A Message from President Morishita: Inside East Bay, July 2017
- July 1, 2017
ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ has undergone significant changes over the past few years. Through the diligence and outreach efforts of our faculty and staff, new community and corporate partnerships, and the “Rising in the East” campaign in the last year, our university has grown in reputation and enrollment across the Bay Area. We are no longer a “hidden gem” but a destination of choice for students and families throughout the region and state.
Today, that transformation is also taking place on campus, as we work to ensure the university is both an ideal learning environment for our students, and instills a deep sense of pride in those who choose to attend here. While some changes reflect significant evolutions — such as the completion of the Platinum LEED-certified Student Faculty building — others impact the way our students view and interact with the campus itself. For example, Associated Students Inc. has not only gifted the university the 10-foot-tall East Bay monument letters that are already a favorite place for photographs, but also the Adirondack chairs sprinkled throughout the university that encourage students to enjoy the university between and beyond their classes. Our facilities team works tirelessly to care for and beautify the landscape, trees and plants that thread all the buildings together, constantly keeping pace with eco-friendly and water-conserving methods to do so.
Finally, when our students come back to campus in fall, they will be welcomed by a new sculpture in their honor, adjacent to the Valley Business and Technology Center and overlooking the bay. “Emerging Dimensions: We Will Soar” is a tribute to all ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ Pioneers, but in particular to our first-generation students, whose lives and the lives of their families are so dramatically changed by a university degree. I hope that this unique 17-foot-tall piece, completed by sculpture artist Obie Simonis, is a daily reminder to us of our students’ great potential, and how high we can help them soar through our continued work and dedication.
Go Pioneers!