Sonoma State University

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Dear Sonoma State Community,

On Friday, we came together to mark the beginning of a new academic year and celebrate the community that makes Sonoma State such a special place.

At the Fall 2026 Kickoff, we also launched "Think Outside the Box," a new opportunity for our community to share ideas, aspirations, and possibilities for Sonoma State's future.

The idea is simple: great ideas can come from anywhere.

Our future will be shaped by the creativity, experience, perspectives, and commitment of people across our entire community. "Think Outside the Box" is one way to ensure their voices are heard, inviting all of us to imagine what is possible.

Throughout the morning, students, faculty, and staff added their ideas to our interactive installation. It was exciting to watch the installation begin to disappear beneath Post-it notes representing the hopes, ideas, and possibilities of our community.

But Friday's event was only the beginning.

Whether you joined us on Friday or weren't able to attend, I invite you to be part of the conversation. Visit Think Outside the Box to share what possibility excites you most for Sonoma State. Share one idea or several -- there are no limits outside the box.

In the weeks and months ahead, we'll continue sharing ideas and themes that emerge from the conversation and will look for opportunities to connect them with the work happening across the university.

Thank you for everything you do for our students, for one another, and for Sonoma State. I am excited about what lies ahead and the possibilities we will create together.

Let's keep thinking differently, imagining what's possible, and building our next chapter together.

Warmly,

Signature of Michael Spagna
Image removed.

Archive

What welcome sights and sounds late summer brings to Sonoma State University. Warm days yield to increasingly cooler nights, and as we watch new generations of ducks and geese take flight from and return to the Lakes, hints abound of the fall season just around the corner.

 

Dear Campus Colleagues,

Dear Campus Colleagues,

February 15, 2023
 
 
Dear Campus Community,
 

Dear Campus Community,

Dear Campus Community,

And so, we meet again, presumably out of the proverbial woods with fire season officially at an end, but with winter already moving in with rain and wind and colder weather. This past month has been predictably busy, not only with the daily operations of a major university, especially with our current budget issues, but also with meetings, events, and tours I have had the privilege of attending. 

What a difference a month makes! When I prepared my greetings last month, the campus was settling into its fall swing, while I began to settle into my new role in the SSU community. Now, almost two months into the semester, as the temperatures cool and our work heats up, everything seems to be moving just as it should be. I feel fully welcomed into the Seawolf community, and am very optimistic about our collective future.

Dear Campus Community,

Despite the intense heat in Rohnert Park right now, it is, indeed, fall semester at SSU, with all of the fanfare and activity I associate with a robust and vibrant campus life. Which, given the past several years, is more than a simple observation – it is a statement of gratitude and hope.

Dear Sonoma State Campus Community,

I am truly honored to begin my journey today as interim president of Sonoma State University. 

As a first-generation college graduate, I know firsthand how the value of a college degree can transform the life trajectory of a student, their family, and the extended community – oftentimes for generations.

Dear Campus Community,