From the President's Desk
Welcome to the fall 2025 edition of SJSU Magazine
At San José State, we have always been a place where the future is actively designed and constructed. The blueprints of tomorrow begin here, with ideas that take shape in our classrooms, research and technology labs, academic institutes, creative spaces and neighborhoods, and with people who bring those ideas to life with vision, purpose and a commitment to the greater good.
In this issue, you’ll see how Spartans are laying the foundation for a more vibrant and just world. You’ll read about students preserving community stories through oral history, the unveiling of a powerful new mural that honors the past while grounding us in place, and the launch of academic programs designed to guide the policies and environments of the future. You’ll hear from legendary literary icon Amy Tan, who cultivated a passion for language and linguistics at SJSU that have carried her throughout her career. These stories remind us that building the future is not just about what we create, but how and why we create it.
Our efforts in artificial intelligence reflect this balance, embracing innovation while centering ethics and student opportunity. Across disciplines, our faculty and students are asking important questions and applying new tools to address some of the most complex challenges of our time.
This work is possible because of who we are. At San José State, we believe that knowledge should be shared, that our collective voices strengthen communities, and that place matters. We honor our legacy as the first public university in the West, while recognizing that the plans we draw today will shape the lives of generations to come.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we are not only imagining the future. We are building it, one blueprint, one student and one idea at a time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson SJSU President
A note on the magazine name
Blueprints can be the pathway to great change. After 31 years of presenting our stories under Washington Square Magazine, named for the parcel of land in which the original Normal School was built in 1857, we are sharing an updated vision designed to further our connection with our readers, both present and future. As the first public university in the West, our pride in Spartan achievement runs deep, and this change ensures that our stories are accessible and welcoming to all who seek to learn about the innovation, impact and accomplishments of San José State. Revisiting our blueprints of the past allows us to pave an innovative path forward. Welcome to SJSU Magazine.
Special thanks to Special Collections & Archives at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library for reminding us of our roots.
L-r: Pourya Nadimi, '17 BFA Graphic Design, senior visual designer and art director; and Jonathan Wang, '27 MBA, visual designer at SJSU, pore over university blueprints and maps at Special Collections & Archives at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Photo: Grace Austin, '25 BFA Photography.
San José State University is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and we’re proud to be an official partner of San José Mineta International Airport. No matter where you are headed in life, SJSU and SJC are partnering to make sure you arrive where you dream of going.
Sammy Spartan loves the San Jose Airport.
Sammy shows his Spartan pride at the airport’s unveiling of our new ad campaign outside of Terminal B’s Alaska Airlines’ passenger pickup zone.
Sammy is ready to meet Spartans at the airport.
Muwekma Ohlone SJSU Area Land Acknowledgement
The San José State University community recognizes that the present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, with an enrolled Bureau of Indian Affairs documented membership of over 550, is comprised of all of the known surviving American Indian lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region who trace their ancestry through the Missions Santa Clara, San José, and Dolores, during the advent of the Hispano-European empire into Alta California; and who are the successors and living members of the sovereign, historic, previously Federally Recognized Verona Band of Alameda County.
Furthermore, the San José State University community recognizes that the university is established within the Thámien Ohlone-speaking tribal ethnohistoric territory, which based upon the unratified federal treaties of 1851–1852, includes the unceded ancestral lands of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of the enrolled Muwekma lineages are descended from direct ancestors from the Thámien Ohlone tribal territory whose ancestors had affiliation with Mission Santa Clara.
The San José State University community also recognizes the importance of this land to the indigenous Muwekma Ohlone people of this region, and consistent with our principles of community and diversity strives to be good stewards on behalf of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe whose land we occupy.
Top photo: SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson and Associated Students president Katelyn Gambarin, ‘26 Political Science, at a Popcorn with the Presidents event in fall 2025. Photo: Brian Anderson, '24 MFA Digital Media Art.
