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Greetings Bronco Alumni, Donors, and Parents!
With the conclusion of the academic year, the quiet of summer has settled over the Mission Campus. I find myself reflecting on the incredible energy that this year brought to our classrooms, labs, and studios. Thanks to the dedication of our faculty and staff, the curiosity of our students, and the unwavering support from all of you, ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ continues to thrive as a beacon of rigorous, values-based education.
This year has been nothing short of historic. We are standing at a pivotal moment in ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½’s history, driven by a changing landscape in higher education as well as two groundbreaking announcements that will fundamentally transform our campus, elevate the impact of an ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ education, and shape the future of our students.
In May, ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ officially announced a partnership with Sutter Health to launch the . It’s hard to imagine a new academic program for ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ that is as impactful as a new school of medicine. The U.S. is facing a critical shortage of MDs in the next decade, and far too many Californians have to go out of state for their medical training. Imagine a medical school infused with Ignatian pedagogy and Jesuit values; one that cultivates compassionate leaders dedicated to health equity, ethical care, and community well-being! Moreover, I hope and expect the medical school to deeply enrich the College, especially if we succeed in building direct pipelines that keep our exceptional students right here at ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ for their entire journey into medicine.
The launch of ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½’s fourth center of distinction, the , is an opportunity for the University to shape how technology serves humanity. With more than 100 faculty across the university already working in AI, including a number from the College, this center will advance responsible AI research and education in a world with very little guardrails in place for this new and still evolving technology.
Individually, these initiatives are monumental. Together, they represent a massive leap forward for ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½. By expanding the university in these ways, our research capabilities are multiplying, and the value of an ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ degree continues to rise. Yet, amidst this rapid evolution, our core identity remains unchanged: we are a tight-knit, student-centric community where individuals are challenged to build a more just, humane, and sustainable world.
In my regular communications with the faculty and staff in the College, I have gotten in the habit of sharing a poem. So, I wanted to expand that tradition and share one with you here, today. This poem is a haiku by the famous Japanese poet, Bashô – a good one for the end of spring and beginning of summer in ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½!
Daniel Press
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½
Spring Morning
Season of spring days!
There a nameless hill has veils
Of soft morning haze.
– Bashô
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