Sonoma State’s fifth leader in five years says he’s ready to nurse the university back to health.
Per the Press Democrat, new President Michael Spagna faces a steep climb as enrollment has plummeted to just 5,000 students—nearly half its 2015 peak. To reverse the slide, Spagna is launching a “direct admission” program to bypass complex applications and targeting adult learners who never finished their degrees.
While recent budget cuts eliminated the school’s athletics program and several majors, Spagna plans to restore those pathways through regional partnerships with other CSU campuses. He says his goal isn’t just to balance the budget, but to dismantle the barriers that keep students from graduating.
