May 8, 2023

News & Announcements

New Dean of College of Liberal & Creative Arts Dean, Nwankwo Ifeoma Kiddoe, smiles

Following a national search, Ifeoma Kiddoe Nwankwo has been appointed dean of the College of Liberal & Creative Arts at San Francisco State University effective Aug. 15. She is vice president for diversity equity and inclusion at Sarah Lawrence College. Prior, she served as an associate professor of English at Vanderbilt University, where she was also an affiliate in the Latinx Studies Program, Center for Latin American Studies and Center for Medicine, Health and Society. 

At San Francisco State, Nwankwo will oversee all academic, financial and administrative functions of the College, which has one of the largest and most comprehensive academic programs devoted to the liberal and creative arts in Northern California. Comprised of disciplines in the literary, media, performing and visual arts, the College provides unique opportunities for specialized focus, collaboration, interdisciplinary learning and multidisciplinary pursuits. Nwankwo will also guide initiatives focused on excellence in the liberal arts funded by a transformational $25 million gift from alumni George and Judy Marcus. 

“Dr. Nwankwo is the consummate teacher-servant-leader-scholar with a wealth of experience in many areas of academia,” said Amy Sueyoshi, SF State’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The entire San Francisco State community is poised to benefit from her expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion as well as the liberal arts. Thank you to the search committee and the larger College community for their commitment and service in identifying the new dean.” 

Nwankwo’s extensive administrative experience includes serving as director of the American studies program and associate provost for strategic initiatives and partnerships at Vanderbilt, as well as co-director of the Atlantic Studies Initiative at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her in-depth research focuses on U.S. African American, Caribbean and Afro-Latin American literature, music and popular culture. Her publications include the monograph “Black Cosmopolitanism” and the co-edited volume “Rhythms of the Afro-Atlantic World.” She is founding director of Voices from Our America, an international research, curriculum development and community engagement project.  

“I have long admired SF State’s unwavering commitment to social justice that is central to the work of the University,” Nwankwo said. “I am excited to join the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, where our world-class faculty are dedicated to inspiring the next generation of thinkers, makers and doers, as well as to providing an excellent education for students of all backgrounds.”  

Nwankwo earned her B.A. in English and Spanish from Rutgers University and her Ph.D. in English with certificates in Latin American Studies and African and African American Studies from Duke University. 

She replaces Andrew Harris, who left SF State to become executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Sophie Clavier, the dean of Graduate Studies, has served as interim dean this academic year. 

Three students stand in new state-of-the-art studio

With the quarantine of 2020 long in the rear-view mirror, SF State students are back to developing skills and making friends the old-fashioned way — in the flesh. Better yet, a new energy has emerged in George and Judy Marcus Hall for the Liberal and Creative Arts, the new building where students use state-of-the-art studios and labs to operate a radio station, produce television programs and much more. 

KSFS radio  

KSFS is the online student-run station based in the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) Department, representing the best of college radio with programming as diverse as San Francisco State itself. Students have the freedom to play and say pretty much whatever they like, leading to avant-garde playlists from all music genres (one DJ is still dedicated to spinning vinyl) and talk shows and podcasts on a range of topics.  

Samantha Ferro, Jennifer Gee and Alexandra Lopez host “Crave Radio”, airing Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. this semester. Each brings her own perspective and passion to her segment: Ferro focuses on the culture of her home country of Italy, Gee explores soul searching and Lopez discusses the San Francisco 49ers. 

“The BECA program has provided me with hands-on experience that you just can’t get outside of college. You can do radio, podcasting, video or script writing,” Gee said. “I get to learn with different people and see how they work and also learn about myself and how I work. You also go out of your comfort zone and grow as a person.” 

The three hosts only met last fall but already are completing each other’s sentences as if they’ve been lifelong besties.  

“Without SF State we could not do this,” Lopez and Ferro said in unison.  

Listen online 24/7 at BECA Media or download the app.  

‘Under SF’ 

Things can get zany in Marcus Hall when “Under SF” is filming at Studio One. The weekly variety show, produced by two BECA classes, brings in artists, musicians and social justice advocates, even sending in the clowns of the Finelli Circus. 

The hosts, producers, directors, writers and crew members — all students — operate in a professional television environment, preparing them for careers in the television industry. 

“It’s a really good experience learning how to work with a crew in a studio … having fun together while also being able to make mistakes and learning from our mistakes,” student Luna Cardenas said. “When it was my turn to direct, [we] came together with the production group. … We just worked together a lot. We all cared about each other and our work.” 

Watch “Under SF” on the BECA Media YouTube channel. 

‘State of Events’ 

Every Tuesday, BECA student journalists present a full-length television news program, “State of Events.” Broadcast from a set with a street-level view of Holloway Avenue, the show covers news from the SF State campus to the greater Bay Area. 

Watch “State of Events” on the BECA Media YouTube channel. 

BECAfest 

BECAfest is the annual showcase and celebration of the work produced by BECA students. Emulating Hollywood’s top award shows, the event features award-winning work in video, audio, writing and radio, among other categories. This year’s event takes place Friday, May 19, at 7 p.m. in Studio One. 

Film Finals 

At SF State, the media arts are on display beyond BECA and Marcus Hall. In the Fine Arts building, students in the School of Cinema — recognized as one of the nation’s top film schools — enjoy a soundstage, editing rooms and recording facilities developed with guidance from industry legends including Francis Ford Coppola.  

A Gator tradition for more than half a century, Film Finals is the juried showcase of the year’s best student films — and the city’s premier student cinema showcase. It returns to the Roxie Theater, at 16th and Valencia streets in San Francisco, on Tuesday, May 16, at 6 p.m.  

Related screenings of SF State Cinema student films include the Queer Film Finals, scheduled for the Roxie Theater on Monday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m., and the Animation Finals on Thursday, May 25, at 6 p.m. in the August Coppola Theatre on campus. 

Student managing four broadcasting screens

What started as a class assignment has turned into a national award for a student who has since graduated. Jae Hamilton is a first-place winner in the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts. Her speculative script for an episode of the U.K. teen sitcom “Derry Girls” brings a raucous yet thoughtful twist to a Catholic girls school in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. 

Hamilton (B.A./B.S., ’22) is among 300 student winners, representing 82 colleges and universities nationwide. They were honored at an awards ceremony at the festival on April 17 in Las Vegas. BEA is a leading international academic media organization that drives insights, excellence in media production and career advancement for educators, students and professionals. 

Hamilton wrote the script last fall as an assignment in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) 470: “Dramatic Writing for Television and Electronic Media.” The plot takes the “Derry Girls” protagonists to a shop in town where one of the characters gets in a dispute with the owner for overcharging for candy. In the episode’s secondary plotline, Hamilton takes the Derry girls as far from their comfort zone as she thought possible: to a museum exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe photographs, showcasing his trademark provocative images of nude men. 

“It’s hijinks, but the basis is taking care of your own and standing up for what you feel is injustice,” Hamilton said. “I wrote it because it’s funny, but it’s also about self-acceptance. Even though they are very simple characters, they deal with lots of different emotions and themes.” 

A double major in Visual Communication Design and Creative Writing, Hamilton entered San Francisco State as a transfer student after a career as a theatre props technician in Atlanta. She is pursuing a career in video game design, and her passion is writing plays.  

“Writing is my happy place. It always has been,” Hamilton said.  

Hamilton is not the only member of the SF State community to be honored at the BEA festival. Her BECA 470 instructor from last fall, Associate Professor Marie Drennan, garnered Best of Competition in the Mini-Episodic/Webisode category of the faculty scriptwriting competition. 

Three students holding their awards
A group of students smiling together outside

 The Division of Graduate Studies, Career Development and Office of Research and Sponsored Programs congratulate all 10 student delegates for participating in the 37th annual CSU Student Research Competition at San Diego State University on April 28 – 29. 

The following students earned first and second place in their respective categories. They competed against hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students across the CSU demonstrating innovation, academic excellence, creativity and a commitment to our shared social justice values and graduate education for the public good. 

  • Morgan Butler, M.A., Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts: “Watching Protests Unfold: An Analysis of Visual Framing in Live B.A.y Area Broadcast News Coverage of Black Lives Matter Protests.” First place, Behavioral, Social Sciences and Public Administration. 

  • Daniel Dubrovsky, M.S., Quantitative Economics: “Markup Madness!” First place, Business, Economics, and Hospitality Management. 

  • Preet Agnihotri, M.S., Astronomy and Astrophysics: “Giant Radio Galaxies in MeerKAT Legacy Surveys.” Second place, Physical and Mathematical Sciences. 

San Francisco State University’s 122nd Commencement ceremony is Friday, May 26, at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Volunteers play a crucial role in the success of this special day that celebrates the Class of 2023’s academic achievements. There are still key ambassador positions that need to be filled and we would appreciate the campus community’s support in bringing this special event to life. Please consider signing up to help. Ambassador assignments will be 1:30 – 9:30 p.m.  

As in years past, all ambassadors are asked to: 

  • Get approval from their supervisor 

  • Attend at least one ambassador informational training via Zoom for their assignment (Training dates are May 22, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., and May 23, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.). 

Many assignments involve large amounts of walking and standing, so should you require any accommodations in this regard please note them on the sign-up form under “Questions or requests.”  

If you have questions, please contact Dania Russell

We are asking faculty to please consider signing up to be a faculty marshal to help celebrate the Class of 2023’s graduation from SF State. Assignments will be from 2 to 9:30 p.m.  

As in years past, all marshals are asked to attend at least one informational training via Zoom for their assignment (Training dates are May 22, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., and May 23, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.). 

If you have questions, please contact Ken Maeshiro

SF State Transforms, a campus National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE grant, has released a spring 2023 project newsletter highlighting faculty and the project’s equity-focused efforts to transform campus. This newsletter, the project’s fifth, celebrates the accomplishments of Assistant Dean Valerie Francisco-Menchavez, announces this year’s PERC Portal Launch and highlights Transforms programs, partnerships and other campus equity efforts.  

Please view the newsletter on the SF State Transforms website or reach out to transforms@sfsu.edu for more information. 

Three College of Liberal & Creative Arts faculty members are this year’s recipients of the Marcus Transformative Research Award. The awards will support research in subjects that include the potential for aesthetics and art to enhance cultural understanding, ballroom culture as a space for both healing and celebration, and an examination of racism, xenophobia and homophobia through the lens of Korean pop music. 

Winners: 

  • Hamid Khani, Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts 

  • Johnny Symons, Cinema 

  • Yutian Wong, Theatre and Dance 

The award provides one semester leave with pay and a $3,000 research budget. The award is made possible by the George and Judy Marcus Funds for Excellence in the Liberal Arts, which was established in 2018 with a $25-million gift to SF State. 

Learn more about the award-winning projects. 

The SF State Academic Senate met on Tuesday, May 2, at Seven Hills and via Zoom. A summary of the meeting follows.  

  • The Senate adopted by general consent Revision to Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 Academic Calendar. 
  • The Senate adopted by general consent Revision to S20-279 First Year Experience (FYE) Committee. 
  • The Senate passed Administrative Graduation Policy (new). 
  • The Senate passed the following items: 
    • B.S. in Computer Science, more than 70 units. 
    • B.S. in Electrical Engineering, more than 70 units. 
    • B.S. in Computer Engineering, more than 70 units. 
    • B.A. in Music, more than 45 units. 
    • B.A. in Journalism, Concentration in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, Title change.  
    • B.A. in Journalism, Concentration in Print and Online Journalism, Title Change. 
    • B.S. in Business Administration, Concentration in General Business, new program. 
    • M.A. in Chinese, Distance Education Authorization. 
    • B.A. in Chinese, (Language concentration), Distance Education Authorization. 
    • B.A. in Chinese, (Literature concentration), Distance Education Authorization. 
    • B.A. in Chinese, (Flagship concentration) Distance Education Authorization. 
    • B.A. in Labor and Employment Studies, Distance Education Authorization. 
  • The Senate heard in first reading: 
    • Grading Policy (new). 
    • Policy on Department and Equivalent Unit By-Laws. 
    • Revision to S19-180 Search Committees for San Francisco State University Administrators 
    • Resolution to Reinstate and Recast the Teaching Effectiveness Assessment Task Force. 
    • Revision to S06-24 the All-University Committee on Disability. 
    • B.A. in Child Development Pre-K to 3rd Grade, new program 
    • B.A. in Women and Gender Studies, Reducing units > 20% from 39 to 30 units  
    • Minor in California Studies Reducing units >20% from 21 to 15 units 
    • Minor in Pacific Asian Studies, Transfer Administrative Housing  
    • B.A. in Business, Concentration in Business Analytics  
    • Certificate in Teaching Post-Secondary Reading, Distance Education Authorization  
    • B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Distance Education Authorization 
    • Certificate in Teaching Post-Secondary Reading, Distance Education Authorization  
    • Certificate in Teaching of Composition, Distance Education Authorization  
    • M.A. in Composition, Distance Education Authorization  
    • B.A. in Creative Writing, Distance Education Authorization 

The full agenda, meeting materials and minutes can be found on the senate website.  

This is the last week of interviews with candidates for the College of Ethnic Studies dean. The campus community is invited to attend the candidate presentation followed by Q&A and a light reception in LIB 244. Katynka Martinez will be interviewed on Tuesday, May 9, from 2:15 to 3:35 p.m. in LIB 244 and via Zoom.  

Information about all candidates can be found on the Academic Affairs and Office of the Provost website

The SF State Academic Senate will meet Tuesday, May 9, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. virtually via Zoom and in person at Seven Hills for their fifteenth meeting of the academic year. Visitors who wish to attend please contact the Senate office at senate@sfsu.edu for a Zoom link.  

The agenda includes: 

  • Recommendation from the Academic Policies Committee Grading Policy (new), in second reading. 
  • Recommendation from Faculty Affairs Committee Policy on Department By-Laws, in second reading. 
  • Recommendation from Strategic Issues Revision to S19-180 Search Committees for San Francisco State University Administrators Policy, in second reading. 
  • Recommendation from Executive Committee Resolution to Reinstate and Recast the Teaching Effectiveness Assessment Task Force, in second reading. 
  • Recommendation from Executive Committee Revision to S06-24 the All-University Committee on Disability charge, second reading. 
  • Recommendations from the Campus Curriculum Committee in second reading: 
    • B.A. in Child Development Pre-K to 3rd Grade, new program 
    • B.A. in Women and Gender Studies, Reducing units > 20% from 39 to 30 units  
    • Minor in California Studies Reducing units >20% from 21 to 15 units 
    • Minor in Pacific Asian Studies, Transfer Administrative Housing within LCA 
    • B.A. in Business, Concentration in Business Analytics  
    • Certificate in Teaching Post-Secondary Reading, Distance Education Authorization  
    • B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Distance Education Authorization 
    • Certificate in Teaching Post-Secondary Reading, Distance Education Authorization  
    • Certificate in Teaching of Composition, Distance Education Authorization  
    • M.A. in Composition, Distance Education Authorization  
    • B.A. in Creative Writing, Distance Education Authorization 

The full agenda, meeting materials and minutes can be found on the senate website.  

The inaugural Campus Memorial Service for students will be held on Wednesday, May 10, from 4 to 5 p.m. next to the Ruth Asawa Garden of Remembrance, between Burk Hall and Fine Arts. Remarks will start at 4:15 p.m.  

The purpose of this event is to bring members of the campus together over our community’s loss of life from the past year. Light refreshments will be served, and an opportunity to leave written memories and reflections will be provided. For more information, please see the event flier or contact the Dean of Students Office

The Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) department presents the annual Electronic Waste Disposal Event on Wednesday, May 10, and Thursday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Creative Arts Quad/Centennial Walkway. 

The department anticipates a high volume of students, staff and faculty transitioning from the spring semester to summer. The event provides an opportunity to dispose of electronic waste, preventing improper disposal of potentially dangerous and toxic wastes to our landfills. 

If you have questions, please contact EHS at sfehs@sfsu.edu or 415-338-2565 or DK at 415-542-8046.

Join colleagues and counterparts from across the California higher education events industry for the 2023 CSU Event Professionals Network Conference. The network’s signature event will feature a mix of roundtable and traditional sessions, networking opportunities, the annual awards ceremony and so much more! 

  • What you’ll learn: Explore the latest trends and best practices in higher education events and build your professional network in semi-structured sessions and activities. 
  • Who it’s for: Event professionals working at higher education institutions in California 
  • Dates: Wednesday, June 28 – Friday, June 30 
  • Where: Seven Hills Conference Center  
  • Registration fee: $150 per person. Includes conference admission, continental breakfast Thursday and Friday, and lunch Thursday and Friday.  

The Office of International Programs and the Division of International Education invite faculty to apply to teach abroad the summer of 2024 at our bilateral exchange partner, the University of Aarhus. The deadline to apply for summer 2024 is in early August 2023. 

Visit the University of Aarhus website for more information. 

Joe Hawley smiles next to clay structure

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Joe Hawley of Cloverdale, who passed away peacefully on April 19, just a few days after his 85th birthday. He was surrounded by his family and loved ones, and knew he was loved by students and colleagues far and wide. His great skill as a teacher, his endless artistic creativity, and his playful spirit will be forever missed. 

Hawley was a shining star in the ceramics world from a very young age, and is considered a pioneer in the early California Glass Arts movement. He became a tenured professor of ceramics at San José City College at just 21 years old, while completing his MFA in Glass Sculpture at San José State University. Shortly after, he moved on to become a professor at San Francisco State University, where he taught Art for nearly three decades.  

Teaching ceramics and glass at SFSU, and through his unique and indomitable creative spirit, he influenced countless creative minds over the years. His “Events” of the 1960s, in collaboration with artist Mel Henderson, are the stuff of legend, notably his Oil and Yellow Cab events, which were featured in the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive show “State of Mind: New California Art Circa 1970.” Hawley founded the Hot Glass Department at SFSU, one of the first university hot glass shops in the country. He also taught regularly at the University of Hawaii, where — besides having a very good time — he founded Raku Ho’olaule’a, an annual beach-fired ceramics event which has been going strong for over 45 years.  

Besides teaching and his extensive involvement in many of the creative “Events” in the ’60s, Hawley spent years collaborating with industrial ceramics companies such as Gladding McBean and Mission Clay Products, where he created many of the large-scale ceramic pipe sculptures that he is known for. His extensive travels around the world also became a catalyst for much of his work, such as “Song of India,” a series of hanging and stacked pieces that were created after a sabbatical to the glass bead factories in India.  

He retired from SFSU in 1995, moving into the old Alder Glen District County School, a turn-of-the-century, one-room schoolhouse located just outside of Cloverdale, which he turned into his studio and art gallery. From there — for nearly 30 years — he continued his relentless exploration of art and sculpture through ceramics, glass and mixed media, including metal, polyurethane foam, plastic toys, found objects, bronze and concrete. His on-site creative projects include a 40-foot concrete art wall called “The Edge” and, famously, a woodpecker-riddled wall of the schoolhouse, which the gallery framed and embellished with colored glass. He called this his “Collaboration with Woodpeckers.” Though Hawley is now gone, the woodpeckers continue on with this work.  

Hawley loved the community of Cloverdale deeply, and was very proud of the little town he lived in. He supported and participated in the Cloverdale Alliance and Cloverdale Sculpture Trail over many years. He also loved beer and live music and up until very recently could be found enjoying the lively outdoor events of the area, especially Friday Night Live and Tuesday nights in the Healdsburg Plaza. 

He was the last of his generation, predeceased by his sisters Hazel and Vivian and his brother Warren. He is survived by his loving daughter Jorin and her partner Hannes, his longtime girlfriend Wendy and his devoted caregiver Robin. He had a loving family, a huge group of friends and a giant student fan base, so his loss is truly and deeply felt. 

We will all be dutifully looking after the woodpeckers for him.   

Interviews of Joe speaking of his life and career can be found on the Cloverdale Sculpture Trail website

— Obituary by Mark Johnson 

Spotlight

Katharyn E. Boyer, professor of Biology and interim executive director of the Estuary & Ocean Science (EOS) Center, co-writes an op-ed for the Marin Independent Journal on April 28 urging renewed support for the center. Boyer’s co-author is Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters. 

“The campus is home to science education programming that sparks imaginations and inspires a next generation’s interest in science and awareness of critically important environmental issues,” they wrote. “Graduates from the EOS Center’s programs populate the state’s natural resource and regulatory agencies and are highly sought for their strong interdisciplinary and applied science skills. 

“The loss of this valuable training would reverberate for generations at a time when our region sorely needs innovative problem-solvers.” 

As First Republic bank was about to collapse, Associate Professor of Economics Venoo Kakar provided commentary in a San Francisco Chronicle story published April 27.  

She says other banks could help protect First Republic. “The largest banks could form another consortium and provide yet another liquidity injection (beyond the $30 billion),” she said. 

Kimberly DeBoer of the SF State volleyball team represented Gator Athletics and the California Collegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum April 13 – 16 in Baltimore. 

“I am so grateful to have been able to represent SFSU and the CCAA among the amazing leaders and administrators from across the country,” DeBoer said in a May 2 story on the Gator Athletics website. “This weekend taught me that in order to be a great leader, we need to connect back to our authentic selves to lead others and work with them. I was so grateful to connect with such an amazing group of people on my Green Team. Each one of us showed vulnerability which allowed us to grow and learn from the experiences we were sharing.” 

Associate Professor of English Language and Literature Robert Kohls discussed the benefits of ChatGPT for educators and students in an April 27 interview on KPIX-TV

“We can either run from it or we can lean into it. And I think it’s best we lean into it,” Kohls said. “Watching [students] learn, engage, think and reflect — I can’t think of a better way to spend my life than with people talking about my ideas. … 

“There’s a conversation going on [when using ChatGPT],” Kohls added. “You’re not just adopting something and not thinking about it. But there’s a reflective component that becomes essential.” 

Clare Sears, associate professor of Sociology and Sexuality Studies, spoke at “Legalize Drag,” an event held at the Oasis nightclub in San Francisco on April 29. The event was a fundraiser for LGBTQIA+ organizations in Tennessee. An April 26 story in the Bay Area Reporter discusses the event. 

Associate Professor of Public Health Vivian Chávez was a panelist on April 28 at “Form and Forces: A Celebration of the Work of Trinh Minh-Ha,” a symposium at UC Berkeley. The all-day event, presented by the Gender and Women’s Studies Department, provided critical engagement with the creative and scholarly work of the acclaimed feminist filmmaker, writer, music composer, literary theorist and former SF State associate professor of Cinema. 

Chávez was also selected to participate in the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Disease, Pandemics and Public Health Summer Institute, a program for 30 college and university educators focused on the history of disease and public health in the U.S.  

Child and Adolescent Development Assistant Professor Rachel Flynn published a study titled “The unintended consequences of ‘lack of supervision’ child neglect laws: How developmental science can inform policies about childhood independence and child protection” in the Social Policy Report, a journal of the Society for Research in Child Development.  

The article reviews both U.S. and international policies regarding child neglect laws drawing attention to the fact that more stringent child neglect laws, such as those common in most U.S. states, may in fact be undermining children’s development. 

Valerie Francisco-Menchavez, assistant dean for restorative and transformative racial justice in the College of Health & Social Sciences, contributed two chapters to “Closer to Liberation: Pina/xy Activism in Theory and Practice” (Cognella, 2023), edited by Amanda Solomon Amorao, DJ Kuttin Kandi and Jen Soriano.  

The anthology brings together scholars, activists and practitioners writing and reflecting on Pina/xy activism. Francisco-Menchavez co-wrote “A Genealogy of Filipinas in the United States Rising, Resisting and Uniting Against Macho-Fascism” with Angelica Lim, Elaine Villasper and Irma Bajar. Her second chapter in the anthology is titled “Kasama-Mamas, Filipina Motherwork: Reflections on Mothering and Cultivating Capacity for Movement Building.” 

Public Health Lecturer Deborah Craig’s documentary about Communication Studies Professor Emerita Sally Gearhart has received a $20,000 grant from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. This organization supports organizations and projects related to journalism and the arts with a social justice focus and that can promote positive change. The funds will be used to help complete post-production. Craig and team hope to finish a rough cut of the film by the end of the year.  

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Professor Erik Peper and Pamela Jertberg authored the article “The Healing of Vulvodynia from the Client’s Perspective” in Biofeedback on April 26. The paper explores how a person was able to find relief from her condition by practicing biofeedback, meditation and visualization and working with a holistic health coach.  

Peper presented “Breath, Posture and the Future of Biofeedback” at AirHeads Breathwork Masterclass Live on May 1.  

Peper is a core faculty member in SF State’s Institute for Holistic Health Studies.