SF State Magazine

SF State Magazine celebrates 125 Years of University history

Steve Hockensmith — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 20:04:39 +0000

SF State Magazine celebrates 125 Years of University history

Author: Strategic Marketing and Communications

December 18, 2024

The Fall/Winter 2024 issue, now available online, includes a look at Alli Gator through the ages and a Q&A with alumna Annette Bening

The Fall/Winter 2024 issue of SF State Magazine marks a momentous occasion: San Francisco State University’s 125th birthday. Now available online, this special issue delves into the rich history, influential alumni and groundbreaking innovations that have shaped the University into what it is today.

Headlining the issue is a captivating Q&A with Academy Award-nominated actress and SF State alumna Annette Bening (B.A., ’80). In this exclusive interview by SF State Magazine columnist Ben Fong-Torres (B.A., ’66), Bening reflects on her time at SF State, her career and the enduring influence of her alma mater.

A feature on the University’s beloved alligator mascot traces its evolution from quirky beginnings to its current status as a sassy symbol of Gator pride. Another powerful story explores how the 1968 student strike that led to the creation of SF State’s College of Ethnic Studies inspired another group of activists — those fighting for LGBTQ rights.

This celebratory issue also includes:

“125 Surprising Facts About SF State”: A deep dive into little-known milestones and hidden treasures from the University’s storied history.
A very personal “My SF State Story” essay by alumna and University archivist Meredith Eliassen (B.A., ’88).
Updates on dozens of Gators using their SF State degrees to make a mark on the world.

Don’t miss this extraordinary tribute to 125 years of history, activism and pride. Check out the Fall/Winter issue of SF State Magazine now.

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Spring/Summer SF State Magazine spotlights groundbreaking Gator storytellers

Steve Hockensmith — Mon, 20 May 2024 22:22:22 +0000

Spring/Summer SF State Magazine spotlights groundbreaking Gator storytellers

Author: Strategic Marketing and Communications

May 27, 2024

Photo Credit: Patrick Makuakāne’s dance company lights up the stage at Burning Man in 2019; photo courtesy Patrick Makuakāne.

Whether through dance, photography, music, comics, books, radio or film, these SF State alums, students and faculty are finding innovative ways to tell their stories

SF State Magazine’s Spring/Summer 2024 issue, now available online and in print, explores inventive storytelling, with articles, profiles and even comics that shine a light on how Gators are sharing their perspectives with the world.

The issue’s cover story focuses on two groundbreaking choreographers — Associate Professor of Dance Ray Tadio and alumnus and kumu hula (master hula teacher) Patrick Makuakāne (B.S., ’89) — who use traditional dance to express who they are and where they come from. Another feature article presents a gallery of portraits of Gator musicians — with all the photos courtesy of Journalism students. In a first for the magazine, the center spread is a comic book-style exploration of the University’s Creative Nonfiction Comics Making certificate, also created by student artists. And journalism legend Ben Fong-Torres (B.A., ’66) returns to the magazine to conduct an in-depth interview with cryptocurrency pioneer and philanthropist Chris Larsen (B.S., ’84).

The issue’s departments expand on the storytelling theme with stories about the unique programming on campus radio station KSFS and a scientific illustration grant that supports the work of artists through SF State’s Estuary & Ocean Science Center. And the magazine is filled with profiles of amazing Gator storytellers, including:

Community newspaper pioneer Juan Gonzales (B.A., ’70)
“Olgies” podcaster Alie Ward (B.A., ’99)
Twin writing team/alums Shawneé and Shawnelle Gibbs (both B.A., ’02)
And much more!

Check out the full issue of SF State Magazine now.

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SF State Magazine highlights University’s environmental efforts

Steve Hockensmith — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 20:38:57 +0000

SF State Magazine highlights University’s environmental efforts

Author: Strategic Marketing and Communications

November 29, 2023

Photo Credit: A starry sky at SF State's Field Campus captured by Scott Fin

New issue focuses on Gators thinking globally and acting locally (and beyond)

SF State Magazine’s Fall/Winter 2023 issue puts the environment in the spotlight. Now available online, the issue includes articles about the many ways San Francisco State University alumni, students and faculty are working to explore and protect the planet.

In some ways San Francisco State’s best-kept secret, the Sierra Nevada Field Campus gets some much-deserved attention in a feature story about this bastion of earth science, art and learning in the middle of the wilderness. Another feature, “Money Matters,” explores the ways forward-thinking alumni, students and faculty are demonstrating how investors can bankroll environmental sustainability (and turn a profit doing it). The feature “Forces of Nature” offers up 14 ways the University is engaged in environmental stewardship. And a special video feature, “Driven to Help the Planet,” highlights an enterprising student’s efforts to create a mobile “tiny home” using recycled and renewable materials.

The magazine’s departments are filled with environmental angles, too, including a story about a new Sustainable Materials Learning Library that’s helping students get a handle on earth-friendly design. SF State Magazine columnist (and legendary journalist and Gator) Ben Fong-Torres contributes a conversation with alumna Allison Crimmins, director of the federal government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment. The magazine’s Five Questions Q&A department expands to more questions (and more subjects) than usual with a discussion with the three co-directors of the University’s new hub for climate change-related activities, Climate HQ. Alumna Lisa D. White (B.A., ’84), director of education at UC Berkeley’s Museum of Paleontology, offers up a very personal “My SF State Story” exploring how her and her sisters’ endowment for scholarships for SF State students honors their remarkable parents, who met on campus in the 1950s. And, as always, the magazine is packed with profiles of amazing Gators, including:

Activist and “environmental pit bull” (according to The Wall Street Journal) Randy Hayes
Sustainable gardening expert and entrepreneur Lori Caldwell
Sausalito Resiliency and Sustainability Manager Catie Thow Garcia
And many more!

Check out the full issue of SF State Magazine now.

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‘Dream teams’: New SF State Magazine highlights Gator athletics past and present

Steve Hockensmith — Wed, 31 May 2023 17:30:27 +0000

‘Dream teams’: New SF State Magazine highlights Gator athletics past and present

Author: Strategic Marketing and Communications

June 2, 2023

Photo Credit: SF State athletes in action

The Spring/Summer 2023 issue looks back at legendary football coach Vic Rowen and the support that today’s student-athletes get from the University

As thousands of newly minted Gator graduates wind down from Commencement and begin life’s next chapter, San Francisco State University’s alumni magazine is back with a new issue. The semiannual, award-winning publication is mailed to 80,000 alumni and friends of San Francisco State. It can also be found throughout the campus.

The cover story explores how the University’s sports programs produce successful student-athletes who don’t just win games and make the Dean’s List but also learn to become champions in a holistic and healthful sense as well. It also takes a nostalgic look at the career of former Gators football coach Vic Rowen, who helped invent an approach to the game that would influence the long careers of his players and assistants — among them Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid. Online exclusive bonus content includes Rowen’s coaching universe, action photos from recent Gator sporting events and a dedication to a late colleague.

The issue also includes interviews with:

Vitka Eisen, an alumna who overcame addiction and now is CEO of the same nonprofit that helped save her life
John Logan, the chair of SF State’s Labor and Employment Studies Program, discussing the reinvigorated union movement
Chanda Daniels, an alum whose wedding planning skills emphasize the unique considerations of LGBTQ+ couples and people of color on their special day
Ben Fong-Torres, the alumnus, famed music journalist and now SF State Magazine columnist
And much more!

As usual, the Class Notes section is filled with achievements of alumni spanning seven decades. The issue closes with Associated Students President (and now alumna) Karina Zamora sharing her SF State story.

Check out the full issue of SF State Magazine and exclusive online content.

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Alumni share their stories in Fall/Winter SF State Magazine

Steve Hockensmith — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 22:48:53 +0000

Alumni share their stories in Fall/Winter SF State Magazine

Author: Strategic Marketing and Communications

November 30, 2022

Photo Credit: Deanne Fitzmaurice

The new issue also spotlights campus art and offers a fun new feature: an SF State-themed puzzle

Inspiring alumni stories take center stage in the Fall/Winter 2022 SF State Magazine, now available online.

The issue’s cover subject, Michael J. Payton (B.A., ’15), reveals how a video he posted to YouTube landed him his dream job: directing the recent Black Entertainment Television documentary “The Murder Inc Story.” Biomedical scientist Chinomnso Okorie (B.S., ’17; M.S., ’19) discusses how she’s using community-engaged research to track and fight health disparities in the Bayview. Señor Sisig co-founder Evan Kidera (B.A., ’04; MBA, ’14) delves into the backstory behind his growing Filipino food empire. And Juan Acosta (B.A., ’19) traces his journey from teenager campaigning for a local pride proclamation to nationally recognized activist walking the halls of the White House.

The issue also includes a photo tour of cool campus art and a Q&A with new University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Amy Sueyoshi. As always, the Class Notes section is loaded with alumni updates. And there’s a first for the magazine — an SF State-themed crossword puzzle and contest. Get all the details on the SF State Magazine website.

The magazine site also features an online exclusive: Behind the Scenes, a candid look at the creation of the new issue. Getting just the right shot for a magazine’s cover is rarely easy, but when you’ve got a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer on the job you can be confident that stunning pictures are on the way.

Have any SF State Magazine feedback or suggestions for future stories? Send an email to sfsumag@sfsu.edu.

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