News and Announcements
Before classes even began, hundreds of new Gators got a head start on two important parts of the SFSU experience: finding their community and making San Francisco their own.
The new “Living in SF Transition Experience,” held Aug. 20 – 23, was a free, four-day Welcome Week program for incoming students living on campus. Interest was immediate: An invitation went to 1,900 residential students, and 430 signed up in less than 24 hours.
Led by trained student mentors, the program introduced participants to campus resources, student clubs and organizations, academic tools such as Canvas and the public transportation benefits that make it easier for Gators to get around the Bay Area. Students met in small groups throughout the four days, giving them a chance to get acquainted before the first day of classes.
For Ashlyn Okada, a Business Marketing Administration major from Palos Verdes, that was part of the appeal.
“There’s a new opportunity to meet someone every day,” she said.
The experience culminated Sunday, Aug. 23, with small-group adventures through San Francisco. Students put what they had learned about public transit into practice while visiting Fisherman’s Wharf and other destinations around the city, getting better acquainted with the place they now call home.
Lucas Nguyen, a Communications major from Rosemead, a suburb of Los Angeles, said San Francisco itself was a major reason he chose SFSU.
“I really love the environment,” Nguyen said. “It’s more close-knit. There’s more community in San Francisco. L.A. is bigger and more spread out.”
Nguyen has already found that sense of community at SFSU, particularly among students who are figuring out college life and meeting new people together.
For Anthropology major Alexandra Trejo of Victorville, living in San Francisco offers a chance to experience new cultures and meet people from different backgrounds.
“I’m just really excited to embark on this journey and dive into other cultures,” she said. “I’m excited to come to SF State because it’s part of the city, and it’s a really good school. It offers so much for students. So many opportunities as well — living in the city and going to school here.”
The “Living in SF Transition Experience” evolved from last year’s one-unit “Living in San Francisco” course, which combined college-transition lessons with an excursion through the city. The new format makes the experience an optional part of Welcome Week while retaining many of the original program’s goals. Students learn how to navigate San Francisco and use their transit benefits, find academic and wellness resources, prepare for their first classes and discover ways to get involved on campus.
Most importantly, they begin doing all of it together.
By the time classes started, participants had already met classmates, learned their way around campus and ventured beyond it — taking some of their first steps toward making both SFSU and San Francisco feel like home.
Learn more about SFSU New Student and Family Programs.
Photo by Juan Montes
SFSU has appointed Inés C. Barbosa as assistant vice president for workforce partnerships, a new leadership role focused on expanding career pathways and strengthening connections between SFSU and employers across the Bay Area.
Barbosa brings more than 20 years of experience building employer partnerships and career development programs that support first-generation and underrepresented students. She most recently served as assistant vice president of experiential learning and career design at Northeastern University’s Oakland campus, where she led efforts to connect students with internships, mentorship and career opportunities across the region.
In her new role, Barbosa will lead a University-wide initiative to establish more applied learning and career opportunities for students and alumni, creating structured pipelines between SFSU and employers in corporate, nonprofit and civic sectors. She will work closely with campus partners and industry leaders to expand access to internships, professional experiences and post-graduation employment opportunities for SFSU students and graduates.
“SFSU plays a vital role in preparing students for meaningful careers while supporting the economic vitality of the Bay Area,” said SFSU President Lynn Mahoney. “As San Francisco continues its financial resurgence, strengthening our partnerships with employers is essential. Inés brings deep regional knowledge and a strong track record of connecting diverse talent with opportunity, and she will help ensure our students and graduates are well positioned to thrive in today’s job market.”
Barbosa has built partnerships with organizations including Google, Salesforce, Wells Fargo, the City of Oakland and Oakland Unified School District. Her work has focused on creating paid internships, recruitment pipelines and equitable access to career opportunities.
Barbosa has also represented institutions in regional workforce and economic development forums and has extensive experience aligning academic programs with employer needs. She holds a master’s degree in sociology from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford.
San Francisco’s economic resurgence — fueled in part by its central role in the AI boom and its proximity to Silicon Valley — is creating new opportunities for graduates who come to the city for their education. Through this role, SFSU is expanding its efforts to connect students with those opportunities and position the University as a leading engine of upward mobility.
The Alumni Association hosted its inaugural SFSU Family Welcome Lounge during residential hall move-in days on Aug. 18 – 19, welcoming more than 250 family members and supporters to campus.
Designed as a dedicated space for families during the excitement of move-in, the lounge offered opportunities to relax, enjoy complimentary snacks and refreshments and learn about campus resources available to support student success. Families also participated in interactive activities, including painting keepsake rocks for their students, writing letters of encouragement to be opened later in the semester and capturing memories at our photo area.
Younger family members enjoyed a dedicated Kids Corner, where they colored Alli Gator and San Francisco-themed coloring pages while their families explored the lounge.
The Family Welcome Lounge was made possible through the support of campus partners who shared resources and information with families throughout the event. The Alumni Association is grateful for the warm reception from families and looks forward to building on this successful first year.
Photo courtesy of the Alumni Association
New professional skills certificates spanning project management, analytics, marketing and a full suite of applied AI help working professionals across San Francisco build in-demand skills without stepping away from their jobs.
“Our students are San Francisco’s working professionals — first-generation students, career changers and adults building careers while they build their lives here,” said Angie Lipschuetz, associate dean of the College of Professional & Global Education (CPaGE). “These certificates are practical and career-focused. They meet learners where they are, fit around a full-time job and give people across the Bay Area a real path to work with AI, not around it.”
Each certificate runs a set number of weeks and asks for roughly 8 – 10 hours a week, pairing self-paced coursework with live, expert-led sessions. Programs are practitioner-led and grounded in real-world application, so learners finish with skills, credentials and the confidence to put both to use immediately.
DesignPLUS for Canvas expands Learning Management System capabilities for SFSU faculty. This toolkit empowers instructors to create student-centered, interactive and accessible learning experiences that support engagement in their courses, without needing sophisticated design skills.
To get started with DesignPLUS, sign up for one of Academic Technology’s (AT) three-session onboarding series. Multiple sessions are available throughout the fall semester.
The College of Health & Social Sciences seeks to connect with a faculty, student or staff member on campus with experience or expertise in hydroponics who may be willing to provide guidance, share resources or potentially lead a hands-on workshop for students.
The college is interested in exploring how hydroponic growing can support hands-on sustainable food systems education while creating opportunities for community building for the students.
If you have experience with hydroponics or know someone on campus who does, please email Zubaida Qamar, Campus Farm lead and Nutrition faculty member, at qz@sfsu.edu or Supriya Misra, Public Health faculty member, at supriya@sfsu.edu.
FitPlus returns on Monday, Aug. 31, with fitness and wellness programs created just for you! Enjoy complimentary access during the first week and be entered into a raffle to win a personal fit session with our student interns.
Please visit the FitPlus main page to register and for more information.
Associated Students invites SFSU students, staff and faculty to share input on the future name of the Student Center through Sunday, Sept. 13.
The Student Center Renaming Ad Hoc Committee is gathering community feedback to inform its recommendation for a new building name. The survey asks participants to provide feedback on three proposed naming themes and offers opportunities to suggest an additional theme or specific name.
Please visit the Student Center renaming page to take the survey and learn more about the naming themes, committee and renaming process.
Applications are open for SFSU Climate HQ’s paid Climate Justice Internship Program through Thursday, Oct. 2. Undergraduates from any major at SFSU can apply as long as they will be full-time in spring 2027.
Students will participate in semester-long internships where they will be matched with partner organizations committed to climate justice. They will complete a project that advances that organization’s work and gives them the opportunity to learn from seasoned organizers, activists and other professionals.
The SFSU Academic Senate will meet Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2 – 5 p.m., at Seven Hills Conference Center for its first meeting of the academic year.
Agenda:
- Recommendation from the Student Affairs Committee in first reading:
- Grade Appeal Practices and Procedures, No. F24-230
- Academic Senate will hear formal presentations from:
- Rick Harvey, vice chair: “Robert’s Rules” (will occur before new business)
- Andrew Roderick, Jamie Lopez, Brandon York: “Academic Technology updates” (time approximate 3 p.m.)
- Senator Maria Zavala: “Graduate College of Education Senate podcast” (time approximate 3:15 p.m.)
Guest curated by SFSU graduate student Keone Nakakura (M.A., ’26), “Life and the Inevitable” invites audiences to consider dying, mourning and remembrance not as endpoints, but as complex and multifaceted experiences that shape how we live, love, and relate to one another. This exhibition is on display through Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Fine Arts Gallery (Fine Arts 238). Regular gallery hours are Tuesdays – Fridays, noon – 4 p.m.
Rather than offering definitive answers, the exhibition creates space to encounter death in unexpected ways, encouraging visitors to reflect on their own relationships to loss, grief and, in turn, life.
The participating artists are: Ebti, The Propeller Group, Selva Aparicio, Binh Danh, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Angela Hennessy and Tiffanie Turner.
This exhibition is made possible by the support of the Zellerbach Family Foundation and individual donors through the Gator Giving campaign.
Public programming sponsored by a grant from the College of Liberal & Creative Arts has been co-organized with the Museum Studies Program. All talks are in the gallery.
- Wednesday, Sept. 9, 4 – 5 p.m.: Binh Danh in conversation with Asian American Studies Professor Valerie Soe.
- Wednesday, Sept. 30, 12:15 – 1 p.m. Assistant Professor of Art Lesdi Goussen Robleto on the legacy of the late Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
- Wednesday, Oct. 14, 4 – 5 p.m. (tentative schedule): Professor and Chair of Anthropology Dawn-Elissa Fischer in conversation with Angela Hennessy.
The Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) offers weekly Teaching Writing Fridays, 11 a.m – noon, via Zoom starting Sept. 4.
These sessions focus on teaching strategies for writing courses, from first-year through the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement. Sessions will cover topics such as AI and writing, assignment design, multimodal composing, assessment and grading, teaching the writing process, reading and information literacy and more. Teaching Writing Fridays are scaffolded by the materials in CEETL’s Teaching Writing Canvas course.
Faculty will earn a $250 stipend on completing this course and attending three Teaching Writing Fridays this semester.
Please visit the Teaching Writing Fridays page to register and receive the Zoom link.
Encourage your students to stop by the Study Abroad Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and Wednesday, Sept. 9, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., on the Quad next to Malcolm X Plaza.
At the fair, students can:
- Visit country tables showcasing destinations where SFSU students can study abroad.
- Meet international students from those countries.
- Hear directly from SFSU students who have studied abroad.
SF State Abroad programs are available in 36 countries! Explore the SF State Abroad database to see all programs. Students can go abroad for their major or minor, upper- and lower-division general education, and language learning.
The study abroad deadline for spring 2027/calendar year 2027 is Tuesday, Sept. 15. Apply for study abroad online for free. Encourage your students to apply.
For questions, please email SF State Abroad at studyabroad@sfsu.edu or stop by its table at the fair. Follow @sfstateabroad on Instagram to view posts from students overseas.
Learn about JET/Teaching English in Japan after graduation
Stop by the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program table where Cassidy Tao, JET program coordinator, will be available to provide information about the program and opportunities to live, work and teach in Japan.
Founded by the Japanese government in 1987 to promote internationalization and cultural exchange, JET has grown to become one of the largest cultural exchange programs in the world. Today, more than 5,900 participants are involved in the program, with a global community of more than 80,000 alumni.
JET participants travel to Japan as representatives of their home countries and play an important role in fostering grassroots internationalization, cultural exchange, and mutual understanding within communities throughout Japan.
Interested in teaching English in Japan? You do not need prior teaching experience or Japanese language proficiency to apply. JET welcomes applicants from all majors and backgrounds.
JET is sponsored by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, along with local governments throughout Japan, in cooperation with the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations.
The Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development invites tenure-track faculty and associate professors preparing for promotion to participate in one of its online Retention, Tenure and Promotion (RTP) workshops. Faculty who will be reviewed in the next few years are encouraged to attend.
Faculty Affairs and the University Tenure and Promotion and Committee (UTPC) will facilitate the workshops. The workshops are organized according to the phases of faculty professional development, but topics covered in each of the workshops will be similar, so feel free to attend the workshop that best fits your schedule.
Fall 2026 workshops for faculty:
- Friday, Sept. 11, noon – 1:30 p.m.: focus on probationary years one and two
- Tuesday, Sept. 15, 1:30 – 3 p.m.: focus on tenure and promotion (hosted with UTPC)
- Thursday, Sept. 17, noon – 1:30 p.m.: focus on promotion to full professor (hosted with UTPC)
- Friday, Sept. 18, 1:30 – 3 p.m.: focus on probationary years three, four, and five
Faculty Affairs will also host workshops for RTP reviewers, which include department RTP committee members, department chairs and deans. First-time reviewers and those needing a refresher are strongly encouraged to attend one of these sessions.
Fall 2026 workshops for reviewers:
- Tuesday, Sept. 22, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, Sept. 23, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Please RSVP for an RTP workshop via Qualtrics to receive a link for the workshop of your choice.
Associate Dean Sheldon Gen will host drop-in RTP office hours Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Sept. 15 – Oct. 21, noon – 1:30 p.m., in Administration 451B, to discuss RTP issues. All faculty and reviewers are welcome.
On Friday, Sept. 11, 1 – 3:30 p.m., CalPERS-eligible faculty and staff are invited to a virtual CalPERS education class to help plan for retirement.
Offered directly by CalPERS, this webinar is its most comprehensive class that provides a deeper understanding of your benefits as you begin to prepare for retirement. Learn how your pension is calculated, ways to increase it and payment options available upon retirement for your beneficiaries.
Please register via Qualtrics for the CalPERS retirement webinar.
Join the Office of Emergency Services for Campus Safety Week 2026, a campus-wide initiative dedicated to promoting personal wellbeing, workplace safety, emergency preparedness and community awareness. It will be held Monday, Oct. 12 – Friday, Oct. 16. Throughout the week, faculty, staff and students will have opportunities to learn practical skills and connect with campus resources that support a safe and healthy campus environment.
Featured programs include the Campus Safety Fair, “Stop the Bleed,” first aid/CPR/AED training, cybersecurity awareness, personal defense, pet emergency preparedness, fire-extinguisher training and many other engaging workshops and demonstrations.
Mark your calendars and stay tuned for the full schedule of events.
SFSU Spotlight
Philosophy Professor and Chair Carlos Montemayor has a new book out on Bloomsbury: “Knowledge and Freedom in the Work of Luis Villoro: Emancipatory Intelligence.”
This open-access introduction to the major Mexican philosopher and activist Luis Villoro shows how his ideas can reshape contemporary thought. Montemayor tells the story, through a philosophical lens, of this leading Mexican thinker and his quest for justice and freedom. At the heart of the book is Villoro’s liberational approach to knowledge production. He believed an education aimed at integrating freedom with knowledge stands in opposition to escapist epistemologies which unfortunately dominate our times.
From Villoro’s early writings on epistemology and Mexican history to his involvement in Zapatismo, “Emancipatory Intelligence” explores how his ideas turned into actions. This is a portrait of one of the most important figures in 20th-century Mexican philosophy. For anyone interested in Latin American perspectives it is an essential guide to the work of a philosopher who spent most of his life trying to understand the complexity of the American continent and its original habitants.
The e-book editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license on bloomsburycollections.com. SFSU funded the open access.
Professor and Co-Program Lead in Nutrition and Dietetics Gretchen George presented at the 2026 CSU Basic Needs Convening and shared her research, “Food Insecurity and Personal Appearance Distress Among College Students: A Call for Help.” This article is written by Marcela D. Radtke, Lecturer Faculty Rachel E. Scherr, alumna Dana I. Alvarez Mendoza, Brittany M. Loofbourrow, Karen S. Boyce, Emily Sklar and George. It was recently published in Trends in Higher Education.
Their findings highlight that food insecurity extends beyond access to food. It is also connected to stress, personal-appearance distress, eating behaviors and overall student wellbeing.
Zubaida Qamar, associate professor of Nutrition and Dietetics and Campus Farm lead for Climate HQ, presented at the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting in Spain. The research is titled “Assessing the Relationship between Food Insecurity and Psychological Distress among College Students.”
Associate Professor of Public Health Supriya Misra, Institutional Research Analyst Jemma Kwon and previous Health Promotion and Wellness Center Director Karen S. Boyce conducted the research
The research examines the relationship between food insecurity, psychological distress and flourishing among college students. It highlights the importance of addressing basic needs as part of broader efforts to support student wellbeing and health equity.
Student journalists and designers from Golden Gate Xpress and Xpress Magazine have been named finalists in 12 national Pinnacle Award categories. This places SFSU among the top large universities in this year’s competition for the number of finalist honors.
Presented by the College Media Association, the Pinnacle Awards recognize excellence in student-produced college media nationwide. SFSU competes in Division I, for universities with enrollment of 10,000 or more. Among Division I universities represented in this year’s finalist list, SFSU tied for ninth in total finalist honors.
The 12 honors span multiple categories of journalism, design and media production. SFSU earned more finalist honors than CSU Long Beach, UCLA, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and San José State University.
Winners will be announced during the National College Media Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, Wednesday, Nov. 4 – Saturday, Nov. 7. Files of finalists’ work will be available for viewing online by November.