Monday Message, September 15
SDSU Community,
Last week鈥檚 enrollment announcement was another reminder of the strength and resiliency of our university. With a total headcount of 12,139 students, South 啵啵直播秀 State University continues to be a university of choice for many. This is our largest enrollment since 2017 and reflects the outstanding work of so many across campus.
We welcomed 2,276 new first-time students, the fourth-largest incoming class in university history. Our student body comes from many areas, representing 48 states and 77 countries, yet more than 56% of our students call South 啵啵直播秀 home. That number speaks volumes about the impact SDSU has on our state and region. Families and students continue to place their trust in us, and we should be proud of the role we play in educating the next generation of leaders, professionals and engaged citizens.
Equally significant is our retention rate, which reached 83%, the fifth time in the past six years retention has at least reached 80%. Retention is one of the clearest measures of academic quality, and these results show that students who come to SDSU stay here, persist and succeed. That doesn鈥檛 happen by accident. It is the result of intentional efforts by faculty, advisers, counselors and countless staff who create a welcoming and supportive environment that allows students to thrive. Every phone call answered, every word of encouragement shared, every door that is held open, every office hour held makes a difference. I want to extend my gratitude to each of you for the roles you play in supporting our students.
As we celebrate these achievements, we also must recognize the challenges ahead. Demographic shifts mean there will be fewer high school graduates in the years to come, and higher education is navigating turbulent waters. These realities will test us, but I am confident we are well positioned to meet them. Our land-grant mission is one where we provide access to the benefits of higher education, and our history shows that we rise to the occasion. The enrollment and retention results remind me that we have the people, the purpose and the passion to continue serving South 啵啵直播秀 and beyond.
Adding to the excitement of last week was the news that the final results of have been confirmed. On Sept. 4, 6,126 donors came together to raise $3,207,938 for SDSU. This marks the ninth consecutive year the Jackrabbits family has united in extraordinary fashion. The goal of 5,000 donors was not only met but exceeded, and once again alumni and friends in all 50 states made a gift. Over 640 students and more than 1,160 faculty and staff contributed, demonstrating that our own community leads by example.
Finally, as we continue with our fall semester and look forward to many large-scale events such as Hobo Day, university leadership continues to be diligent in its efforts concerning safety and security. The tragic events that have occurred throughout the United States at other universities and schools are a reminder that we need to continue to plan and thoroughly prepare for events that bring thousands of people to our campus. It is also a reminder for everyone that if you 鈥,鈥 at any time, while also being up-to-date on your .
Thank you for your commitment to our students, your dedication to our mission, and your belief in the power of education. We have much to celebrate, much to be thankful for, and much still to do. I look forward to all we will accomplish together this year.
Have a wonderful week.
Sincerely,
Barry H. Dunn
President
South 啵啵直播秀 State University
Above and Beyond recognizes individuals and groups of South 啵啵直播秀 State University employees, faculty and students for individual and team efforts that go Above and Beyond to make the campus community a better place. This week鈥檚 Above and Beyond recognizes the team members of the Academic Success and Recovery Program for receiving the 2024-25 SDSU Distinguished Student Success Partner award.
The Academic Success and Recovery Program team had the highest percentage of professional staff successfully complete the Student Success NETwork Certificate program activities.
The SDSU Opportunity Center supports student success initiatives by providing recognition and professional development opportunities. All SDSU staff who work for an office that is part of SDSU鈥檚 Opportunity Center Student Success NETwork are invited to participate in this program.
The Academic Success and Recovery Program supports the Opportunity Center goals by fostering a supportive and positive environment, offering impactful learning opportunities and strengthening connections across campus. Congratulations to team members Nicole Gertken, Traci Johnson, Jasmine Monnier and Viena Klipfel.
The Opportunity Center also recognized the following individuals who voluntarily enrolled in the certificate program and successfully reached the 15-point milestone.
American Indian Student Center: Marisa Hare and Wiyaka His Horse Is Thunder
Continuing and Distance Education: Moneik Stephens
First Year Advising Center: Alaina Corgard, Brenna Rubendall-LaVoy, Lydia Reding, Matt Badura and Meghan Peterson
Graduate School: Ashley DeZeeuw, Brooke Blegen and Kristen Kponyoh
Honors: Noah Roerig
Office of Multicultural Affairs and Accessibility: Ariana Limoges, Dan Hagen, Jay Molock, Lee Mangler, Marj Collins and Shelly Bayer
New Student Orientation: Cody Burggraff
Professional academic advisors from academic colleges: Amanda Wilder, Brooke Merry, Carla Anderson, Chanda Walter, Jesse Enstad, Jessica Lewis, Katie Derrick, Kayte Haggerty, Laura Plowman, Lisa Roker and Mary Christensen
TRIO Student Support Services: Nathan Bylander
Congratulations to the Academic Success and Recovery Program team for earning the 2024-25 SDSU Distinguished Student Success Partner award, and thank you to all others who participated in the certificate program, for going Above and Beyond in pursuing professional development in support of student learning and success on campus.
The Monday Message appears weekly during the academic year and less frequently during the summer months and holiday breaks.
Information for the Monday Message, including nominations for Above and Beyond, can be submitted online.
Mandatory Employee Reporting Training
This is a reminder that all active employees received an email with a link to complete the South 啵啵直播秀 Board of Regents Employee Mandatory Reporting Training within KnowBe4. The training video will provide employees with information regarding their responsibility to report any suspected improper government conduct or crime. Please complete the mandatory training by Sept. 30, 2025.
The link to make required reports is available through the Experience portal on the Employee Dashboard under My Activities, titled 鈥淚mproper Conduct/Crime Reporting.鈥
If you have questions about the training, please contact Human Resources or the Office of General Counsel.
Faculty Development: AI in Teaching and Learning
Instructional Design Services is teaching a new D2L course titled 鈥淎I in Teaching and Learning: Getting Started.鈥 Faculty can enroll in the self-paced D2L course that introduces the fundamentals of AI in education, explores ethics and policy, and guides participants in designing AI-supported learning activities.
As a supplement to the course, a resource guide on best practices for using AI in your teaching: (Elon University/AAC&U).
Faculty who complete all modules and assignments will earn an , recognizing the professional development achievement.
To get started, log into D2L, from top left click Discover and search for SDSU: AI in Teaching and Learning: Getting Started to self-enroll.
For related questions, please contact Instructional Design Services.
Healthcare Simulation Week
Join the College of Nursing Healthcare Simulation Center in celebrating National Healthcare Simulation Week: United Through Simulation, through Friday.
The annual, global celebration is dedicated to raising awareness about the vital role of simulation in improving the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of health care delivery.
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The SDSU College of Nursing will host the second annual Healthcare Simulation Virtual Research Symposium: Mastering the Future with workshops, panel discussions and podium presentations, tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Tony 啵啵直播秀 Winner Heather Headley
The SDSU School of Performing Arts will present Tony and Grammy 啵啵直播秀-winning artist Heather Headley, live in concert September 26, 7:30 p.m. in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.
Headley is a celebrated performer whose versatile talent has graced the worlds of both Broadway and gospel music. Known for originating the role of Nala in The Lion King and winning a Tony 啵啵直播秀 for her performance in Aida, she has also earned Grammy recognition for her solo albums and for her roles in the television series Chicago Med.
This special event is brought to you by Woodbine Productions, a unique concert series that exists solely to support SDSU music scholarships.
As a highlight of the evening, more than 250 members of the SDSU choir program will join Headley on stage for the finale.
For tickets, visit .
20th annual eLearning Online Conference
Instructional Design Services will host SDSU鈥檚 20th annual eLearning Online Conference Sept. 29-30 via Zoom. The event will highlight how generative artificial intelligence, immersive technology and evolving eLearning tools are shaping the future of teaching and learning.
This year鈥檚 keynote speaker, Ron Owston, is a pioneer in AI-powered learning tools, having led the creation of AI Tutor Pro and AI Teaching Assistant Pro. With decades of experience in online learning and innovative eLearning practices, he will give an opening talk titled 鈥淟earning Made Personal and Course Development Made Easier with AI Assistants.鈥
Additional information and how to register is available on sdstate.edu.
AI Tutor Pro and AI Teaching Assistant Pro
Instructional Design Services has launched and , which are now available to all SDSU students and faculty. These two companion AI applications have been selected to provide innovations for the SDSU teaching and learning community. The AI applications were carefully reviewed and piloted last fall and spring. Neither AI application collects your personal or course data. Privacy is protected, and entered data is not used to train the AI models.
Applications may be accessed via D2L under the 鈥淪DSU Resources鈥 course menu in each D2L shell.
AI Tutor Pro is an interactive student-facing learning companion offering a 24/7 availability for self-paced learning environments. Students can 鈥渃heck鈥 their understanding of content via diagnostics or grow their knowledge using prompts and feedback tailored to their levels. The system supports multiple languages and can use additional OpenStax course-aligned open educational resources content without retaining any identifying data.
AI Teaching Assistant Pro helps faculty create instructional content more efficiently, from drafting quizzes, rubrics and syllabi to generating lesson plans and discussion ideas. This occurs within a public access webpage interface similar to Wikipedia. Faculty are invited to watch these two videos to start trying them out:
All SDSU faculty members are encouraged to explore both AI Tutor Pro and AI Teaching Assistant Pro and incorporate them into teaching activities this fall. These AI applications will enhance student engagement, increase instructional efficiency and uphold academic integrity in the challenging GenAI era. You can also attend one of these AI sessions to learn more at this fall鈥檚 conference and forthcoming 20th anniversary eLearning Conference on Sept. 29-30.
Worksite Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
SDSU Extension is offering a virtual Worksite Chronic Disease Self-Management Program exclusively for SDSU faculty and staff. This evidence-based program supports individuals living with or caring for someone with a chronic health condition.
Participants will learn practical skills for managing symptoms, improving communication with health care providers, handling stress and maintaining an active, fulfilling life 鈥 both at work and beyond.
Sessions will be held via Zoom on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m.-noon CST through October. There will be no sessions on Sept. 30 or Oct. 2. .
Emergency Management Training
Faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in active threat and emergency management training every couple of years. The training is conducted by the University Police Department and emergency management staff. Training will be held on the following days during the upcoming academic year:
- Sept. 18
- Oct. 17
- Nov. 19
- Dec. 10
- Jan. 15
- Feb. 20
- March 11
- April 15
- May 14
In addition to the in-person training, the university has created an for faculty and staff to view.
The Office of Emergency Management prepares the SDSU community for emergencies and coordinates response and recovery by providing a campuswide, all-hazards integration from major threat events to local emergencies. The team also manages a complete, Federal Emergency Management Agency-aligned emergency management plan and the emergency operations center and utilizes response protocols from FEMA鈥檚 National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System.
The emergency management team provides a strong connection with local and state emergency networks and fosters community resilience and leadership as part of the South 啵啵直播秀 Incident Management Assistance Team, which helps extend emergency readiness beyond campus.
The SDSU emergency management team works with the University Police Department, risk management, Facilities and Services, Athletics, Human Resources and many others on campus to foster a robust institutional support and infrastructure.
Fall 2025 RSCA Training Series
Fall 2025 RSCA Training Series 鈥 The fall Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity training series will be held throughout the fall semester. Topics include:
- Finding Funding: Overview of SPIN Plus Funding Search 鈥 Sept. 16, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
- NSF SBIR/STTR Translational Funding Opportunities 鈥 Sept. 23, 10-11 a.m.
- Establishing a Center or Institute at SDSU 鈥 Oct. 8, 11 a.m.-noon
- Cayuse: Proposal Routing, Submission and Human Subjects 鈥 Oct. 21, 10 a.m.-noon
- Team Science: Building Effective Collaborations in Research 鈥 Oct. 28, 11 a.m.-noon
- Working with Tribal Partners: Best Practices in Cultivating Successful Partnerships, Nov. 6, 4-5 p.m.
Additional information about location of the training series can be found on sdstate.edu.
QuestionPro
The university鈥檚 subscription to QuestionPro will end Sept. 30. All users must export their surveys and data by that date as access will no longer be available.
To prepare, and download any surveys or data you wish to keep. Identify any surveys that will need to be re-created or transferred to Qualtrics moving forward. If you do not yet have a Qualtrics account, you may request access by visiting this InsideState Qualtrics Support Page for account access, training resources and tutorials such as Basecamp training.
Fall 2025 IDS Training Schedule Now Available
. The training will focus on three key themes: virtual community engagement, accessibility in eLearning and innovative teaching strategies with AI.
Highlights also include newly added features in D2L to help engage students more effectively and the D2L Panorama accessibility checker. These tools, along with the regularly scheduled eLearning application workshops, weekly webinars and comprehensive Online Teaching Certification Program, are designed to help you prepare for a strong start to the semester.
For questions or individual assistance, please contact Instructional Design Services.
Wellness Center Employee Appreciation
The Miller Wellness Center will offer free access to South 啵啵直播秀 State University employees and their families through Sept. 27. During that time, employees may receive 20% off a membership.
Updated Policies
New and updated university policies continue to be adopted and published. For the most recent updates, visit the New and Recently Revised Policies page on sdstate.edu.
