SFSU begins new academic year with “wind in our sails”
This year’s Opening Convocation celebrated a growing student community and a renewed focus on career preparation and upward mobility
San Francisco State University is heading into the 2026-27 academic year with new momentum and a continued commitment to helping students turn their education into opportunity.
“We have wind in our sails,” President Lynn Mahoney told faculty and staff gathered Aug. 20 for SFSU’s annual Opening Convocation in McKenna Theatre. The traditional ceremony brings the University community together to mark the beginning of each academic year.
This fall, the University is anticipating 6,000 new students, with sizable increases among first-year, transfer and graduate students — about 700 more students, 10% more than last year.
Mahoney said the growth creates an opportunity to build on SFSU’s strengths as a destination for students seeking an accessible education in one of the world’s most dynamic cities.
“Our intensive strategic enrollment planning and the city’s growing reputation have combined to shift the tides and provide an opportunity to once again envision SFSU as a destination campus,” said Mahoney.
That momentum, Mahoney said, brings a renewed focus on not only bringing students to SFSU but also preparing them to thrive after graduation.
“Our commitment, here at SF State, to access and upward mobility is deep. As the world around us changes, we will continue to evolve our work to ensure that students have access to career and graduate school pipelines that lead to rewarding careers,” she said. “As part of our student success work, we will prioritize post-collegiate outcomes. This is about infusing what we do well with what will help students when they leave us.”
Other speakers included California Faculty Association chapter President Brad Erickson, CSU Employees Union SFSU Organizing Chair Matt Itelson, Staff Council Chair Mirna Vasquez and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Amy Sueyoshi. Administrators welcomed the six new tenure-track faculty members joining SFSU this year.
Convocation also featured an awards ceremony honoring distinguished faculty and staff:
Excellence in Service (Staff): Anarose Flores Schelstrate. For nearly 30 years, Schelstrate has been a cornerstone of the Department of Equity, Leadership Studies, and Instructional Technologies, providing critical administrative leadership and continuity across multiple academic programs.
Excellence in Teaching (Lecturer): Jonathon Whooley. Whooley has taught in SFSU’s Department of International Relations since 2014, offering courses across multiple modalities in international relations, foreign policy, security, cyber conflict, gender and criminal justice.
Excellence in Teaching (Tenured): Laura Moorhead. An associate professor of journalism, Moorhead bridges professional practice, scholarly inquiry and meaningful community engagement in her teaching. She pioneered a peer-led Supplemental Instruction program that has helped students succeed in a challenging gateway reporting course while fostering a supportive, collaborative culture.
Excellence in Professional Achievement (Tenured): Zhaoshuo Jiang. A professor of civil engineering, Jiang focuses his research on structural vibration, smart infrastructure, artificial intelligence, human-health monitoring and data-driven building design. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, holds two patents and has secured approximately $5.7 million in research funding.
Excellence in Service (Tenured): Mai-Nhung Le, Chair and Professor of the Asian American Studies department. Le’s leadership has spanned the department, college, university, CSU system and broader community. She has served in key roles, including chair of Asian American Studies, assistant dean, interim associate dean and executive director of AA CARES.
Jackson Wilson, chair of the Academic Senate, closed Convocation by encouraging the SFSU community to stay connected to the work of the Academic Senate so that we can all “continue to support the lives of our students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members as we continue to write our own story.”
Visit the Academic Senate website to learn more about this year’s Opening Convocation.
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