2021 Fall Welcome Address from President Mary A. Papazian

Hello, members of the San José State campus community! I am delighted to welcome all of you to the Fall 2021 semester. And what a semester this promises to be! I, for one, am very much looking forward to the repopulation of our campus and getting back to some semblance of pre-pandemic normalcy.

Update on efforts to address systemic racism on campus

Sparked by heartbreak, outrage, and protests following the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, in June our campus turned inward to address institutional racism in the wake of the recent attacks against Black/African American individuals in our nation. We vowed to develop actionable plans to address systemic racism on our campus in the short-term and long-term. As we approach the end of the calendar year, I would like to share some highlights about our progress.

Examining Our Actions and Opportunities for Change

The global protests we continue to see following the unconscionable killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers—just one of many recent incidents involving systemic racism in our society—remain on all our minds and in our hearts. In addition to raising awareness, people are now demanding real, tangible action. Action by our institutions. Action by our leaders. And, yes, action by our universities.

Call for Community in Light of Recent Racist Attacks Against African-Americans

These past few months have been very difficult for all of us. But with recent national news reports centering on the violent killing of George Floyd by a police officer on Memorial Day and the dangerous racial profiling of Christian Cooper in Central Park, the last several days have been particularly painful for many members of the SJSU community.