Sonoma State University, the school is “in the midst of rolling out new marketing campaigns that will continue to evolve in the coming months,” says Jeff Keating, associate vice president of government relations and strategic communications. “These campaigns will roll out over multiple platforms, including digital and online marketing, and print and outdoor advertising.” Sonoma State has long partnered with regional high schools, he adds, and now has 11 “guaranteed admissions” partnerships with several K-12 districts and community colleges. Students enrolled in a partner high school or community college are eligible for guaranteed admission if they hold a minimum 2.5 grade point average and are on track to graduate. They must also complete A-G coursework. Other partnerships include one with the Marin Educator Pathway at the College of Marin, the Marin County Office of Education and the 10,000 Degrees organization, which supports students pursuing educational careers in Marin County. According to Keating, the newest guaranteed admissions school district partnerships are with Calistoga Unified, Lincoln Unified in Stockton and Napa Valley Unified. “There are eight more potential partnerships in progress that include community colleges and K-12 districts in Lake County, Sacramento County, Napa County and Placer County.” The university’s new admissions website is live and includes two virtual assistant recruiters called Livy and Eddy. Keating says more than 240 recruitment events and fairs have been scheduled from August through December. In addition, the university has partnered with five ed-tech recruitment platforms: CollegeVine, Niche, Encoura, EdVisorly and Deloitte. Recruiting Efforts and Partnerships
Sonoma State's Division II athletics program was among the unpopular budget cuts. Above, former Seawolves guard Patrick Scott.
other departments.” What it came down to is “we could see the writing on the wall, and our budget was getting smaller,” she says. Despite these circumstances, Keating says the Sonoma State Star will continue to publish during the 2025-26 school year. A blemish on the community Like many students, Ramos wonders why the SSU administration, which presumably knew the program cuts were coming, didn’t signal its intentions to the community much earlier—instead of only a semester before implementation. “The cuts were happening, and then to hear [later in the year] that $90 million would be given to the university, well, there goes the reason so many cuts were made. Perhaps all these departments and jobs could have been saved. All the buildings these classes were held in are now empty. To have this blemish on the community is disheartening.” Asturias feels much the same. “It’s a shame what has happened [to the university],” she says. “It’s a lovely campus with incredibly talented and committed instructors and dedicated administrators, and the students were the beneficiaries. I heard from some students that publishing the school newspaper was the best experience of their college years.” n
54 NorthBaybiz
November 2025
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