These expertly developed buildings create more spaces on campus that foster community, enhance student living and wellness  

Three honorary doctoral degrees given to an author, activist and Filipino American historian California Attorney General Rob Bonta will deliver the keynote address at San Francisco State University’s 124th Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 23, at Oracle Park. The University will also award honorary doctoral degrees to Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Tommy Orange and activist, physician and minister Ramona Tascoe (B.A., ’70). A posthumous honorary doctoral degree will be given to author and beloved SFSU History Professor Dawn Mabalon. Doors at Oracle Park open at 3:30 p.m. The graduate procession begins at 5:30 p.m., with Commencement starting at 6:30 p.m. Fireworks will close out the event at about 9:30 p.m. Live updates and photos from the ceremony will be posted to the University’s X, Instagram and Facebook accounts. Graduates and guests can tag their Commencement posts on social media using the hashtag #SFSU2025. Commencement information is available via the SFSU mobile app. Once you’ve downloaded the University’s mobile app, visit “SFSU’s 2025 Commencement Ceremony, See More Ceremony Info.” Be sure to opt in to the University’s Commencement reminders by selecting “Manage Commencement Alerts” to receive push notifications. Details are also available on the Commencement website.

More than 640 SFSU supporters made donations during the University’s first-ever giving day Thanks to the generous support of the University’s alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends, SFSU’s inaugural Gators Give Day was a resounding success. More than 640 SFSU supporters united on April 2 and raised over $109,000 in just 24 hours. These gifts will immediately impact scholarships, academic programs, student organizations and essential University initiatives. More than 60 groups consisting of colleges, schools, departments, student organizations and clubs participated in the event through their own online fundraising pages, in addition to the main University giving page. Every donation made on April 2 counted toward the Giving Day totals. Alumni made up the majority of those giving on Gators Give Day (26%), followed closely by SFSU staff and faculty (24%) and students (20%). “This extraordinary day truly highlights the community spirit that defines SFSU,” said Jeff Jackanicz, vice president of University Advancement. “We are grateful to everyone who participated and helped us meet our goal of empowering student success. With so many alumni, faculty and staff, and student donors, it’s clear we are continuing to build a broad culture of community-driven philanthropy at SFSU.” The College of Science & Engineering (CoSE) raised more than $10,000 from 59 donors, the most money raised by any individual college. CoSE plans to use the money to support its Student Project Showcase, an event that culminates in a year’s worth of faculty-guided research. Students present their research findings from at the spring event. “I am so grateful to the donors that provided support for our Student Project Showcase on Gators Give Day. This annual event highlights more than 200 research and senior projects across our entire college,” said College of Science & Engineering Dean Carmen Domingo. “Having the opportunity to put into practice what they have learned over the years at SFSU gives students a deep sense of pride and confidence that they have developed the skills and knowledge to launch a successful career in STEM.” Ninety-six people donated to SFSU’s Men’s Rugby Club, the most for any campus organization raising more than $3,500. Kiril Gupta, secretary and head of social media for the 45-member SFSU Men’s Rugby Club team, says he was especially pleased to see that the team received the highest number of student donors of any group. “When we brought the team back during the fall ’22 semester, our old officers always emphasized campus engagement and being a part of the school community,” he said. “Having a high number of donors shows to our team that we have done a great job of being a part of the school community, and we are grateful for students at SF State supporting us.” The team plans to spend the windfall on field rentals, new equipment, travel, medical supplies, new uniforms and more. If you missed Gators Give Day or still want to help, there’s always time to make a difference. Ongoing support ensures that SFSU will continue to deliver excellence and access to transformative education rooted in innovation and equity. Learn more about giving to support SFSU.  And look forward to next year’s Gators Give Day, when we’ll achieve even greater success for our campus community. 

Kicking off April 21, this year’s festivities include a job mixer, an upcycling craft fair, outdoor meditation and more

Projects tackled memory loss, data protection, mental health and more

Radio personality Carolyn McArdle splits her time between 98.1 The Breeze and Oracle Park Carolyn McArdle (B.A., ’94) has worked in Bay Area radio for more than 30 years, mostly as an on-air personality. As the industry changed, she wore more and more hats. She’s a morning show co-host, assistant program director and music director at iHeartMedia’s 98.1 The Breeze. Last summer, she added one more hat to the mix — and this one’s orange and black. McArdle was named the public address announcer for Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. This year will be her first full season with the Giants. She’ll work 81 home games, mostly at night. With a full-time job as morning show host, McArdle will have a packed calendar. “This is my dream come true. I don’t care if I’ve got four hours of sleep or five hours of sleep. I get to call the ballgame at Oracle Park for the Giants,” she said. “I’m so fortunate. This is the pinnacle team that I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d be working for.” She credits San Francisco State University for her career in radio and Major League Baseball. An athlete herself, McArdle came to SFSU to swim on the Gators’ NCAA Division II team (which was disbanded at SFSU in 2001). After a challenging run studying real estate at SFSU, she switched to a program that didn’t require math or accounting: Radio and Television. Once in the program, she was blown away that this was something she could do professionally. SFSU taught her the basics of radio: editing, copy writing, audio production and sound mixing. “We were editing reel to reel, cutting tape and slicing tape and playing records off vinyl,” she said. “The teachers were so down to earth and so real and so helpful that that you just constantly felt supported.” One of her class requirements was to intern at a radio station, which gave her actual broadcasting experience. She shot for the moon and wound up at her favorite radio station, K101 (101.3 FM), working with a staff that included the legendary Bay Area DJ Don Bleu. Every day she worked, she’d bring him his daily prize sheet. Hearing him on the air the next day, she says she felt proud knowing she was the one to walk that piece of paper to his recording studio. SFSU helped make the jump to the professional world of radio seamless. “There was still a learning curve, but I was so well prepared based on what I had learned at State,” she said. Eventually, she found herself working alongside some of her former instructors. Then in 2012 her life came full circle when she became the co-host for “The Don Bleu Show” on 103.7 KOSF. After three decades in radio, she says she wanted a new challenge. “I love radio, but I do it every day and I could do it with my eyes closed,” she said. “I wanted to try something new ... and so, I thought, ‘What about announcing sports?’” Baseball was her first choice, so in 2019 she looked online for public address announcer positions. One popped up at the University of the Pacific (UOP) in Stockton for the softball team. From there she found other gigs. It was swimming and gymnastics at Stanford University, water polo at UOP, softball, volleyball, gymnastics and football at the University of California, Berkeley. She enjoyed what she was doing and people thought she had a talent for announcing, she says. “Now, of course, your brain naturally goes to, ‘How high can I go?’” she said. “And for me, the goal would be Major League Baseball. That would be the pinnacle, the gold star.” Her goal was quickly becoming a reality. She auditioned for the San Francisco Giants’ minor league farm team, the Sacramento River Cats, and was hired as a fill-in announcer in 2020. Eventually she became the team’s full-time announcer. Fast forward to 2024 when the San Francisco Giants were looking for a public address announcer. She auditioned against other people who were equally talented, she says. “It could have gone to anybody in that booth,” she said. “I’m extra humbled and grateful that the Giants selected me to be their new [public address announcer] going forward. … This is definitely something I worked for.” SF State Night with the Giants is Tuesday, April 8. Tickets can be purchased online.