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This Bay Area university has become a 'ghost town.' Can a new president save it?

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The main quad at Sonoma State University, once a near-perpetual frenzy
of Hacky Sack circles, club fairs and outdoor concerts, long defined a
postcard-worthy campus life. But as new president Michael Spagna strode
across that emerald lawn on a recent sunny afternoon, he heard little
beyond the rustle of oak trees. 

“This should be busy 24/7,” he said.

At a time when less-selective state universities in the Bay Area are
feeling the brunt of the region’s shrinking college applicant pipeline,
no school has been harder-hit than Sonoma State. After a nearly 40%
nosedive in enrollment over the previous decade plunged it into a $24
million budget deficit, this scenic Wine Country institution announced
of its faculty. The gutting of several historic academic programs. Even
the elimination of its entire athletic department. 

Sixteen months later, Spagna now faces perhaps the most daunting job in
Bay Area higher ed. With some on campus concerned about Sonoma State’s
long-term viability, he must reshape the university’s identity, rebuild
the community’s trust and attract new kinds of applicants — all while
giving people reason to be proud of their school again. 

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sonoma-state-university-presi
dent-22228939.php 

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This Bay Area university has become a 'ghost town.' Can a new president save it? Hartung's DD-214 <not-in-arizona@rudy.invalid> - 2026-05-11 04:43 +0200

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