This past year was one of the most eventful years for Sonoma State in a long time.
In 1996, Sonoma State lost its football program. But now, it has lost much, much more.
Throughout 2025, SSU has experienced the loss of programs and athletics, along with a frightening scare of contaminated water. Most recently, the Trump administration cut Sonoma State’s EDUCA grant one year into its 5-year plan, and the federal government shutdown affected SNAP benefits.
Over 20 programs were eliminated this past year, including all sports, causing stressful decisions for student-athletes. The news of these cuts has plagued the school ever since, with various media outlets covering the story. And here at the STAR, “budget cuts” has become our most frequent tag by far.
Since last year, there has been a 13% decrease in student population as of late 2025. Enrollment numbers dropped, forcing SSU to create strategic plans to bring in more students. As a result, portions of on-campus housing remained closed due to lower resident numbers and the ongoing budget concerns. Interim Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Paul Edwards had confirmed that the school was down roughly 400 first-year students compared to 2024.
Residential Education and Campus Housing Director Erin Hunter explained the plans REACH developed, including repurposing underused spaces for flexible housing that would serve graduate, transfer, and non-traditional students. The Zinfandel housing village, along with Cabernet Village, both sit unoccupied.
“While not currently part of the active housing portfolio, Zinfandel continues to serve important functions through summer conferences and local partnership use,” Hunter said.
On Oct. 1, the federal government shutdown began due to Congress’s failure to pass annual spending bills by the fiscal year deadline. It was the longest shutdown the United States has gone through. This caused a mass outburst for federal employees, passport and visa applicants, travelers, national parks, low-income individuals and families, and even students who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and CalFresh benefits. This caused uncertainty for SSU students about when or if their food assistance funds would be replenished for November.
“Some students depend on CalFresh for everything,” said Erik Dickson, executive director of Associated Students. “It’s a huge impact on a lot of students who rely on those benefits.”
Lobo’s Pantry and Associated Students took steps to support their students by allowing them to show their EBT cards and student ID to retrieve 33% more food than usual while the situation continued. The shutdown ended on Nov. 13, after 46 days, but some students fear there may be another one.
After that, the water on campus was found to be contaminated after a water test revealed concerns about its supply. On Oct. 11, Seawolves were alerted by SSU officials that the water was contaminated and they must avoid tap water, including drinking, showering, cooking, and brushing teeth. The water was contaminated by an excess of sodium hypochlorite, also known as liquid bleach.
Erin Hunter, director of Residential Education and Campus Housing (REACH), said, “The water issue briefly disrupted residents’ daily routines. Housing staff worked quickly to ensure everyone was informed and supported.”
In October, it was announced that the Trump Administration terminated a 5-year, $3.2 million federal grant for Sonoma State’s teacher residency program after just one year.
The EDUCA grant, funded by the Hawkins Program, was created to increase the number of well-prepared and diverse teachers. Sonoma State was one of 26 universities to receive the grant.
“Part of the initiative was to produce more quality teachers for our community, but also to diversify the teaching workforce,” states Laura Alamillo, dean of the College of Education at SSU.
The goal of the grant was to provide scholarships to students who are pursuing teaching credentials, along with funding for mentoring programs and cultural and language competency training for current and future teachers.
The grant included support to assist students with tuition, housing, and food. With this grant absent, students are losing an opportunity to pursue a teaching career.
In California, teacher candidates need 600 hours of classroom time, but the SSU program requires 900 hours. Those extra hundreds of hours provided more learning opportunities, practice, coaching, and feedback.
On Oct. 13, the search committee held its first round of interviews with candidates. In November, SSU wrapped up the search for a new president.
Gina Baleria, associate professor for communication and media studies, noted that “open and consistent communication will be key for the next president” and that campus stakeholders “should have a stake” in the process.
On Nov. 19, news broke of who would be SSU’s 11th president. Michael E. Spagna was appointed to the position and is “deeply honored to be entrusted to lead Sonoma State University,” and started his new job promptly on Jan. 20.
“This university has a long history of educational excellence and a deep connection to the community that must continue to be strengthened,” said Spagna.
Spagna has served as the interim president of Cal Poly Humboldt since August 2024, and before that, he was the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at CSU Dominguez Hills since 2017.
Over his career, he has built a strong foundation, including his roles at CSU Northridge as a professor and dean of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education. He earned his Ph.D from in Special Education from UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University, a master’s from UCLA, and a bachelor’s from Northwestern.
Despite the past year being very difficult for our school, maybe under a new qualified president, things might change. To follow along with more campus-related news, keep in touch with the Sonoma State STAR.
