Jeffery Keating, Sonoma State’s Associate Vice President for Government Relations and Strategic Communications, met with the Sonoma State Star staff on Oct. 1, 2024.
Keating previously reported to the Chief of Staff and the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. However, after school-wide ‘academic reorganization,’ that position was eliminated. Jeffery and his staff now report to the University Advancement sector of Sonoma State’s administration.
The conference was scheduled after staff reporters sent emails to Cutrer inquiring about school-wide news and her plan for the university’s future. The emails were forwarded to Keating, which eventually led to an in-person meeting with him.
During the conference, students asked Keating questions about his personal background and experience working in higher education. However, the key issue was obtaining crucial information about the new Interim President, Emily F. Cutrer. Keating was careful with his responses, stating that answers would be formally addressed by the president herself, in a one-on-one interview.
The Star originally emailed Keating and his team on Sept. 10, requesting an interview with Cutrer. The Star and the president reached an agreement that an interview would take place on Oct. 18, a month and one week later. On the day of the interview, Keating contacted The Star, letting them know that the president’s schedule had changed, further postponing any conversation with Cutrer.
“Our operating philosophy is that we keep our eyes forward and do our jobs…And you know, regardless of who the president is, we have a responsibility to do what we do for the university,” Keating said.
Keating stated that we can look forward to at least one full academic year with Cutrer as our interim president. However, beyond that, the administration is unable to provide concrete answers about the future leadership at Sonoma State.
“But, it’s understood that there’s, you know, a sense of uncertainty about things. I will say, Dr. Cutrer is going to be here throughout this entire academic year,” Keating said.
In regards to previous school-wide conflict, including the encampments and protests that took place last semester, Keating responded with messages of unity, respect, and a civic responsibility to continue to move forward. Keating did not give any solid answer regarding his, or the president’s, perception of Mike Lee’s agreement with students that ultimately resulted in Lee’s resignation.
“It’s a marketplace of ideas like any university is, and they aren’t all going to be ideas that people agree with. The point is we need to find that common ground, that [Dr. Cutrer] is talking about, where we can have those conversations and something productive results from it,” Keating said.
An interview with the interim president is scheduled for the week of Oct. 28, which will hopefully lead to more insight on the administration’s strategies for revitalizing Sonoma State’s financial and humanitarian goals, as well as improving overall transparency.
