SpartanMessenger - September 30, 2025
Honor Our Champions
October is Legacy Month when we honor and pay tribute to our Speed City heroes John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Dr. Harry Edwards and all the SJSU track and field athletes who took bold and brave stands for social justice and racial equality on the world stage and here at home. Several events will take place during October to honor their lives.
Action Items
Complete the Sense of Community Survey
Oct. 6 - 27
This survey is critically-important to how the university approaches campus services, program offerings and investments to foster a welcoming environment and community. All students and employees are invited to complete it.
Oct. 2025
Your voluntary contributions to this survey can help facilitate connection by social identity, and strengthen community and inclusivity at SJSU.
Virtru Encryption Tool Training
You've activated Virtru in Gmail - what now? Explore walkthroughs, use cases, and how-to's for working with SJSU's new encryption tool.
Annual Budget Presentation to the Senate
Oct. 13, 2 p.m.
The CFO and Provost will give budget presentations to the Academic Senate on October 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. Share questions with Senators and book your seat by emailing senate@sjsu.edu.
Campus Office Cleanups Are Coming!
Oct. 13
Starting October, Facilities Development and Operations (FD&O) and Academic Affairs will be conducting clean ups of faculty office space with dumpsters for waste removal. This will maintain fire and life safety and make office space functional for all faculty. Before clean up days, all faculty are encouraged to proactively dispose of waste. SJSU log in needed to access this intranet site.
Faculty Award Nominations Are Open
Nov. 5
The Academic Senate and the President’s Office invite nominations for the 2025-2026 Faculty Outstanding Lecturer Award, Distinguished Service Award, Outstanding Professor Award, and President’s Scholar Award. Please provide your submissions by November 5.
News and Announcements
University Scholar Series: Dr. Izenstark
Oct. 22, 12 p.m.
The second event in this semester’s series will be on Wed., Oct. 22 from 12 to 1 p.m. featuring Dr. Dina Izenstark who will present "Families in Nature: Understanding the Benefits of Shared Outdoor Time.” Attendance will be virtual/remote and is free and open to all.
Oct. - Nov. 2025
SJSU employees get over 50% off tickets to Gilroy Gardens during select evenings of The Great Big Boo! Halloween celebration.Take your team or family members to experience all the spooky fun and entertainment. Use organization ID “SJSU” and password “25Gingko”.
SJSU Employee Appreciation Week at the Dining Commons
Oct. 6-10
Faculty and staff can enjoy all-you-care-to-eat dining for just $11 all week. Must present Tower ID. Don’t miss it!
Tuesday Night Art Lecture Series: Caroline Anderson
Oct. 7, 5 p.m.
Caroline Anderson is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, and curator based in Cincinnati, OH. Her work and research explore technology, deep time, and speculation about the near-future through a wide variety of media and materials.
Support and Celebrate Banned Books Week!
Oct. 5-11
Campus allies and community partners, unite against censorship and celebrate the power of stories and intellectual freedom. Join the King Library for film discussions, button making, VR and AI as new frontiers of censorship, and a special conversation with Senator Dave Cortese and former ALA President Patty Wong.
Oct. 14, 11 a.m.
Learn about retirement and strategies to save more. Sessions will be virtual and held between 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Lunch and Learn: AI Productivity Tools for Employees
Oct. 16
This session will teach you how to streamline collaboration and boost productivity by using campus resources for digital tools and artificial intelligence. Lunch will be provided to the first 48 employees. Deadline to register is Oct. 10.
Oct. 16
Join SpartUp Incubator for a panel on ideation! Hear how entrepreneurs generate startup ideas, gain expert insights, and explore mentorship opportunities. Connect with students, faculty, and staff over networking, food, and community.
SJSU Night at San José Sharks vs. New Jersey Devils
Oct. 30
The exclusive SJSU Night ticket link has extremely discounted tickets for the Spartan community. All students and employees must purchase with their SJSU email. In addition, all tickets come with a special SJSU Night puck.
Oct. 2025
View a recording of last month's webinar and read the latest about SJSU's migration to integrated Zoom Phone communications technology.
Oct. 2025
Developed with students in mind, this free self-paced Canvas course now welcomes faculty and staff. Learn AI basics, practice responsible use, and earn digital badges for completion.
SJSU Employee Access to the Columbia Stores
Oct. 19
Faculty, staff and up to four guests are invited to shop at the Richmond and Union City Columbia Employee Stores using the barcode in the linked flyer. 40% off until Oct. 19!
Faculty and Staff Spotlight
Staff Spotlight: Lacey Nein Talks Augmented and Virtual Reality at the King Library’s KLEVR Lab
Lacey Nein, ’18 BFA, ’21 MFA Digital Media Art, shares tips on how to best use emerging technologies at King Library and beyond.
Staff Spotlight: SJSU Magazine Staff
Led by University Editor Julia Halprin Jackson, University Marketing and Communications launched the latest issue of SJSU Magazine, formerly Washington Square Magazine. Explore the latest issue: A Blueprint for Tomorrow
SJSU NewsCenter Featured Stories
SJSU’s New Wall Street Journal College Pulse Ranking
Our university remains one of the highest ranking public schools in the nation according to the 2026 WSJ College Pulse Survey.
Mychal Threets, the New Host of Reading Rainbow
Threets, ’18 MLIS, was announced as the host of a revived and deeply-beloved children’s literacy and educational program. This alumnus and viral social media phenomenon breathes new life into a show that last aired nearly two decades ago.
Did you know you can get an official, on-brand email signature for your SJSU email? Select from a range of options that suit your needs and personal style with an email signature generator from University Marketing and Communications.
