Sonoma State’s Future Is a North Bay Responsibility

Sonoma State University is facing one of the most important moments in its history.

A recent San Francisco Chronicle article described a campus hit hard by declining enrollment, budget cuts, faculty layoffs, the elimination of some academic programs, and the loss of athletics. It also described something harder to measure but just as important: a loss of energy, confidence, and campus pride. Students and faculty described parts of the university as feeling like a “ghost town.”

That phrase should capture our attention.

Not because Sonoma State is finished. It is not.

But because the university is too important to the North Bay for the rest of us to stand by as spectators.

Why I Care About This Moment

I write this not only as someone who cares deeply about the future of our region, but also as a member of the Sonoma State University Foundation Board of Directors and chair of its Advocacy and Philanthropy Committee. I do not speak for the university or the Foundation board, but that role gives me a close view of the challenges and opportunities ahead.

It also reinforces my belief that SSU’s recovery cannot rest on the president alone. It will require alumni, donors, employers, educators, civic leaders, and community members to see themselves as part of the solution.

Sonoma State is more than a campus in Rohnert Park. It is a regional institution. It educates local students and prepares future teachers, nurses, public servants, business leaders, nonprofit professionals, and community advocates. It provides jobs. It keeps young people close to home. It offers first-generation students and working families a nearby path to a four-year degree.

For many families, Sonoma State is not just one option among many. It may be the option that makes college possible.

That is why the current challenge facing the university should matter to all of us.

A President Stepping Into a Difficult Assignment

President Michael Spagna appears to understand the urgency of the moment. When he was appointed president in November, he described Sonoma State as a “vital anchor institution for the North Bay” and emphasized its deep ties to the community. That is exactly the right frame.

This is not only about saving a university’s budget. It is about protecting a public institution that helps shape the region's future.

Spagna’s early priorities are clear: increase enrollment, review and strengthen academic programs, explore the potential return of athletics, restore optimism, and build stronger community relationships. When he officially took office in January, he said his primary goal was to foster “a spirit of optimism and enthusiasm” for the university and the broader community. He also emphasized shared governance, transparency, and student-centered outcomes.

Those are not small goals. But they are the right ones.

Enrollment has declined sharply over the past decade. The university has faced a major budget deficit. State and CSU support may help stabilize finances in the near term, but long-term recovery will depend on whether students and families once again see Sonoma State as a place of possibility.

Spagna has said the first task is to show people why Sonoma State is a great place to be. That may sound simple, but it is exactly where a turnaround must begin.

Before people enroll, donate, advocate, or invest, they have to believe.

And belief is restored through visible progress.

The Story SSU Must Tell

Sonoma State still has many strengths. It has a beautiful campus. It offers small class sizes, hands-on instruction, and a more personal learning environment than many larger universities. It has strong housing assets. It has faculty and staff who care deeply about students. It is located in one of California's most desirable regions.

But those assets must be connected to a clearer story.

The question is not simply “How does Sonoma State survive?”

The better question is, “What does the North Bay need Sonoma State to become?”

That is where the broader community, including the SSU Foundation board, alumni, employers, donors, elected officials, and civic leaders, has a role to play.

The university cannot recruit its way out of this challenge alone. It needs champions.

Foundation board members and community partners can help open doors to employers seeking a stronger local workforce. They can support internships, scholarships, mentoring, career pathways, and applied learning opportunities. They can strengthen connections with school districts and community colleges. They can re-engage alumni who may have drifted away. They can support campus life, cultural programs, and student belonging.

Most importantly, they can help shift the conversation.

Right now, too much of the public narrative focuses on what Sonoma State has lost.

The next chapter must be about what Sonoma State can still become.

Rebuilding Trust Through Honest Progress

That does not mean ignoring the seriousness of the cuts or the pain felt by students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Trust is not rebuilt by pretending everything is fine. It is rebuilt by being honest about the challenge and by being disciplined about the work ahead.

In January, Spagna announced that the university was “reimagining” its future through new programs, revitalized academic offerings, and a fiscal feasibility study for athletics. He highlighted academic revisions aligned with workforce needs, including the integration of geology and environmental science, expanded health pathways, a new interdisciplinary health science major, growth in engineering and business offerings, a biomechanical engineering minor, and an online wine business MBA.

Those details matter.

They suggest that the path forward is not simply about restoring what was cut. It is about aligning Sonoma State’s future with the needs of students, families, and the region.

Where Philanthropy Can Make a Difference

That is where philanthropy can make a real difference.

A scholarship can help a local student stay in school.

A workforce partnership can connect a student to a career.

A gift to support student life can help restore a sense of belonging.

An investment in academic innovation can help SSU address the region’s needs across health care, education, business, environmental resilience, public service, and the arts.

Support for athletics, if it returns, must be tied to a sustainable financial plan. Spagna has been right that one-time funding alone cannot sustain an ongoing athletics program. School spirit matters. Athletics can matter. Campus life matters. But long-term recovery cannot be built on nostalgia alone.

It must be built on enrollment, student success, academic relevance, financial discipline, and community confidence.

Everyone Has a Role

Having spent much of my career working on community-wide strategies, I know that institutions recover when people stop asking, “Who is responsible for fixing this?” and start asking, “What is my role in helping?”

That is the mindset Sonoma State needs now.

Employers can ask how they can partner with academic programs.

Donors can ask where their investment will help students stay enrolled and succeed.

Alumni can ask how they can reconnect and bring others with them.

Local leaders can ask how SSU fits into the region’s economic and civic future.

Foundation board members can ask which relationships they can leverage on behalf of the president’s priorities.

Students can be invited to join the rebuilding effort, not just treated as customers of a struggling institution.

Protecting a Bridge to Opportunity

There is also a deeper issue here. California often talks about equity, access, and opportunity. But those values mean very little if regional public universities are allowed to weaken at the very moment many students need them most.

Not every student can leave home for college. Not every family can afford a private university. Not every young person sees themselves on a large, highly competitive campus. For many first-generation, lower-income, and working students, a place like Sonoma State can be the bridge between aspiration and reality.

That bridge is worth protecting.

Sonoma State’s turnaround will take time. There will be difficult decisions ahead. Not every program can be restored. Not every wound will heal quickly. And yes, bringing back the kind of campus energy students want will require more than a few lawn games and a hopeful speech.

But hope is not a strategy.

Hope, connected to action, can become one.

Why This Matters Today

The larger principle at stake is whether the North Bay is willing to protect and strengthen one of its most important public institutions.

If Sonoma State continues to decline, the impact will not stop at the edge of campus. It will affect local students, families, employers, public agencies, nonprofits, and the region’s ability to develop its own future leaders.

This is the moment for those of us who care about education, opportunity, and the future of the North Bay to lean in. And for those of us serving on the SSU Foundation Board, it is also a moment to help connect people, resources, and confidence to the president’s vision.

Sonoma State does not just need a president who is all in.

It needs a region that is all in with him.