July 2013 President Wong Summer Message

It's hard to imagine that more than a month has passed since commencement and I hope you'll pardon this short intrusion into your summer activities. As we approach the start of the new academic year I want to take the opportunity to reach out to our dedicated faculty and staff to highlight some features of the year ahead. As many of you may have read, the California Legislature has passed a budget that includes a modest increase of $125 million to the CSU and our share of that increase will total about $8.5 million. This increase is welcomed after years of cuts, but we remain a long way away from fully restored funding levels. The task ahead of us is to unpack from the budget contraction in smart and meaningful ways and I am hopeful that our new strategic plan will help guide those decisions. I am pleased to announce that our planning process is underway and that we have assembled a coordinating committee to lead that effort. You can find the committee membership by visiting the president's office website. It is a talented and dedicated group, but they will need your help and active participation to be effective. I hope you will seek out opportunities to become involved in the planning process to help chart the future of this great university. As we welcome the class of 2017 this fall, we continue to experience significant personnel transitions. On July 2nd Ron Cortez took over as our new Vice President of Administration and Finance. He brings a wealth of experience with him and I hope that you'll join me in welcoming him. We have a search underway for a new dean of undergraduate studies and this fall we will begin searches for a permanent Vice President of Student Affairs, dean of the Graduate College of Education and dean of the College of Liberal and Creative Arts. Searches for key campus leaders coupled with a robust strategic planning effort are just a few of the projects that will make this an exciting and eventful year at SF State. I also hope to engage more directly with faculty this year to learn first-hand about the innovative teaching and research that drives this place. No matter how busy things get, my mind won't stray far from one of my favorite memories of my first year at SF State. At our 112th commencement, I asked the students how many were the first in their families to graduate from college -- the sea of hands that went up was breathtaking. For me, that moment will always serve as a reminder of the power of our work. How lucky we are to know that what we do elevates our students while building the educational heritages of their families. Thank you for the important work you do and I look forward to a great year ahead.