Welcome back. I hope your break was refreshing, that you were able to spend some quality time with friends – and perhaps some time alone with a good book.

I have been reading Jean Edward Smith’s, FDR. It reminds me that the San Diego State we know is in many ways a child of the depression.

Our predecessors broke ground for the construction of this campus on Oct 7, 1929, about three weeks before the stock market crash that marked the beginning of the great depression.

Soon national unemployment was running at 24%. There was no social security, no unemployment insurance, no Fair Labor Standards Act.

In the difficult years that followed, state budgets were slashed, student fees increased sharply, and, for a while, faculty and staff were paid in script. And yet, through the hard work and dedication of our predecessors (then) San Diego State Teacher’s College survived and prospered.

You and I are no less able than they were; no less dedicated or hard-working. Our university is no less important or vital.

We are in for a tough semester and difficult year ahead, but San Diego State prospered even in the face of the great depression; it will prosper again. During the worst economic time in our nation’s history, Depression-era programs such as the Works Progress Administration were employing artists nationwide to create public art.

Those artists produced murals such as the one behind me, which was found on our campus and restored just a few years ago. The murals depict men and women who were the heart and soul of San Diego’s recovery. In very much the same way, San Diego State’s students, faculty and staff are working to rebuild California’s future.

It may be little comfort to know that new student interest in SDSU has never been higher, but it is a great tribute to your work.

SDSU received a record 61,632 undergraduate applications for the coming fall semester. Unfortunately, we will have the resources to enroll only about 5,500 new undergrads from that pool.

Many eligible applicants will be turned away as we shrink our enrollment by 4,600 students. This is both a personal tragedy for those hard-working students and a huge loss for our region and state.

Had we reduced admissions proportionately to the reduction in state funding we would have been forced to turn away more than 7,500 eligible students. The hard work and creativity of our faculty and staff (in spite of furloughs) is allowing us to enroll and serve approximately 3,000 students on whom the state of California has turned its back.

Our society will surely pay for this shortsightedness in future years. In the meantime, we will continue to urge our state to once again invest in its future and the future of its citizens. Financially, SDSU continues to operate with an abundance of caution due to California’s budget challenges.

In spite of an encouraging budget proposed by the Governor, I am concerned that tough times may still lie ahead.

In preparing for those budgetary challenges, we will continue to be open in our decision-making and information-sharing. I encourage each of you to participate in this conversation. SDSU’s shared-governance structure has served us well and resulted in wise recommendations from the President’s Budget Advisory Committee. This proven collaboration provides the best vehicle to maintain San Diego State’s momentum into the new decade.

Moving forward, San Diego State will continue to provide high quality education. Because of your many individual sacrifices, San Diego State begins the spring semester with a class schedule that allows students to stay on track to graduate in four years; We will do our best to protect the jobs of our talented faculty and staff.

You are SDSU – and while California’s lack of resources may at times challenge our best intentions, it does not diminish our commitment work together to preserve and defend this great university. Thank you for all you do in spite of furloughs and budget cuts to serve our students and the future of California.

Watch the video.