August 23, 2024 - Welcome to the New Semester

Dear Campus Community, 

Welcome to the start of the 2024–25 academic year. If you are half as excited as I am to kick off the semester and renew our mission of making Chico State the best possible experience for our students and each other, it’s going to be a phenomenal semester. 

At my Convocation address yesterday, I emphasized the need for all of us to work together and share ideas to make the University a great place to work. I look forward to the work we will do to complete a Chico State Playbook (strategic plan) and Community Agreements, and to reimagine Academic Affairs. I also hope we can foster a community of trust and transparency, one that openly discusses and works through challenges, whatever they might be, together. In that spirit, I want to provide a few updates before classes start on Monday: 

• The New BSS Building: When we broke ground 18 months ago, we planned for the building to open for the fall 2024 semester. In retrospect, that was an ambitious goal, as constructing and fine-tuning a 94,000-square-foot building with cutting-edge technology and flexible design principles is not a simple process. While we are close to finishing, it’s not quite ready to be the incredible learning and working space we know it will be. 
  
  There is good news, however. Just this week, the fire marshal signed the building over to the University and employees have had the opportunity to go in and begin unpacking and setting up their spaces. We need to complete the installation of telecommunications and network connectivity equipment, and then ITSS can finish getting classrooms set up for students and offices ready for occupants. We look forward to opening the building and plan on celebrating it in a big way. Stay tuned. I’m confident it will be worth the wait. 

• Office Hours with the President: You may know I taught economics for 20 years. I loved when students and colleagues would drop by for informal conversations. So, I’m going back to my roots and holding office hours again where you can sign up for a 15-minute, one-on-one appointment and share what’s on your mind. You will find the link to sign up here. 

• Brown Bag Lunches: Building off last year’s success, I’m once again hosting a series of small brown bag lunches for faculty, staff, and students at the Warrens Center. With 10 guests at each gathering, the lunches provide an opportunity for colleagues to share thoughts and ideas and engage in meaningful discussions. Guests bring their own lunch, and my office provides beverages and dessert. Signups went fast in spring so don’t delay!  

Again, welcome back and best wishes for the start of the new semester. Thank you for all you do to make Chico State the exceptional institution it is. Have a great weekend.