Aug. 17 Convocation marks start of new academic year
The annual welcome back event was held in-person and livestreamed
- By Strategic Marketing and Communications
San Francisco State University celebrated the beginning of the 2022 – 2023 academic year with its traditional Opening Convocation ceremony for faculty and staff Wednesday, Aug. 17. This year’s ceremony was held live in the University’s McKenna Theatre while also being livestreamed online. SF State President Lynn Mahoney, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Amy Sueyoshi, Professor of Biology and Academic Senate Chair Michael A. Goldman and other University leaders welcomed back faculty, staff and administrators.
In her remarks, President Mahoney pointed to the record number of residential students who recently moved in for the fall semester — nearly 4,600 — as just one of many signs that SF State has bounced back from the setbacks of the pandemic.
“Next week … we will welcome 6,000 new students to San Francisco State and more than 18,000 returning students. Almost 75% of our undergraduate classes are in person, as will more than 60% of our graduate classes will be face-to-face,” Mahoney said. “Once again, SF State will be a place where thousands of students and employees gather to learn, to develop, to work, to play and to be with one another in community.”
President Mahoney also discussed a number of University initiatives, including two construction projects expected to have a major impact on the campus: a new residential hall and the Science & Engineering Innovation Center, both expected to open in 2024. She closed by reaffirming the University’s commitment to the kind of transformative educational experiences that change lives.
“Educational equity — the need to do better by students historically underserved by higher education, particularly students from communities of color — must motivate all that we do,” she said.
In addition to addresses by other campus leaders, including the deans of SF State’s six academic colleges, California State Senator Scott Wiener spoke to the Convocation audience via a pre-recorded video. Wiener stressed the importance of the University to the city and its residents.
“SF State is such a critical part of San Francisco,” Wiener said. “It’s part of our heart and soul. Educating so many of our residents and our neighbors, educating so many people who are now in our workforce. We would not be San Francisco without SF State.”
Learn more about the 2022 – 2023 Opening Convocation ceremony on the Academic Senate website.