Announcement from President Wong

Thursday, August 04, 2016

 

Dear San Francisco State community,

I am writing today with news that is exciting for the CSU system and at the same time sad for San Francisco State University.

Effective September 1, Provost and Vice President Sue Rosser will be leaving her post to join the Chancellor’s Office as Special Advisor on Research Development and External Partnerships. Provost Rosser will bring her expertise to the system-wide level in support of the mission of the CSU, with a particular focus on building research collaborations, mentoring new provosts and the Graduation Initiative, which requires that all CSU campuses significantly increase graduation rates by 2025. More information about Provost Rosser’s new appointment can be found on the Chancellor’s website.

Provost Rosser’s scholarly work spans decades. She has written more than 130 journal articles on the theoretical and applied problems of women and science and women’s health. She is also the author of 13 books, through which she has made significant contributions to understanding and promoting the role of women in science.

During her seven years on the SF State campus, Provost Rosser made a significant impact on our University. Some of her many accomplishments include:

  • Successful 10-year reaccreditation from WASC, representing the maximum time period for which WASC issues reaccreditation
  • Hiring of five College deans
  • Hiring of two deans of College of Extended Learning, one dean of Faculty Affairs, one dean of Undergraduate Studies, one associate vice president of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, one associate vice president of Academic Affairs Operations
  • Hiring of more than 209 tenure and tenure-track faculty
  • Initiating hires of clusters of faculty to increase interdisciplinary approaches to scholarship across the University
  • The tenure and promotion of more than 400 faculty
  • Managing the Academic Affairs budget during the Great Recession, which represented the worst cuts in California and CSU history

While the majority of her time will be spent working at the Chancellor’s office, we are fortunate that Provost Rosser will continue to spend 25 percent of her time working with me on special projects here at SF State.

I will appoint an interim provost by September 1, and will be making that announcement shortly. In addition, I am working with Senate Chair Troi Carleton to organize a search committee and plan the national search for a permanent provost.

Please join me in congratulating Provost Rosser on her new post at a celebration on August 19 from 2-4 p.m. on the Administration Building 5th Floor Patio (rsvp). I know she will continue to make a tremendous positive impact on the lives of our students in her new role.

Les Wong
President