Welcome back!

Dear campus community,

Welcome to 2020!

I hope everyone had a delightful and restful holiday season. I imagine many of you enjoyed some extra sleep, visited with friends, read a good book or participated in any number of festive holiday activities.
For myself, I find that the opportunity to spend time with my family helps to recharge my batteries in anticipation of the semester and year ahead. So that’s exactly what I did! I relaxed with my daughters and husband, watched a bit of SJSU sports and generally enjoyed the rare time off. It was great!
I also reflected on the wonderful fall commencement ceremonies that we completed just prior to the holiday break. I am so happy that we are now recognizing and honoring our mid-year graduates at this time each year. The joy they and their families experience at commencement are just as meaningful for these graduates as they are for our spring graduates, of course. 

So congratulations again to all of our recent graduates, and to the SJSU staff members who carried out a beautiful series of ceremonies. Our students and their families deserve the best, and that it just what was delivered to them. 

For this upcoming semester, I am happy to invite students, faculty and staff to sign up for office hours. This is one of several new initiatives that I hope will allow for more ongoing, informal interactions between myself and our campus community. You can learn more and sign up using this form.

Incidents involving hatred or intolerance of others based on their beliefs or identities continue to make headlines.

So please remember that San Jose State is a safe, welcoming place where all members of our community should feel comfortable. Throughout the year, we offer a wide range of services to students and employees who need support, including counseling and psychological services. Support is also available to SJSU staff and employees through our Employee Assistance Program.

Finally, we know that our fellow Spartans are the best resource at SJSU for ensuring that we remain a safe, caring, and inclusive community. Please be observant of your peers, fellow students and colleagues, and look out for one another, especially those who may be the most vulnerable.

As the new semester begins, I hope you will all join me in respect and appreciation for the unique diversity that sets us apart among our nation’s public universities. We must, and we will, continue to affirm our values for inclusion, equity, diversity, and basic safety for all of our campus communities.

Sincerely and with best wishes for 2020,

Dr. Mary A. Papazian

President