Provost Communication, Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Good morning and happy Wednesday. I hope you enjoyed your long three-day weekend. 

Enrollment Update

The latest Enrollment Target Progress Report is available. The next detailed enrollment report will be available after Census. Some important highlights from the report include:

• Total headcount enrollment (6,299) is currently up 4.13% year to date (YTD) - resident Full-time equivalent (FTE), which is what drives the CSU’s enrollment target analysis, is currently up 4.33%.

• Based on current progress to target, we do not anticipate meeting our headcount target of 6,347 (+4.9%) - this is a significant change from the late July report.

• However, we do anticipate maintaining around a 4% growth rate, which is the highest single-year increase since we began growing in 2022.

• Despite increases in graduate confirmations by more than 40%, new graduate enrollments continue to lag YTD compared with the 2024 cycle.

• Within new student populations, only transfer students are showing enrollment growth, while much of the growth in other new populations, such as Full-time undergraduate (FTUG), eroded after July.

• Additional analysis will be undertaken to determine what took place with the enrollment trend between the end of July and early August.

• Housing occupancy remains at 89% for fall.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the tremendous work of our Enrollment Management and Student Success colleagues. Additionally, I know there have been strong efforts by faculty and staff in academic affairs to continue to lift our enrollment numbers. Thank you!

Faculty Comings and Goings

As promised, I wanted to acknowledge the faculty members who have arrived and departed Cal Poly Humboldt since June 1, 2025. They are:

Arrivals

College of Natural Resources and Sciences (CNRS):

• Sana Algharaibeh, Associate Professor, Computer Science

• Rob Blenk, Assistant Professor, Wildlife

• Regina Jorgenson, Assistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy

• Monica Sheffer, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS)

• Avery Alexander, Lecturer, Department of Dance, Music, and Theater

• Annie Allen, Lecturer, Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis

• Cara Cuhn, Lecturer, Department of Native American Studies

• Necahual Gamboa, Lecturer, Department of English

• Jocelyn Heaney, Lecturer, Department of English

• Rusty Hicks, Lecturer, Department of Politics

• Eliza Klinger, Program Leader, Department of Dance, Music, and Theater

• Sukey Lewis, Lecturer, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

• Katie Masters, Lecturer, Department of English

• Katie Menor, Lecturer, Department of Anthropology

• Spencer Mitchell, Lecturer, Department of Anthropology

• Simon Oh, Staff Accompanist, Department of Dance, Music, and Theater

• Sarah Rios, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies

• Karley Rojas, Lecturer, Department of Native American Studies

• Ginny Ryder, Lecturer, Department of Dance, Music, and Theater

• Kearney Vander Sal, Lecturer, Department of Dance, Music, and Theater

• Christina Wile Sundman, Lecturer, Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis

• Fred Tempas, Lecturer, Department of Dance, Music, and Theater

• Jason Valdez, Lecturer, Department of Anthropology

Departures

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS)

• Nancy Perez, Assistant Professor, Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies, left for CSU Northridge

• Armeda Reitzel, Professor, Communications, Retired

• Sarah Whorf, Professor, Art + Film, Retired

College of Professional Studies (CPS)

• Ben Graham, Relocated and Pursuing New Professional Opportunities

• Kim Perris, Director of Nursing, Retired

College of Natural Resources and Sciences (CNRS):

• Beth Eschenbach, Environmental Resources Engineering, Retired.

• Margaret Lang, Environmental Resources Engineering, Retired. 

• Justin Luong, Assistant Professor, FFRM, Left for UC Berkeley

• Ho Yi Wan, Associate Professor, Wildlife, Left for the University of Florida

Changes

• Eden Donahue, Director of Nursing (previously Associate Director of Nursing)

Event Alert: Graphic Author and Environmental Justice Lawyer Eddie Ahn's Book Talk, Wednesday, September 10, 2025

The Department of Environmental Studies, along with the Departments of Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis (GESA) and Critical Race Gender Sexuality Studies (CRGS) invites the university & community to attend a book talk by environmental justice lawyer, author, and graphic artist Eddie Ahn, who will be talking about his bestselling and award-winning book, Advocate: A Graphic Memoir of Family, Community and the Fight for Environmental Justice. Click here to read the book description. 

Ahn's talk is on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, from 3-4 pm in Goodwin Forum (NHE 102). Books will be available for purchase and signing. Please share widely, and bring your students!

Have a wonderful rest of your week.
Jenn Capps