May 2021
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2021! Spring semester classes will conclude in just one week and exams one week after that, on May 22. This year, 790 College of Arts & Letters students will receive their BA or BM degrees and 107 graduate students will receive their MA, MM, or MFA degrees. As I noted in my last letter, these 897 students are exhibiting exceptional persistence and resilience to achieve this milestone. With this year’s graduating class, the CSU System will reach 4 million alumni! According to system data, 1 out of every 20 Americans with a college degree earned it in a CSU school and 1 out of every 10 employed people in the state of California has a CSU degree.
The value of your college education cannot be overstated. As a college graduate, you are not only more likely to earn higher wages (estimates are that college grads earn almost $1 million more over their lifetime than those who don’t complete a college degree) but also are more likely to participate in civic activities such as voting. Some studies even suggest that college graduates are happier! So…if you’re one of the 2500 or so majors not yet graduating this spring, be sure to check out the new Fall 2021 class schedule when it is published on June 7 and register for Fall classes after June 14.
It is an honor to serve the students, faculty, staff, and broader community of the College of Arts & Letters. This is, however, my last letter as your Dean. I have accepted the opportunity to return to my hometown of New York City as Provost and Senior Vice President of Baruch College of the City University of New York. I look forward to following all of your accomplishments from afar.
Best wishes,
Linda Essig
Dr. Linda Essig, Dean