Energize Programs

The strength of any university lies in the relevance of its programs and the rigor of its curriculum. Strong programs are magnets that attract faculty and students who want to explore innovative ways to shape their lives and the world around them. SF State already offers numerous nationally ranked academic programs. Bold Thinking provides opportunities to invest in these as well as in other high-potential areas.

The Lam Family College of Business, for example, plans to establish an Institute for Innovation to meet the demand for more extensive entrepreneurship education and hands-on experience, as well as a Center for Ethical Business, which will integrate our business curriculum with ethical best practices across industries.

Responding to the call for more professional development opportunities, the College of Health & Social Sciences will launch new simulation labs to help students develop the diagnosis and communication skills they’ll need on the job. We will also expand training partnerships with area hospitals and health care centers to position our students as competitively as possible in sought-after health professions such as nursing, physical therapy, and gerontology.

The Graduate College of Education, which has certified nearly 70 percent of San Francisco’s teachers, envisions establishing a Center for School and Community Partnerships. The center would offer programs to curtail the long-term educational, income, and health effects associated with childhood poverty, which even today affects a staggering number of Bay Area youth.

Preserving and digitizing the J. Paul Leonard Library’s renowned Bay Area TV Archives — a unique collection of extensive news footage — will allow the University to permanently document and make accessible coverage of the Bay Area’s history, politics, culture, and social movements. Meanwhile, the digitization of the Belva Davis Archive and the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Archive will promote scholarship related to two of California’s most prominent public figures and serve as a distinctive complement to the University’s Willie L. Brown, Jr. Fellowship program for students pursuing careers in public service.

In short, campaign support will generate effective new ways to link students, industry, and communities while helping the University prepare students for high-demand jobs. The campaign will also attract the resources our students and faculty can use to address complex issues at the local, state, national, and global levels.