News and Announcements
Twelve outstanding graduates will be honored during SFSU’s 125th Commencement ceremony, to be held at Oracle Park Thursday, May 21. They will represent their more than 7,200 graduating peers in the Class of 2026.
As part of a longstanding tradition, each of the University’s six academic colleges selects an undergraduate and a graduate student to represent their classmates and wear their college’s academic hood during the ceremony. Additionally, two of the hood recipients, one undergraduate and one graduate student, will each deliver a Commencement address.
Go to the SFSU News story to read profiles of the Class of 2026 hood recipients.
The Academy Award-nominated actor Delroy Lindo spent May 8 at SFSU, returning to the place where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Cinema. He came to meet — and inspire — our students of today.
In intimate sessions with about 30 students and alumni in the Project Rebound and Guardian Scholars programs, Lindo engaged in emotional back-and-forth conversations with students. Rather than deliver lectures, he sat down in the front of the classroom and asked the students about their lived experiences and answered their questions.
Project Rebound, a program of Associated Students, provides admissions and academic support for formerly incarcerated people. The Guardian Scholars Program helps students who have been in the foster-care system, offering them guaranteed admission to the University and supporting them throughout their SFSU career.
“Programs like this are what make San Francisco State special: the concerted effort to reach out to communities that might not ordinarily have the opportunity to get a college education,” said Lindo, a member of the SFSU Foundation Board of Directors.
Lindo has appeared in dozens of films, television shows and on the stage since the 1970s. He earned his first Academy Award nomination and Actor Award this year for Best Supporting Actor in “Sinners.” Born in England, he struggled through a disadvantaged childhood.
“I am a walking, talking manifestation of ‘It’s never too late to turn things around.’ It’s never too late. I have lived that,” Lindo (B.A., ’04) told the Guardian Scholars. “What enabled me to be sitting here today talking to you all is that I had this dream. From the time I was young, when I grew up, I wanted to be an actor. Having that as my North Star gave me something to hold on to. Now, I’m saying this to you not because I’m proud. I’m saying this to you to communicate that there is always an ultimate path that you can take.”
Our SFSU students say they found their conversations with Lindo to be highly valuable and inspirational.
“I feel like it’s important for us to have opportunities like this, so that we can see for ourselves that our adverse background doesn’t discriminate us from opportunities,” said Sherrell Monique Teague, a graduating senior with a double major in Theatre Arts and Public Health. “Being able to have this opportunity makes me feel like, ‘OK, I can do this. I can keep going.’”
Lindo is scheduled to speak to many more of our Gators this month. At the University’s Commencement ceremony on May 21, he will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree and deliver the keynote address.
Success takes many forms for SFSU alumni. Our new issue of SF State Magazine highlights the latest Gator graduates to translate passion into purpose. The magazine, an official Gator alumni publication, is now available online and in print.
Issue highlights:
- Many Paths, One Beginning: Meet five alumni who exemplify a new generation that discovered the ingredients to thriving careers while attending SFSU. On the cover: Ryan Marchand (B.A., ’08), the director of the Department of Engagement and Connectivity at the San Francisco Opera.
- Changing Course: The right classes— at the right moment — can help you redirect your life.
- The Art of Artemis: Sephora North America CEO Artemis Patrick (MBA, ’01) reflects on how immigration, foster care and an SFSU education helped her craft a life — and a leadership style — of substance and resolve.
- Class Notes: Learn what your Gator classmates and other alumni are up to.
- My SFSU Story: Alum Rodney Rhoda Taylor writes about pushing fears to the side to enter SFSU in their mid-30s.
- And much more.
Pick up your copy of SF State Magazine at the Student Center information desk. Issues are also mailed to alumni worldwide.
Read the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of SF State Magazine.
Photo by Juan Montes
The Academic Senate is pleased to announce the recipients of SFSU’s 2026 Distinguished Faculty and Staff Awards. The awards come with a $4,000 stipend provided by the SFSU Foundation board, a plaque honoring their achievement and their photo added to those of past winners.
The honorees were presented at the final meeting of the 2025 – 2026 Academic Senate by the Faculty and Staff Awards Committee, chaired by Tamara Spencer. An in-person celebration of their accomplishments took place immediately following the Academic Senate plenary session.
Awardees:
- Excellence in Teaching (Tenured Faculty): Laura Moorhead, Department of Journalism, College of Liberal & Creative Arts
- Excellence in Teaching (Lecturer Faculty): Jonathan Whooley, Department of International Relations, College of Liberal & Creative Arts
- Excellence in Professional Achievement (Tenured Faculty): Zhaoshuo Jiang, School of Engineering, College of Science & Engineering
- Excellence in Service (Tenured Faculty): Mai-Nhung Le, Department of Asian American Studies, College of Ethnic Studies
- Excellence in Service (Staff): Anarose Schelstrate; Department of Equity, Leadership Studies and Instructional Technologies; Graduate College of Education
Students, alumni and staff now have new ways to use the global career tools GoinGlobal and Interstride through the Alumni Association and SFSU Library databases, supporting career exploration and job searches in the United States and worldwide. These platforms will strengthen conversations with advisers, adding labor market insights, employer information and career preparation content. The Division of International Education remains the primary campus resource for F-1 regulations, optical practical training guidance, H-1B questions and related immigration advising.
Faculty and staff can now join a live online training that highlights practical ways to use GoinGlobal and Interstride in advising sessions, classes and alumni engagement. A GoinGlobal trainer will demonstrate country and city career guides, job and internship search features and tools for researching employers that sponsor work authorization. Participants will see examples they can share with students and alumni who plan global careers.
To take the training, register on the GoinGlobal website by selecting the “Training” option toward the top left side of the page and register for a specific date and time.
CampusMemo will go on hiatus following the Tuesday, May 26, issue. Summer issues will be published on Monday, June 15, and Monday, July 13. Weekly publication will resume with the Monday, Aug. 17, issue.
The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. the Tuesday preceding publication.
Submit your events to to the University Calendar.
For questions, please email the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications at marcomm@sfsu.edu.
The SFSU Academic Senate met on May 12 at the Seven Hills Conference Center.
Meeting summary:
- The 2025 – 2026 Senate:
- Adopted by general consent the resolution: Commending and Thanking Senators Completing Terms of Service and Serving on the Executive Committee
- Welcomed a presentation of Distinguished Faculty and Staff Award winners
- The Academic Senate held elections for the 2026 – 2027 Senate Executive Committee and is pleased to announce the results for the one-year terms beginning on Monday, June 1:
- Chair: Jackson Wilson, Recreation, Parks and Tourism
- Vice chair: Richard Harvey, Recreation, Parks and Tourism
- Secretary: Alesha Sohler, Educational Leadership Doctoral Program
- At-large: Bob Bonner, Management
- At-large: Christina Sabee, Communication Studies
- Academic Policies Committee chair: Nancy Geber, Chemistry
- Campus Curriculum Committee chair: Frederik Green, Modern Languages and Literatures
- Faculty Affairs Committee chair: Saskia Van Kampen, Design
- Student Affairs Committee chair: Danny Gabriner, Metro Academy
- Strategic Issues Committee chair: Alaric Trousdale, International Education
- Academic Senate of the CSU (ex officio): Robert Keith Collins, American Indian Studies; Dipendra Sinha, Engineering
The Digital Media Studio and MakerSpace hosts a “Chill Out Week” event series Monday, May 18 – Thursday, May 21, 10 a.m. — 7 p.m., and Friday, May 22, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., in Library 260. It is open to all SFSU students, faculty and staff.
Take a break and unwind. Drop by the MakerSpace for snacks, chill vibes and creative fun. Create custom wooden keychain using the laser cutter. You can also enjoy virtual reality and retro games, make your own button and relax with music, crafts and puzzles.
Please join the American Indian Studies Department to celebrate graduations, promotions, retirements and everyone completing another year of school at SFSU. Corrina Gould, tribal chair of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, is the keynote speaker. The End-of-Year Celebration will take place Tuesday, May 19, 4 – 7 p.m., in Library 121.
SFSU Spotlight
Professor Eran Kaplan, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Professor in Israel Studies, participated in “Axis of Instability: U.S., Israel, Iran and the Gulf.” Tehe Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California hosted this panel discussion on May 12, featuring leading scholars on the Middle East discussing the politics of the Middle East.
In a new systematic review, Family, Interiors Nutrition and Apparel Lecturer Faculty Rachel E. Scherr and Professor Gretchen L. George, along with the Scherr Science research team, explore the relationship between adolescent dairy consumption and a variety of mental and physical health outcomes. The article is published in Nutrition Reviews.
The other co-authors are Marcela Radtke, Lisa Rice, Brittany Loofbourrow, Rebecca Crosby and Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr.
OutHistory recently published an interview with Tina Aguirre, Gerard Koskovich and Associate Professor of Sociology Jen Reck discussing their 2026 booklet “The Castro: The Story of San Francisco’s Best-Known LGBTQ+ Neighborhood” and the legacies of LGBTQ+ history in San Francisco. History graduate student Reese Uteda led the interview.
Erik Peper, professor of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism and core faculty in the Institute for Holistic Health Studies, is the co-author of “Cancer Reconsidered: Why Environment, Lifestyle and Immunity Matter More Than We Thought” (BiofeedbackHealth/Regent Press) with Robert Gorter and Nancy Faass.
The book examines the current belief that cancer is primarily genetic, offering evidence that environment, lifestyle and immunity play crucial roles. Combining leading-edge science with practical strategies, the book empowers readers to reduce their risks and attain a deeper level of health, anchored in their daily lifestyle. Drawing on lessons learned from emerging research, the authors offer a roadmap for prevention and resilience. The pragmatic suggestions provided throughout the book are valuable for those facing a diagnosis as well as those who want to reduce the risk of developing cancer.
John Logan, professor and director of Labor and Employment Studies, is quoted in a May 8 article from Pluribus News about the California Fast Food Council.
“The Fast Food Council is not sectoral bargaining, and it’s not going to lead to sectoral bargaining,” he said. “It’s a state wage council that was negotiated with the agreement of the fast-food sector, who decided they could live with this body and this increase in the minimum wage because they were not threatened by it.”