Dear Spartan community,

Last fall, CSU Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester convened strategic workgroups, composed of faculty and staff from across the CSU system, to address a number of areas for immediate attention by the next regularly appointed chancellor. Among these areas was supporting Black student success in the CSU. Earlier this year, the Chancellor’s Office released a report entitled Advancing Black Student Success and Elevating Black Excellence in the CSU: A Call to Action that outlines a series of comprehensive recommendations driven by the workgroup, which included Patience Bryant from our own Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI).

Interim Chief Diversity Officer Dawn Lee and I recently met and discussed the results of the report with leaders from the Black Spartan Advisory Council, Black Faculty and Staff Association, African American Studies department, and Black Leadership Opportunities Center. I thank each of them for their time, dedication and continued advocacy to make SJSU a more equitable place not only for Black students, but for all students, staff and faculty.

All CSU presidents, including myself, have committed to advancing any three of the report’s 13 recommendations, based on the unique priorities of each campus. These efforts will commence in the next year via a task force (to be convened under the leadership of tri-chairs), and will focus on the following recommendations:

• Recommendation 1: Enhance the Black Scholars floor in the residence hall  
• Recommendation 2: Expand efforts to recruit and retain Black faculty
• Recommendation 3: Expand efforts to recruit and retain Black staff

The tri-chairs will leverage their experience working with students, staff and faculty in their leadership of these initiatives. They include:

• Patience Bryant, Director of Black/African American Equity and Interim Deputy Diversity Officer, ODEI
• Tijan White, Interim Director, Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
• Shaun Fletcher, Assistant Professor, Public Relations 

A creation of the long-term goals and objectives will be developed along with action plans to support the recommendations. The work of the task force will be operationalized by Dawn Lee and Vice Provost for Faculty Success Magdalena Barrera and their respective departments. A funding request to support these recommendations has been submitted to the Chancellor’s Office, and I am anticipating a response in early 2024. 

I am confident that this important work will directly impact the experiences of Black students, and will improve the experiences of all students, staff, and faculty at SJSU. I appreciate the perspectives shared with me that highlight the long history of struggle for equity and access at SJSU. This task force will share semesterly updates on the progress of the work, and I look forward to working together to create these significant changes.

Sincerely,

Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson

President

(She/Her/Ella)