SFSU President Lynn Mahoney announces retirement

Mahoney will retire next summer after nine years leading San Francisco State University 

San Francisco State University President Lynn Mahoney announced Tuesday that she will retire next summer after nine years leading the University and 19 years of service to the California State University system. Mahoney will continue to serve as president while the CSU Board of Trustees conducts a national search for her successor.

“It has been an honor to serve the CSU and the greatest honor to serve as your president,” Mahoney said in a message to the campus community. She described the decision as deeply personal, saying that after nearly two decades in the CSU, she is ready to devote more time to her growing family. “Working with the best colleagues anywhere in service to our deeply engaged and talented student body has been a joy, but supporting my growing family, especially my beautiful granddaughters, calls.”

“President Mahoney’s candid, respectful and authentic two-way engagement with the university’s on-campus and extended communities has preserved and built on the spirit of activism, equity and inclusion that has been foundational to San Francisco State’s history,” CSU Chancellor Mildred García said. “The university and the CSU have been enriched in myriad ways by her leadership, and on behalf of the entire CSU, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for her dedication to the system and our students. Thanks in large part to President Mahoney’s extraordinary service, the future of San Francisco State is indeed bright.”

Mahoney’s tenure has included some of the most consequential challenges in the University’s recent history, from navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and demographic shifts to confronting enrollment declines and reductions in state funding. During that time, SFSU opened the Science and Engineering Innovation Center and Marcus Hall as well as two new residence halls, including West Grove Commons. The University also improved key graduation metrics, earned the Seal of Excelencia for its work serving Latinx students and raised $175.8 million in philanthropic support since Mahoney’s arrival. This fall, new student enrollment at SFSU increased by more than 10%.

Mahoney said her work will continue throughout her final academic year, with a focus on creating stronger pathways to internships and careers, increasing philanthropic support and continuing to reshape academic programs and administrative structures around the needs of current and future students. “I look forward to the work we will do this year and to supporting SFSU as it continues to meet its mission to serve students and the region,” she said.