Sonoma State Crier

College notebook: SRJC men’s basketball pulls into tie for 1st place in Big 8 The Bear Cubs play their regular-season finale at American River next Friday.

It freaks me out that all the programs cut from SSU because they prefer a vocational focus -- Art History, Theater, Dance, Athletics, Philosophy -- are alive and well at the ACTUAL vocational school next door? It's not about vocational opportunities. It's about killing the liberal arts.

New Sonoma State president outlines vision for university turnaround, but major changes still up in the air A year after the announcement of $24 million in budget cuts, sweeping layoffs and program closures left the SSU campus reeling, new leadership with $90 million in rescue funds outlines what’s…

People forget that the reason for the cuts was a $24M budget gap. The legislature showed up with $90M in new revenue, and all the cuts remained. The budget gap was never the reason. It was all a lie. Spagna is now the next installment in the lie.

Michael Spagna named new Sonoma State president after turbulent year for university The long-awaited announcement comes as Sonoma State University faces a major transformation amid $24 million in budget cuts but also a $90 million state windfall to rescue and reorient the embattle…

No wonder the search details were so secret. The sole job qualification was "demonstrated obedience to the Chancellor's Office." #FireMildredGarcia #ReplaceTheCSUBoardOfTrustees

Unless the new President repudiates and repairs what the old President did, it won't matter. SSU needs to be more vocational? SRJC has Art, Art History, Theater, and Dance. This was never about vocations. This was about destroying SSU. And that program is still being executed. #FireMildredGarcia

Gov. Newsom signs bill automatically admitting qualified graduates to the CSU SB 640 takes effect beginning with the 2026–27 academic year.

Good news, the problem with the Admissions Office has been solved. Now, let's get to the REAL problem: Making sure that there is something to be admitted to. Reinstate Philosophy, Geology, Art History, Theater, Dance, Language, WGS, Athletics, Physics, Economics, etc.

Sonoma State University, CA - Complete Profile, Rankings and Data Everything you need to know about Sonoma State University, CA, including acceptance rate, graduation rates, average cost, financial aid, alumni salaries, and more.

Money rates SSU one of America's Best Colleges. If SSU's administration commits to a program of academic and administrative excellence, including hiring the best people, not the most needy people, because the mission matters, rather than competing with its vocational neighbor SRJC, it might be true.

Another $45 million in aid for cash-strapped Sonoma State University on the way The windfall, announced Monday by state Sen. Mike McGuire, is the second $45 million infusion announced for Sonoma State in the last 50 days.

$90M. But still no way to restore Philosophy, Theater, Dance, or Art History, or to even discuss it. They want to turn SSU into a vocational school. But even junior colleges with vocational programs, like SRJC, have Theater and Art programs. Nothing makes sense.

Legislators: The law requires that you reinstate Division 2 Athletics at SSU. Will you commit to doing so?

Cutrer: No.

The defiance expressed in this meeting is the voice of Mildred Garcia speaking through her meat-shield, Emily Cutrer. Change will have to start at the top. #DissolveCSUTrustees

Assembly member Chris Rogers discusses the implementation plan.

Senate President Mike McGuire discusses $9M in discretionary funds that can be used to restore programs.

Assembly member Chris Cabaldon describes the extraordinary budget commitment from the legislature:

Almost ready to begin.

Live from the SSU legislative hearings. Someone thinks we don’t care. We care. It’s Standing Room Only.

North Bay legislators to discuss allocation of $45 million windfall at SSU forum Advocates for canceled Women’s & Gender Studies Dept. criticized lawmakers, SSU administrators for scheduling meeting on short notice, while faculty and students “have not yet returned to campus.”

We'll be there today. I hope the legislators are as angry as we are. CSU lied, they said the cuts were due to the budget, but then when the legislators restored the budget, they made the cuts anyway. This is public corruption. It is lies. It is misappropriation of funds. CSU Board of Trustees.

SSU supporters left to wonder if sports will return even after state windfall One day after news of the $45 million infusion, SSU’s interim president said sports won’t be back next year. Beyond, there’s much in debate.

Cutrer's disastrous leadership: "The school will have to rebuild its entire athletic department from scratch, including hiring a new athletic director, coaches, administrative support staff and recruiting enough athletes to field at least 10 teams, to be eligible for full NCAA membership."

‘Game changer’ or stopgap? $45 million windfall for SSU gets mixed reactions The rescue package comes with strict instructions on how funds must be spent, limiting opportunities to restore academic departments on the chopping block since January.

"Whatever fraction of the $9 million in discretionary funds ends up being spent to undo Cutrer’s sweeping reductions, it’s likely to disappoint...faculty and hundreds of students who’ve been organizing and protesting since January to restore programs and bring back downsized professors."

PD Editorial: SSU leadership has chance to turn $45 million reprieve into a renaissance Instead of deep cuts, Sonoma State University is receiving an infusion of money to recruit students and build new programs.

Cutrer's disastrous leadership led to this tragedy: "Although the deal includes $8 million over three years for Seawolves athletics, none of the teams is expected to return to the playing field next year. Most of the athletes transferred, and many of the coaches took other jobs."

‘Game changer’ for SSU: What the $45 million infusion from the state will go toward The $45 million will be used to launch new programs and support the restoration of at least some academic tracks, faculty jobs and sports that have been on the chopping block since January.

It was all a lie. The budget wasn't the reason for the cuts, it was an excuse. Once the budget was restored, with even more, many of the same cuts will remain. Cutrer must be held accountable for lying to the campus community for six months.

Kent State University to close LGBTQ+, Multicultural and Women's centers to comply with state law The move to close the centers to comply with Senate Bill 1 comes after other major universities in Ohio have closed their diversity, equity and inclusion offices and ended their multicultural, women's...

You can tell how bad things have gotten when CSU Board of Trustees and the State of Ohio's assault on higher education are this tightly aligned. If the Board won't get rid of Garcia, then the board itself has got to go, by act of the legislature.

SSU enrollment chief on what’s being done to reverse sharp decline in student numbers Ed Mills, Sonoma State’s vice president of strategic enrollment, is spearheading the university’s effort to solve the most deep-rooted and intractable problem in its 64-year history.

Press Democrat asked all the right questions, but they mostly got non-answers, until the end, when Mills explained that the liberal arts deliver the most important job skills. But nobody will ever explain how killing the liberal arts gives you more of the job skills that the liberal arts give. #SSU

Opinion | The Strangling of Sonoma State How misbegotten ideals tanked California’s ‘Public Ivy.’

This article contains factual errors and misdiagnoses the core problem, which is not the GE pattern. But it gets some things very right, especially the importance of making the liberal arts accessible to new populations, rather than further isolating the liberal arts in elite schools.

This toxic proposal is to toss California's Master Plan for Higher Education, which made us the envy of the world, and replace it with who knows what, for who knows what reason, or who knows how it would be administered. Instead, ask how we can better realize the goals of the Master Plan.

Should California’s college systems be merged into one massive university? Under the proposed California University, the three segments — UC, CSU and community colleges — would be merged into a network of regional campuses — such as California University, San Joaquin Valley,...

More assaults on CA higher education. The right move would be to invest in higher education and make CA higher education the envy of the country, and a reason why people move to California. The economic impact would be extraordinary. No reason to tear it down.

PD Editorial: Sonoma State needs a leader to build bridges Sonoma State University faces an uncertain future with likely budget cuts and the loss of academic and athletic programs.

Useless article suggests that it is "unrealistic" to expect Philosophy and athletics as SSU, that massive cuts are inevitable. But there is nothing inevitable about the enrollment decline. It had a cause. The cause can be undone. The PD lacks the vision to see such a simple thing.

Can Young People Afford to Not Go to College? The president of Quinnipiac University makes the argument that while college is expensive, not going to college can cost even more.

This article assumes that if you go to college you'll get the kind of education that has historically proved very valuable. But if they go to SSU, where Philosophy isn't even offered, and the experience is increasingly tailored to vocational training, it might not be true any more.

Opinion | A.I. Will Destroy Critical Thinking in K-12 (Gift Article) The secretary of education said it would be a “wonderful thing.” Lots of parents disagree.

#SSU is not the only one disastrously and thoughtlessly deploying AI in education. "...We need to convince the people in charge of our schools — especially our elementary schools — that the zealous embrace of [artificial intelligence] is not the way forward."

The best you could say for Chancellor Garcia is that she is willing to shoot one of the CSU campuses in order to get money for the others. That makes her a hostage-taking terrorist -- at best. She must be removed.

Newsom’s revised budget holds some good news, but no salvation for embattled SSU The revised plan calls for only a 3% cut, restoring $230 million to the 23-campus CSU system. “It’s good news, but it’s early news,” said state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon.

SSU's disinterest in reversing the cuts, even as new money arrives, proves that the budget was only an excuse for what they wanted to do anyway, and they're still going to do it anyway, whether there is a budget crisis or not. Remove Chancellor Garcia.

Newsom lowers proposed CSU cut from 7.95% to 3% In 2025-2026, the California State University system will face a proposed $143.8 million reduction to its General Fund instead of $375.2 million, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May revision summary ...

BUDGET CRISIS CANCELLED!!!
But will the cuts that were allegedly required by the budget crisis be rolled back, or was the "budget crisis" not the problem after all, but only an excuse? Time will tell.