A Letter of Welcome from Dean Elisabeth Wade

Hello,

I am delighted to be starting as your new Dean of the School of Science and Technology. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and have strong roots in Sonoma County, where my father’s family originally settled in 1848. I am very pleased to have the opportunity now to contribute to the many science, health, and technology programs at Sonoma State University.  

I join you at a challenging time. Between COVID-19 and the associated enrollment drop and budget reductions, there will be many difficult conversations in the weeks and months ahead. I am hopeful that we can work together collaboratively to find the best possible solutions to these challenges. In normal times, I would be reaching out to faculty and staff to meet you over coffee or lunch, but for the immediate future, I will be meeting people and forming connections via Zoom. 

Many people have already welcomed me warmly to Sonoma State University, and I want to thank them for their kind words. I hope to continue in the path of my predecessor, Lynn Stauffer, who has built strong teams of staff and faculty, and done significant strategic planning work that we will continue to build upon.

Again, I look forward to meeting everyone, and will be reaching out to departments when the semester begins. We will also be scheduling a virtual School Meeting following Convocation in August, so look for details on that. If you would like to meet with me before then, please contact cory.oates@sonoma.edu to set up an appointment. 

Thank you for all that you have done and are doing for Sonoma State,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Wade
Dean, School of Science and Technology
Sonoma State University