New partnership being developed for Junior Giants Urban Youth Academy

Dear faculty and staff:

As many of you know, for the past ten months the University has been in discussions with the San Francisco Giants Community Fund and Major League Baseball to develop a Junior Giants Urban Youth Academy here on campus.

Last week we agreed formally to open negotiations on the project and develop a detailed plan in further consultation with faculty and CSU. This agreement was announced to the nation yesterday by none other than President Barack Obama at the White House celebration honoring the Giants for their 2014 World Championship.

It was heartening to see President Obama praise both the Giants and SF State for our commitment. He stated:  “It’s the kind of initiative that fits right into our My Brother’s Keeper initiative to keep all of our young people out of trouble and give them the opportunity to stretch as far as their dreams will take them."

The planned partnership is a win-win for our University and the Giants. The intention is to build programming and facilities that will use sports to develop the leadership, teamwork and academic skills of children from underserved communities. SF State will form early connections with college-bound youth, and will get support toward maintenance of the athletic fields to be used jointly by the University and Academy. Once planning gets under way, I’ll look forward to hearing from you about how we can make the most of this opportunity. 

SF State and the Giants share a strong commitment to community and to the leadership development of our youth, and I hope you share my enthusiasm about the program's potential.  It is a great step forward in the execution of our campus-wide strategic plan.

Les Wong,
President