October 6, 2025

SFSU is the first CSU campus to join the IBM Quantum Network, expanding opportunities for SFSU students and researchers to participate in quantum computing research and deepening classroom experiences.

Student researchers working with Computer Science Professor Wes Bethel — who leads the Department of Computer Science’s quantum computing work — can gain access to IBM quantum computing systems through two key Department of Energy (DOE)-supported initiatives at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). ORNL and LBNL are IBM Quantum Innovation Centers within the IBM Quantum Network. By having access to the IBM Quantum Network, Bethel hopes to provide some of his engaged students a new pathway to delve deeper into this field.

In addition to working with students on DOE-supported research projects, Bethel also teaches “CSC 647/747: Introduction to Quantum Computing and Quantum Information Science” where he uses various freely available resources to introduce quantum computing.  

Former SFSU student and current LBNL computer systems engineer Chris Pestano (M.S., ’25) explained that he pursued a career in quantum computing because “within the next 10 to 15 years, you should be expecting a lot of major breakthroughs. I thought that’d be interesting to be a part of. That also provides a decent amount of job security.”

Bethel hopes to help more students join the quantum computing pipeline.

“What we’re doing is workforce development for quantum computing,” Bethel said. “We need people who are capable and know what quantum computing is, how do you write codes for it, how is quantum computing different from classical computing, what are the challenges and software ideas.”

Having access to quantum computing resources through these DOE projects gives SFSU computer scientists, researchers and other students hands-on experience to contribute to the rapid progress to the nascent technology and emerging industy. 

“The trick is you need access to real quantum computing hardware. These are not things you can buy off the shelf,” Bethel explained.

He was able to apply and receive access to the IBM Quantum Network due to a DOE grant he received last year that funds his quantum computing research. It is part of a multi-institutional grant led by Talita Perciano at LBNL, that includes Bethel at SFSU and researchers at Argonne National Laboratory and is sponsored by DOE’s Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research.

DOE facilitates agreements so supercomputing centers (ORNL’s Quantum Computing User Program and LBNL’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center’s Quantum Computing Application Network) have access to high-end IBM quantum hardware. To apply for access, researchers like Bethel must be DOE-funded.

Over the past few years, Bethel has led efforts in the Computer Science department to develop and expand their quantum computing offerings. He’s already had a few graduate students like Pestano who pursued quantum computing-related work or studies after graduation. 

“One of the things he pointed out was that quantum computing is at the stage that’s comparable to modern-day computers post-World War II. He essentially said you’d be going in at the [field’s] infancy.” Pestano said. This idea was exciting to him. 

When Pestano started at SFSU, he wasn’t settled on a specific computer science career path. After enjoying Bethel’s graduate-level high-performance computing class, Pestano signed up for his quantum computing class. This naturally led to doing a master’s thesis with Bethel, he explains, noting that this was his first formal research experience. The project allowed Pestano to collaborate with and impress LBNL researchers. He was offered a job to continue his quantum computing work at the national lab.

“I think it’s not only important to have these connections but also have the proactivity and will to bring that for the students. I think that’s why I liked Dr. Bethel’s class so much,” Pestano added. “He was able to bring in speakers that are currently in industry or in research that he knows. One of the members on my current team actually stopped by as a speaker in the quantum class.”

Bethel previously worked at LBNL as a computer scientist and is still an LBNL research affiliate. His interest in quantum computing began long before he was at SFSU, so he’s determined to help develop SFSU’s footprint in this space and prepare more students like Pestano.

“From a student perspective, the program we have at San Francisco State is an entry point to a whole universe of technology and jobs and opportunities that have not been present before,” he said.

Learn more about SFSU’s Department of Computer Science.

Photo by Juan Montes 

SFSU couldn’t be a better place to learn about global culture, diversity and politics. For alumna Poh Si Teng, this campus fostered her journalistic pursuits from the classroom to Malcolm X Plaza, where you can see SFSU’s social justice ethos come to life. Teng (B.A., ’07) won her first Emmy Award earlier this month, as an executive producer of “Patrice: The Movie,” honored for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Creative Arts ceremony. 

“Truly, I couldn’t have chosen a better university and home,” Teng said. “I think back on all the classes and all the professors and all the protests and movements that I was part of, and I’m so proud and glad that I went to SF State.”

Teng entered SFSU as an international student from Malaysia. She wrote for the Golden Gate Xpress, the University’s student-run newspaper, and she appreciates the diverse, supportive faculty members in the Department of Journalism, including Cristina Azocar, Erna Smith and Venise Wagner. Teng also credits SFSU with helping her land numerous internships that propelled her career. 

“I think about my time at SF State a lot,” she says. “It is foundational to who I am today. I’m so glad that was the first place I landed in the United States, which led me to the path of being a journalist, and then documentary filmmaker.”

Teng would become a reporter for The New York Times, where she garnered her first Emmy nomination, and later, a documentary commissioner for Al Jazeera English, where she was nominated for an Academy Award for the documentary short “St. Louis Superman.” After a decade in journalism, she left the newsroom and became a grants director for the International Documentary Association. At IDA she created a grant for filmmakers with disabilities, with the support of the Ford Foundation. It was her time working with the disability film community that led her to championing “Patrice: The Movie” at ABC News/Disney. The documentary follows a disabled couple who risk losing their benefits if they get engaged or married. Teng was the lead creative executive at ABC News/Disney who brought the film to Hulu.

Last year, Teng left her position at Disney/ABC to start her own production company. She is producing a three-part docuseries that she developed, and she is directing a political and medical verité film that is set in the U.S. and Gaza.

“SFSU gave me the real-life experience of being close to the issues that mattered,” she said, “because the students were living them, whether it was the struggle to pay rent, the fight for disability rights or the weight of America’s foreign wars. I learned not just what to care about, but how to fight. That education continues to guide my work today.”

Learn more about the SFSU Department of Journalism.

Photo courtesy of Poh Si Teng 

The Human Resources Employee Benefits team encourages all SFSU employees to review your benefits to determine if any changes need to be made before the open enrollment period ends on Friday, Oct. 10. No late forms will be accepted after 5 p.m. on Oct. 10; no exceptions.

Please visit the Human Resources website for all information and forms to change your benefits. For questions, please contact the Benefits team by email at benefits@sfsu.edu or by phone at (415) 405-4004.

Welcome to the first two weeks of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. At SFSU, cybersecurity is not just an information-technology matter; it is everyone’s responsibility. Actions such as using strong passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, keeping software updated and recognizing scams play an essential role in protecting classwork, personal accounts and campus data.

Information Technology Services (ITS) recommends that every password be unique, at least 16 characters long, and include a mix of letters, numbers and symbols. Longer passwords are significantly harder for attackers to crack, making them one of the most effective defenses against unauthorized access.

Check out weekly tips and resources on the ITS 2025 Cybersecurity Awareness Month page. By taking part, you will help protect not only SFSU, but also your own personal data.

The nomination period for the special fall 2025 Staff Council elections opened on Oct. 6. Please consider nominating yourself or a colleague. There are vacancies for units 1, 2, and 5 – 9.

The nomination period: Monday, Oct. 6 – Friday, Oct. 24. The voting period is Monday, Nov. 3 – Friday, Nov. 21.

Please submit your nominations via Qualtrics.

SFSU Climate HQ’s new Climate Justice Internship Program offers students a paid semester-long internship where they will be matched with partner organizations committed to climate justice. They will complete a project that advances that organization’s work while giving them the opportunity to learn from seasoned activists and other professionals.

Undergraduates from any major at SFSU can apply if they are full-time in spring 2026.

Applications are due Friday, Oct. 10, for internships that will take place in spring 2026. 

Encourage your students to learn more about the Boren Scholarship, which provides a unique opportunity for students to study abroad. The Boren Scholarship offers up to $25,000 to U.S. undergraduates studying critical languages in regions important to U.S. interests. The scholarship emphasizes students to learn languages while abroad, providing a pipeline to employment in the federal government after graduation.

Boren awardees receive special advantages when seeking federal employment. These include: an assigned adviser for job placement support, access to federal jobs not posted publicly, priority consideration for federal job applications, resume guidance and mentorship, and invitation to a Boren-only job fair in Washington, D.C., with travel and lodging covered by Boren.

The deadline to apply for the Boren Awards is Wednesday, Jan. 28. The scholarship would be used in academic year 2026 – 2027, fall 2026 and spring 2027. The deadline to apply for SFSU Study Abroad is Sunday, Feb. 15, for fall 2026 and academic year 2026 – 2027.

Janelle Waldrep, lead study abroad/outbound exchange officer, is the campus adviser for Boren. For more information, please visit the Boren Scholarship website, email SF State Abroad at studyabroad@sfsu.edu or stop by the SF State Abroad office Tuesdays – Thursdays, 2 – 4 p.m., in the Village at Centennial Square, building C.

The SFSU Academic Senate met on Tuesday, Sept. 30, via Zoom. 

The Senate: 

• Presented as informational item: 
  • IRC: Provost’s Council Prioritization 
• Passed the following resolution: 
  • In Memoriam Resolution Honoring Dr. David Olsher 
• Passed the following curricular changes: 
  • Bachelor of Arts in Video Games Studies: New program 
  • Specialist in Blood Bank Technology Certificate: New program 
• Passed motions to rescind existing policies: 
  • Academic Affirmative Action Policy Statement, No. S99-124 
  • Annual SFSU Retreats, No. S93-185 
• Heard in first reading: 
  • Revision to Policy on Assigned Time for Exceptional Levels of Service to Students, No. S18-271 
  • Graduated Paired Courses, No. S20-126 
  • Policy on By-Laws for Departments, Equivalent Units and All Other Faculty Units that Offer Academic Degrees, No. F24-306 
  • Certificate in Generative Artificial Intelligence Technology, Application and Ethics 
  • Master of Public Administration Concentration in Aging in Society 
  • Master of Public Administration 
  • Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science 
  • Minor in Artificial Intelligence for Business Applications 
  • Master of Arts in Secondary Teaching and Learning 
• Heard in first reading motions to rescind existing policies: 
  • Syllabus Policy to Enhance COVID-19 Communications, No. SU21-292 
  • Policy for Articulation of Upper-Division and Lower-Division Courses, No. F00-149 
• Tabled presentation on “Robert’s Rule: Point of Order and Point of Information” until next Senate meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 14
• Heard presentation from Darlene Yee-Melichar, faculty trustee

This week is Banned Books Week, and the J. Paul Leonard Library is standing up for the freedom to read with a book display and a week of collaborative events. 

Schedule: 

• Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2 – 3:15 p.m., Library 280: Student-led panel, “From Banned Books to Banned Histories: 57 Years of Struggle for Ethnic Studies,” with an introduction by Africana Studies Lecturer Faculty Shanice Robinson-Blacknell. 
• Wednesday, Oct. 8, 6 – 8 p.m., Library 121: “Banned Books Trivia Night.” Join a team, test your knowledge and you could win a prize. Snacks included. 
• Thursday, Oct. 9, 1 – 4 p.m., Special Collections and Archives Reading Room (Library 460): Film screening and discussion of “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution.” (Please note that food and drink are not allowed in Special Collections and Archives.) 

Are you a banned books reader? Delve into the latest trends in book challenges and read for your rights with the help of the J.Paul Leonard Library’s guide to banned books.

The Digital Media Studio and MakerSpace hosts an open house event for all students, faculty and staff on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2 – 6 p.m. in Library 260.

Learn about 3D printing, virtual reality, podcasting, audio mixing, Internet of Things/micro-controllers/robotics and video/audio equipment checkout. Enjoy presentations of student projects with edge computing, artificial intelligence, Apple Vision Pro and more.

The School of Liberal Studies invites you to a memorial for Professor Mariana Ferreira on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 3 – 5 p.m., in Humanities 484. Bring stories, memories or artifacts and, optionally, a dish or beverage to share.

Please RSVP via email to Diana Rumjahn at drumjahn@sfsu.edu.

The “Image Creation with Generative AI” course explores image creation with generative AI. It will be held Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2 – 3:30 p.m., via Zoom. 

Participants will gain a primer on generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for image creation, considerations for using generative AI and best practices for creating effective and accessible images for various use cases. Through hands-on activities, participants will develop skills in crafting descriptive prompts and selecting appropriate visual styles to generate unique images with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Adobe Firefly.

This course is an elective that counts toward receiving a digital badge for the AI Literacy Education Program.

Learn more and register for the "Image Creation with Generative AI” course.

Join the Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) on Wednesday, Oct. 8, noon – 1 p.m., in Library 242 to explore ways that craftmaking activities in the classroom can be utilized as culturally responsive teaching practices. Participants will have the opportunity to create cultural crafts (all supplies provided), share additional cultural resources and exchange ideas for bringing craftmaking into your teaching and learning. 

To register and learn more about “Hands-On Cultural Crafts in the Classroom,” please visit the CEETL website.

SFSU Veterans Services will host a Veterans Affairs (VA) Information and Claims Clinic on Thursday, Oct. 9, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., in Burk Hall 153 and 155.

This event is open to veterans seeking support with: 

• Disability claims, health-care enrollment and navigating VA resources 
• Access to primary and specialty care, mental health support and wellness programs 
• On-site guidance from VA representatives

Coffee and pastries will be available in the morning, and lunch will be provided for attendees who RSVP early. For more information, please email SFSU Veteran Services at veterans@sfsu.edu.

Join international and internationally minded faculty, administrators and staff for a coffee hour on Thursday, Oct. 9, noon – 1 p.m., in the Library Teaching and Learning Commons (Library 286). 

Join for light refreshments, provided by the College of Professional & Global Education, and a chat about all things international. You’ll also learn about the American Language Institute's history on our campus and its work with international students. 

This event occurs twice each semester and is organized by the All-University Committee on International Programs, an Academic Senate committee. 

Please RSVP via Qualtrics for the international coffee hour. An RSVP is not required but strongly encouraged. 
 

Explore virtual reality (VR) and spatial computing with hands-on VR/extended reality (XR) and Vision Pro demos on Thursday, Oct. 9, 3 – 6 p.m., at the Digital Media Studio & MakerSpace in Library 260. Create your own experiences and test your skills on a retro gaming console.

Please visit the Academic Technology website to learn more about the “VR and Retro Game Day” event.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and the Spanish Program will host “Di-Versos y me regalaron sonrisas,” on Thursday, Oct. 9, 4 – 7 p.m., in Humanities 473. This poetry presentation will feature the poetry of Elvira Perpinyà and the reading of the creative writing of SFSU students. Refreshments will be served. 

Please RSVP via email to aluengo@sfsu.edu.

Grad Studies and Human Resources will offer a presentation for employees to learn how to earn SFSU graduate certificates and master’s degrees on Friday, Oct. 10, 2 – 3 p.m., via Zoom. They will discuss graduate certificates on subjects such as Business Principles, Ethical Artificial Intelligence, Finance, Marketing in the Digital Economy, Pre-health Professions and more.

The CSU employee fee waiver program allows employees to take classes, earn certifications and degrees.

Please RSVP via Qualtrics for the workshop.

The Department of Latina/Latino Studies presents “Madres que Luchan: Lorena Gutiérrez’s fight to end femicide in México” on Monday, Oct. 13, at 2:30 p.m. in Library 121. This talk will feature a sneak-preview of an upcoming documentary film about Gutiérrez’s story.

Gutiérrez will share her story of losing her daughter Fátima, victim of feminicide at age 12. Despite struggling with corruption and many obstacles, she continues to fight for justice in her daughter’s case and to bring about an end to gender violence in Mexico. Over 10 years of work, she has become recognized as an exemplary voice for victims of feminicides in Mexico.

Collaborating closely with the National Citizen Observatory for Feminicides, Gutiérrez has won significant victories in court. In May, she won a major ruling from the Mexican Supreme Court recognizing the rights of thousands of victims’ families across the country to receive reparations and restitution. This landmark decision expands the human rights of victims in one of the most dangerous countries for women and girls.

Campus Safety Week is a campus-wide effort to raise awareness about personal safety and to remind the campus community of the many resources around campus that help promote health and safety in SFSU personal and occupational environments.

Join the Office of Emergency Services for events such as the Campus Safety Fair, Fire Extinguisher Training, First Aid/CPR/AED Certification, Cybersecurity, Emergency Preparedness with the American Red Cross, Personal Defense and more.

Help save a life. Secure your opportunity to donate blood on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Mashouf Wellness Center.

Please visit Vitalant to schedule your donation. For questions, please email spevents@mail.sfsu.edu.

Prospective students are invited to join an information session to learn about the new Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Studies: concentration in PK – 3 Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) on Monday, Oct. 20, noon – 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Students completing the ITEP program will graduate with both a B.A. and a preliminary PK – 3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction credential within four years. Graduates of this program will be able to teach all subjects in a self-contained general education classroom from preschool through grade three.

Please RSVP via Qualtrics to receive the Zoom link.

Back by popular demand, the Staff Council will host its annual Staff Maker Faire on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., in the Science and Engineering Innovation Center. 

Please complete the Qualtrics survey to participate. For questions, please email askstaffcouncil@sfsu.edu.

Join Campus Recreation on Thursday, Oct. 30, for an evening of four “Fall Fest” activities in celebration of “Gatorfest” at the Mashouf Wellness Center. Check out the annual Costume Dodgeball competition, Costume Climb and a gathering in celebration of Día de los Muertos. A haunted house will also be set up at the Towers at Centennial Square residence hall.

For more information, please visit the Campus Recreation member portal.

Henrietta Schwartz, former dean of the College of Education and professor emerita of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, passed away in Pleasant Hill on Aug. 13, at age 96. 

Schwartz joined SFSU in 1981 as a faculty member before serving as dean of the College of Education. She also held leadership roles as dean of Nursing at SFSU and as dean of Education and professor of Anthropology and Education at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Earlier in her career, she was a professor at the University of Chicago, where she directed the Ford Training and Placement Program. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Chicago.

Her scholarship focused on the challenges of teaching as a profession. Among her publications are three volumes of “School as Workplace: The Realities of Stress” (1983), an extensive study of working conditions and stress among teachers, and “Equity from an Anthropological Perspective” (1981), published by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

In retirement, Schwartz remained active in her community. In a 2024 profile for the Carlton Times, she shared the words she lived by: “Be polite, be friendly, and respect your neighbors.”

“We are grateful for Schwartz’s decades of leadership, scholarship and kindness. Her wise and generous contributions to the Graduate College of Education and to SFSU will be remembered with deep appreciation,” said Cynthia Grutzik, dean of the SFSU Graduate College of Education.