Room (Library 121) into a Wellness Room that students can visit between Monday, Dec. 9, and Thursday, Dec. 19.
In the Wellness Room, students can:
- Grab a free snack
- Color or make a bracelet or collage
- Lock in for a serious study session
- Find out about campus resources
- Play games and work on puzzles
Plus, the Library is filled with people available to help:
- Peer mentors at the checkout desk can help students find books, articles, and more.
- SF State faculty librarians offer in-depth research assistance by appointment — or students can visit the desk between noon and 4 p.m. Monday – Thursday.
- A 24/7 network of librarians answers questions via live chat: library.sfsu.edu/libchat.
- The Tutoring & Academic Support Center provides drop-in tutoring, appointments, and other study support in Library 220.
The campus community is invited to join for two new Wellness Weeks special events in the Library lobby:
- Concert, Tuesday, Dec. 10, noon – 12:40 p.m.: The SF State Chamber Singers perform choral works inspired by winter festivals around the world.
- Therapy dogs, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Enjoy a visit with a registered therapy dog to relieve stress and lift your spirits.
Please visit the J. Paul Leonard Library website for more information.
Today’s CampusMemo is the last edition for 2024. It will go on winter hiatus and resume publication on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Please submit items via Qualtrics for the Jan. 21 edition by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14. For questions, please email the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications at marcomm@sfsu.edu.
The Academic Senate Fall 2024 Special Election is open through Friday, Dec. 13, to vote for the faculty members of the Institutional Review Committee. The committee is the first step in the Academic Program Discontinuance process (as detailed in policy S24-177).
Please cast your vote online (SFSU login required).
For questions, please email the Office of the Academic Senate at senate@sfsu.edu.
The SF State Academic Senate met on Tuesday, Dec. 3, via Zoom. A summary of the meeting follows.
The senate:
- Presented as informational items:
- CSU Academic Senate resolution packet, November 2024
- Board of Trustees meeting handouts
- Adopted by general consent the following:
- Minor in International Business: reduction in units
- B.S.-RN in Nursing (ADN-BSN) distance educational authorization
- Passed:
- Resolution to Prioritize Academic Instruction and Support During Times of Budget Cuts
- Hiring Policy for Tenure-Track Faculty, new policy
- Heard in first reading:
- Multilingual and International Tourism Competencies: new certificate
- Multilingual and International Business Competencies: new certificate
- Master of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies: name change
- Certificate in Global Health: new certificate
- Graduation Requirements for Baccalaureate Students
- Academic Calendar Policy
- Academic Program Discontinuance Policy, S24-177
- Heard presentations from:
- Guisselle Nuñez, associate vice president, Strategic Marketing and Communications: “Next Marketing Campaign”
- Sara Meeks, Follett market leader, and Amie Mellinger-Watts, Follet regional sales and operations manager: “Immediate Access”
Please view the full agenda, meeting materials and minutes on the Academic Senate website.
The SF State Academic Senate will meet Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2 – 5 p.m., via Zoom for its eighth meeting of the academic year.
- Senate elections for Academic Senate secretary
- Recommendation from the Campus Curriculum Committee in second reading:
- Multilingual and International Tourism Competencies: new certificate
- Multilingual and International Business Competencies: new certificate
- Master of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies: name change
- Certificate in Global Health
- Recommendation form Education Policy Committee in second reading:
- Revision to Graduation Requirement for Baccalaureate Students
- Recommendation from Academic Policies Committee in second reading:
- Revision to S21-242 Academic Calendar Policy
- Recommendation from Sen. Sohler in second reading:
- Revision to Academic Program Discontinuance Policy, S24-177
- Academic Senate will hear formal presentations from:
- Rob Collins, Academic Senate of the CSU (ASCSU) senator, and Dipendra Sinha, ASCSU senator: “ASCSU Update” (time approximate 3:30 – 3:45 p.m.)
Curious about generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), but not sure where to start? Join Academic Technology for a hands-on workshop on Thursday, Dec. 12, 11 a.m. – noon, via Zoom. It will cover the essentials of GenAI chatbots like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, including how to use them effectively and responsibly, and identify and discuss the best applications for academic and administrative needs.
The Lam Family College of Business, in collaboration with the School of Theatre and Dance, is pleased to bring to the campus community a staged reading of Professor of Marketing Sanjit Sengupta’s play, “Turbulence.” It will be held Sunday, Dec. 15, 3 – 5 p.m., in the Little Theatre, Creative Arts building.
Admission is free. Please reserve your seats via Eventbrite.
Staff members are invited to the Offices of Human Resources’ next Staff Forum on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., via Zoom. The agenda includes updates on the SFSU “Latinx Belonging Study,” CSU/SF State Black Success Initiative, Division of International Education and a 25Live implementation update.
All SFSU staff, except Management Personnel Plan (MPP) and faculty, are encouraged to attend.
The first Staff Forum for 2025 will be on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The University Budget Committee (UBC) invites all employees to attend its December and January meetings via Zoom on Thursday, Dec. 19, 10 a.m. – noon, and Thursday, Jan. 23, 11 a.m. – noon.
UBC members represent staff, faculty, students, administrators. UBC members will host “office hours” on Friday, Dec. 20, to answer questions and share feedback about budget-related matters.
Please RSVP for the meetings by emailing the UBC at ubc@sfsu.edu.
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Dan Buttlaire passed away Nov. 2. He served SF State for 35 years, from 1975 to 2010, when he retired. He was appointed chair of the Department of Chemistry in 1983, associate dean of the College of Science & Engineering in 1997 and dean of Undergraduate Studies in 2002.
In addition to his expertise as a biochemist and enzymologist, Buttlaire was known for the temperament, selflessness and integrity he brought to his position. Faculty recall his assistance as they joined SFSU and his sage advice on teaching, service and research. Many credit his support as instrumental in the early stages of their academic career.
“I knew Dan as an extremely bright, thoughtful and friendly SF State professor,” Chemistry and Biochemistry Chair Bruce Manning said. “I began my career at SF State in 1999 after Dan had moved on to the associate dean position, so I didn’t overlap with him when he was department chair, though I heard much about his outstanding leadership qualities. On several occasions, Dan went out of his way to help me navigate my startup as an assistant professor, which to this day I am extremely grateful for.”
“Dan was a wonderful model as a scientist for all of us, students and faculty alike. He was dedicated to the highest academic standards and exhibited the highest personal standards of integrity and compassion. And he was a genuinely really nice guy,” former College of Science & Engineering Dean Jim Kelley said of his nearly 30 years working with Buttlaire.
“Dan was one of our best — a truly outstanding teacher, researcher, and mentor. As chair for many years, he played a huge role in developing our programs and department. He will be sorely missed,” Professor of Chemistry Pete Palmer said.
Buttlaire is survived by his beloved wife Barbara Buttlaire, brother Stuart Buttlaire, daughters Lori Buttlaire and Roni Raposo, and grandchildren Luann Mathson and Manny Raposo.
SF State Spotlight
Economics Professor Anoshua Chaudhuri and Asian American Studies Professor Russell Jeung attended the 50th anniversary gala of RAMS Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides culturally responsive mental health services.
Chaudhuri served on the RAMS (Richmond Area Multi-Services) board of directors. Jeung has collaborated with RAMS to support the Asian American/Pacific Islander community.
Elected officials who attended the gala include San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Aaron Peskin and Assemblymember Phil Ting.
Photo, from left: Anoshua Chaudhuri, Mano Raju, Russell Jeung and Kavoos Bassiri. Photo by Anoshua Chaudhuri.
Vidyut Latay (M.A., ’08) is an independent documentarian who was recently featured on the cover of Passion Vista magazine as a 2024 Global Game Changer for her documentary, “Alien: American Dream Denied.”
“We’ve taken a step toward illuminating the struggles and aspirations of a community that often goes unheard,” Latay said. “While we’ve made progress, there’s still a long road ahead — one we’re committed to walking, story by story.”