Last updated on June 9, 2015

Community and Communication Goal: San Diego State University will become a center of community life and engagement for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the public through events, activities, and communication designed to bring diverse participants together.

Consistent with the community and communication goal outlined in the strategic plan, the university has invested $3,441,000 in one-time funding and $3,085,587 in base budget funds that support community and communication strategic plan initiatives.

Initiative 1: Engage our Alumni and Community Supporters

A total of $180,000 in one-time funding has been allocated for initiatives that engage our alumni and community supporters. These funds support the following initiatives:

• Invest funds for an Alumni Coordinator to continue to build, maintain, and leverage connections between and among the alumni and university. (Alumni Association will assume funding in year four.)
• Investments provided support for an alumni coordinator position. This position has been filled.
• Strengthen the partnership between the Alumni Association and SDSU Career Services to expand mentorship and internship programs that benefit our diverse student population.
• Included in the Student Success goal are investments that provide support for targeted activities that strengthen our internship and mentoring programs. A working group was formed in Fall 2013, utilizing an extant group and adding additional members. The university has hired a campus internship coordinator and Career Services and the Alumni Association recently launched the Aztec Mentor Program. More information about the Aztec Mentor Program. Additionally, Career Services is working with campus departments to provide on-campus internship opportunities for our students.
• Establish a working group to review and renew messages that foster Aztec Pride; a report should be presented no later than the end of the 2013/14 academic year.
• The Strategic Plan Working Group on Branding and Marketing is pursuing these objectives.

Initiative 2: Enhance the Campus Environment to Support Faculty & Staff

A total of $800,000 in one-time funding and $2,142,464 in base budget funds have been allocated for initiatives that enhance the campus environment to support faculty and staff. These funds support the following initiatives:

• Invest funds and work to ensure that faculty and staff compensation is competitive within the context of collective bargaining agreements and university policy.
• Investments funded in-range progressions for staff and the faculty equity II program. The 13/14 investments totaled $848,751. Additional investments in 14/15 totaled $1,651,876.
• Invest funds in staff professional development.
• Investments in 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 provided funds for staff professional development. These investments totaled $500k. An additional $250,000 has been allocated for staff professional development for 15/16.
• Invest funds to conduct a periodic employee satisfaction survey.
• An employee satisfaction survey was completed in Spring 2013 and a campus climate survey was completed in Spring 2015.
• Create a faculty/staff advisory group to identify and recommend celebratory experiences to recognize institutional and individual excellence.
• Investments provide support for celebratory events. A working group was convened to celebrate faculty and staff in 2013/14 and that year they hosted two "get together, give back" community service events. In 14/15, $40,000 in one-time funding was invested and the event calendar was expanded to include a welcome back social hour in September, a fall and a spring "get together, give back" event, a new faculty social in January, the 1st annual Spring Bowling Social in February, and the first SDSU Field Day in June. $40,000 in base funding has been allocated for 15/16 to allow for continuation of these successful experiences.

Initiative 3: Contribute to the Advancement of the San Diego Region

A total of $420,000 in one-time funding has been allocated for initiatives that contribute to the advancement of the San Diego region. These funds support the following initiatives:

• Create an Industry Affiliates Partnership to advance support for the commercialization of products and services.
• A Corporate Affiliates working group was formed in Fall 2013, utilizing an extant group and adding additional members. The working group has researched successful university industry affiliate models and has also engaged potential industry partners to gain insight and feedback. In January 2015, the group launched an Industry Partnership pilot program in the College of Engineering, with plans to expand in 15/16 to the College of Sciences.
• Invest funds to strengthen SDSU’s culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Included in the Research and Creative Endeavors goal are investments that provide support for initiatives that foster student entrepreneurial experiences. An entrepreneurial experiences working group was formed in Fall 2013.
• Establish a cross-divisional working group to reassess and recommend ways to renew and revitalize good neighbor relationships with the surrounding community.
• Investments provide support for good neighbor relations. A working group was formed to enhance communications and relationships with the local community. In 13/14, a plan was implemented to reduce the impact of noise from athletics events and hosted a clean-up in the local neighborhood. In 14/15, $300,000 in one-time funds was allocated to hire an additional public safety officer to serve as a community liaison with our neighbors, local community groups and the San Diego Police Department. A faculty incentive program was initiated to encourage faculty homeownership in the College Area. The working group researched 10 universities across the country to identify best practices in university/neighbor relations. The President's Leadership Fund invested $10,000 to support the College Area Community Garden, a campus based community organic garden/urban farm partnership between the College Area and SDSU. In addition, through work with Associated Students, the Good Neighbor program was revitalized under the Campus Community Commission. New activities included dissemination of a new community brochure, a new community webpage, and the hosting of a College Area Community Council meeting in the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union.
• Build and support partnerships that will establish SDSU as a national leader in specific areas of expertise in K-12 issues.
• An NSF-funded NOYCE Program grant is providing professional development opportunities for local K-12 teachers. This $3-million effort is being leveraged by a $500,000 matching gift from Qualcomm. Moreover, Chancellor's Office provided funds in 2013/2014 to support efforts designed to increase the number of math and sciences teachers earning credentials in California.

Initiative 4: Enhance Communication to Raise Awareness of our Excellence

A total of $1,561,000 in one-time funding and $544,960 in base budget funds have been allocated for initiatives that enhance communication to raise awareness of our excellence. These funds support the following initiatives:

• Invest funds to sharpen SDSU’s distinctive profile as a research-intensive public university through coordinated branding, marketing, and targeted communication.
• Investments provide funds to sharpen SDSU’s distinctive profile through new and targeted communication strategies. A working group was formed in Fall 2013. The Branding and Marketing working group began a major national campaign in Spring 2014 using low-cost social media to raise awareness of the university's academic excellence. Through the use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google AdWords, messages regarding our academic achievements have reached well over 100,000 students, alumni, faculty, staff, and prospective students. A science writer as well as a videographer have been hired to support this initiative.
• Work collaboratively with KPBS to highlight excellence at SDSU.
• KPBS has coordinated with our branding and marketing efforts and is presenting regular advertisements highlighting the university's academic excellence on television and radio.
• Convene a working group chaired by the Director of Government and Community Relations to strengthen effective connection to and from the university and our neighbors, the city, and the region.
• See description of neighborhood outreach in group above.

Investments in Critical Support Needs:

A total of $480,000 in one-time funds was allocated to address critical support needs. Critical support needs investments include support for:

• Destination SDSU
• Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center

Progress Updates

• April 2018 Update
• Student Success (2018-04-25)
• Research and Creative Endeavors (2018-04-25)
• Community and Communication (2018-04-25)
• Resources and Revenue (2018-04-25)
• Older Items