News and Announcements
President Lynn Mahoney announced Tuesday that she will retire next summer after eight years leading the University and 18 years of service to the California State University system. Mahoney will continue to serve as president while the CSU Board of Trustees conducts a national search for her successor.
“It has been an honor to serve the CSU and the greatest honor to serve as your president,” Mahoney said in a message to the campus community. She described the decision as deeply personal, saying that after nearly two decades in the CSU, she is ready to devote more time to her growing family. “Working with the best colleagues anywhere in service to our deeply engaged and talented student body has been a joy, but supporting my growing family, especially my beautiful granddaughters, calls.”
“President Mahoney’s candid, respectful and authentic two-way engagement with the university’s on-campus and extended communities has preserved and built on the spirit of activism, equity and inclusion that has been foundational to San Francisco State’s history,” CSU Chancellor Mildred García said. “The university and the CSU have been enriched in myriad ways by her leadership, and on behalf of the entire CSU, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for her dedication to the system and our students. Thanks in large part to President Mahoney’s extraordinary service, the future of San Francisco State is indeed bright.”
Mahoney’s tenure has included some of the most consequential challenges in the University’s recent history, from navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and demographic shifts to confronting enrollment declines and reductions in state funding. During that time, SFSU opened the Science and Engineering Innovation Center and Marcus Hall as well as two new residence halls, including West Grove Commons. The University also improved key graduation metrics, earned the Seal of Excelencia for its work serving Latinx students and raised $175.8 million in philanthropic support since Mahoney’s arrival. This fall, new student enrollment at SFSU increased by more than 10%.
Mahoney said her work will continue throughout her final academic year, with a focus on creating stronger pathways to internships and careers, increasing philanthropic support and continuing to reshape academic programs and administrative structures around the needs of current and future students. “I look forward to the work we will do this year and to supporting SFSU as it continues to meet its mission to serve students and the region,” she said.
Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice
SFSU is one of 20 institutions selected for the third cohort of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ Visioning, Organizing, Leading and Advancing the Research Enterprise (VOLARÉ) Institute. Beginning this fall, SFSU faculty and staff will participate in the yearlong program focused on strengthening institutional support for research, particularly during the period leading up to grant proposal submission. Participants will receive tools and training designed to build research capacity and enhance the University’s ability to compete for funding.
Funded through a National Science Foundation grant, the VOLARÉ Institute also aims to broaden participation in STEM and develop the research workforce at colleges and universities nationwide.
For more information, please email SFSU Grant Development Specialist Thien Lam.
Photo by Juan Montes
The Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL), in collaboration with the “My Robot Teacher” podcast, invites faculty, staff and students to join a conversation where people can say what they actually think about generative artificial intelligence (AI) and discover how different the issue looks from other corners of higher education. This event will be held Thursday, Sept. 17, 4 – 5:30 p.m., in Humanities 133.
An insight debate is not a traditional debate; it’s a facilitated conversation designed to draw out a wide range of perspectives and identify where unexpected overlap exists. It’s a chance to meet SFSU colleagues and students you wouldn’t normally be in a room with and begin building a wider intellectual community across institutions. CEETL invites faculty to bring their class to learn about the various perspectives around AI in community with other campus members.
The “Comfort Women” Research and Creative Scholarship Small Grants Program is accepting proposals through Thursday, Oct. 15.
Faculty program
The faculty program provides awards of up to $6,000 to faculty for conducting research and creative scholarship projects that increase awareness of the historical and contemporary significance of “comfort women” and engage the public in discourse about the experiences and the remembrance of “comfort women.”
Eligible faculty shall have expertise in Asian American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Women and Gender Studies or Sexuality Studies for conducting research or creative projects on “comfort women.”
Student program
The student program provides awards of up to $4,000 to graduate or undergraduate students conducting research and creative scholarship projects that increase awareness of the historical and contemporary significance of “comfort women” and engage the public in discourse about the experiences and the remembrance of “comfort women.”
Preference for funding will be given to students who have completed interdisciplinary coursework (history, literature, art, music, public health, etc.) in Asian American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Women and Gender Studies or Sexuality Studies for conducting research or creative projects on “comfort women.” However, relevant experience such as working or volunteering with community organizations that educate the public about “comfort women,” advocate for human rights or support victims of sexual violence and human trafficking will be considered.
The Vista Room, the sit-down service-training restaurant, is open for lunch at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only, starting Tuesday, Sept. 15. To make a reservation, please email the Vista Room at vista@sfsu.edu.
The San Francisco Math Circle makes math accessible, inclusive, and fun!
The SF Math Circle is an extracurricular math enrichment program affiliated with the Center for Science and Math Education at SFSU. SF Math Circle supports students from diverse backgrounds in developing their identities as capable, confident problem solvers.
This fall, the organization will offer weekly classes at SFSU for second – fifth graders on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays starting the week of Sept. 21.
In these classes, students will explore engaging, hands-on puzzles and games that involve both creativity and critical thinking. They will explore these puzzles and games in small groups where they will have the opportunity to collaborate with their peers and to receive personalized attention and support from SF Math Circle facilitators.
The SFSU Academic Senate will meet Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2 – 5 p.m., via Zoom for its second meeting of the academic year.
- The Campus Curriculum Committee presents the following consent item:
- Minor in Japanese: unit reduction
- The Student Affairs Committee presents the following consent items:
- Student and Applicant Complaints Policy, No. S12-26: motion to rescind
- Qualifications for Student Government Officials, No. S82-68
- Recommendation from the Student Affairs Committee in second reading:
- Grade Appeal Practices and Procedures, No. F24-230
- Recommendation from the Executive Committee in first reading:
- Bylaws Amendment: Student Affairs Committee Membership
- Recommendation from the Campus Curriculum Committee in first reading:
- Certificate in Entertainment Design and Production: new certificate
- Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, concentration in Decision Sciences: name change and curricular changes
The Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) invites faculty to participate in Small Group Instructional Feedback (SGIF), a formative, mid-course process for gathering feedback about students’ learning experiences to help inform your teaching.
Participants will work in small groups with faculty from different departments to gather and share student feedback in a confidential and non-evaluative process. SGIF is separate from official peer observation and retention, tenure and promotion processes.
SGIF at a glance:
- Takes place during weeks 5 – 10
- Up to six hours total commitment
- $300 stipend for eligible faculty
Limited spots are available; priority is given to new SGIF participants.
Ready to get started with DesignPLUS? Academic Technology is offering a series of onboarding workshops for SFSU faculty between Monday, Sept. 14, and Friday, Oct. 30. Each of the three sessions build upon one another and are best taken in order.
More sessions and topics will be added to meet the campus community’s training needs.
Conversation: ‘Faculty Connect: Community, Collaboration, RSCA and Engaged Learning’ | Sept. 15 – 16
The Institute for Civic and Community Engagement (ICCE) invites SFSU faculty to “Faculty Connect: Community, Collaboration, RSCA and Engaged Learning,” a faculty social and idea exchange to welcome the new academic year. Two sessions are offered. Please choose the date that works best for you: Tuesday, Sept. 15, or Wednesday, Sept. 16, 10 – 11 a.m., in HSS 204.
Join colleagues over food and conversation to connect across disciplines, share ideas and explore opportunities related to community-engaged teaching; Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities (RSCA); student involvement; collaboration; and community partnerships.
ICCE will also share ways to support faculty, including community partner connections, community-engaged learning resources and Call to Service grant opportunities. Most of the time will be reserved for conversation, idea sharing and connecting with colleagues.
Drop-ins are welcome. Please register to help plan for food and refreshments.
Join the Community Inclusion Center on Wednesday, Sept. 16, noon – 2 p.m., on Malcolm X Plaza to kickoff Latinx Heritage Month. The event includes a performance, music and community to set the tone for the month.
The Digital Media Studio and MakerSpace hosts events and workshops for the SFSU community.
This week:
- Wednesday, Sept. 16, noon – 1 p.m., Library 260: “Podcasting 101.” Learn the basics of podcasting, including recording, editing and publishing. The event is open to all SFSU students, faculty and staff. An RSVP is required. Please RSVP for “Podcasting 101” via the Academic Technology website.
- Friday, Sept. 18, noon – 1 p.m., Library 260, join AT for a “Cricut Mug Deco” workshop. Design and decorate your own mug using the Cricut cutting machine. Bring your own mug to personalize or use one of our limited mugs provided on a first-come, first-served basis. An RSVP is required. Please RSVP for the “Cricut Mug Deco” workshop via the Academic Technology website.
SFSU has a proud tradition of organizing conferences for Constitution and Citizenship Day, a national holiday that commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. This year’s Constitution Day conference takes place on Wednesday, Sept. 16, and Thursday, Sept. 17.
The conference provides multiple opportunities to reflect critically on the past, present and future of constitutional rights, freedoms, citizenship, democracy, equality and justice. The conference will include a keynote by Lori Fogarty, director of the Oakland Library, speaking on “Museums and the Fullness of History.” It will also include panels featuring several SFSU faculty and students as well as pop-up exhibits from the Sutro Library.
For details, please visit the Constitution and Citizenship Day event web page.
The “AI Literacy Essentials: Introduction to Generative AI” course introduces generative artificial intelligence (AI) to those with little or no prior experience engaging with this emerging technology. It will be held Thursday, Sept. 17, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., via Zoom.
Participants obtain a foundational understanding of generative AI, its associated opportunities and implications, and basic strategies for composing and iterating prompts. Participants will engage in hands-on interaction with the Microsoft Copilot chatbot to begin generating practical outputs for personal and professional use cases.
This course is an elective that counts toward receiving a digital badge for the AI Literacy Education Program.
The Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) invites you to its Fall 2026 GenAI Institute: Best Practices for Faculty on Friday, Sept. 18, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
CEETL will share what it has learned from SFSU faculty who participated in AI teaching squares and communities of practice over the last two years. You will have opportunities to learn from your colleagues’ classroom innovations, and to share your own ideas and perspectives.
A small stipend is available to attend. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Use CEETL’s single registration link to register for the GenAI Institute.
Human Resources will restart its monthly Staff Forum on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 11 a.m. – noon, via Zoom. All SFSU staff, except management personnel plan employees and faculty, are encouraged to attend.
These forums are held monthly during the academic year and are intended to share information across campus. This month’s forum includes remarks from President Lynn Mahoney, updates on the San Francisco Bay Region Network and the 25Live university calendar and more.
Asian American Studies Chair and Professor Valerie Soe’s new feature-length documentary “The Auntie Sewing Squad Resistance Playbook” will screen on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 6.30 p.m., in the Coppola Theatre (Fine Arts 101). The film premiered in May for a sold-out show and will be screened at more than a dozen events in 2026.
“The Auntie Sewing Squad Resistance Playbook” looks at the Auntie Sewing Squad, a collective of mostly Asian American, Black, Indigenous and other women of color sewists who saved the world at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. For the Aunties, sewing and donating masks was not just about meeting a public health need — It was a way to address feminism, antiracism, allyship and destroying white supremacy.
The film includes interviews with College of Ethnic Studies Dean Grace Yoo and Asian American Studies Associate Professor Chrissy Lau, among many other “Aunties.”
A Q&A and reception with filmmaker Valerie Soe and Auntie Sewing Squad founder Kristina Wong follows the screening. Wong will also sign copies of her new book, “Auntie Kristina's Guide to Asian American Activism. The event is sponsored by the Asian American Studies Department, the School of Cinema Marcus Chair and AA CARES.
SFSU faculty and staff alumni are invited to join a guided tour of the Mashouf Wellness Center and Gator Health Center on Wednesday, Oct. 14, noon – 2 p.m., followed by lunch at the Yerba Buena Dining Center. Participants will learn about the programs, services and resources these departments offer to support the well-being of SFSU employees.
The event will also include information about the SFSU FitPlus Program, an affordable wellness opportunity that helps employees stay active, connect with the campus community and receive personalized support from Kinesiology student interns through health and fitness coaching. Participants will enjoy a quick FitPlus stretch and movement demonstration to experience the program firsthand. It’s also an opportunity to reconnect with fellow Gator alumni who now work at SFSU.
Please RSVP for the campus fitness tour by Wednesday, Oct. 7. Space is limited.
SFSU Spotlight
Priyanvada Abeywickrama, professor of English, has been selected as a Fulbright specialist for 2026 – 2029. Recipients are selected based on their academic and professional achievements, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the United States and abroad.
As a Fulbright specialist, Professor Abeywickrama received an award to travel to Sri Lanka this summer to help with national curriculum and assessment reforms that are underway. During her monthlong visit, she conducted numerous workshops and held meetings with several Ministry of Education committees involved in the education reforms.
Because the invitation for Professor Abeywickrama’s expertise was made by the prime minister of Sri Lanka, her visit garnered press and social media attention.
Photo courtesy of Priyanvada Abeywickrama
At Socialism 2026, Labor and Employment Studies Lecturer Faculty Jaz Brisack presented “Inside Organzing 101” and participated in the closing plenary panel “We Want it All: Reclaiming the World from the Rich and the Right.” This conference was held Sept. 4 – 7 in Chicago.
Creative Writing Lecturer Faculty Adam L. Sussman serves as a director in the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival, to be held Friday, Sept. 18 – Sunday, Sept. 27, in San Francisco.