President Luke Wood became the ninth president of Sacramento State on July 16, 2023. In late August, he announced that he would spend the first 100 days of the semester listening to members of our campus community to learn what makes Our Sacramento State distinctive, where people want to see us in five years, and what actions we would need to take to get there, and how we get there while maintaining our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

What President Wood learns during his listening tour will be a starting point to move Our Sacramento State forward and will be used to create action items that will complete the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan. A detailed report of findings will be shared at the President’s Spring Address, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18 in the University Union Ballroom.

October 2023

In October, President Wood held more than 40 listening sessions attended by nearly 1,000 people. Students, staff, faculty, and community members shared their great pride in Sacramento State’s diversity, natural beauty, and deep engagement in the community, as well as a belief in its mission to transform lives.

Students expressed their desire for more support through campus affinity centers, the need for more scholarship opportunities, and the idea of creating a dedicated channel of communication that clearly directs them to campus resources. Faculty and staff from across the University highlighted the need to streamline bureaucratic processes and to identify and eliminate redundancies in programs, services, and initiatives that serve students, faculty, and staff. Alumni and other community members shared their desire to continue to partner with the University to promote student success, and also encouraged more intentional leveraging of our proximity to the Capitol.

September 2023

Throughout the month of September President Wood met with numerous community groups, including the Sacramento Metro Chamber, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Latino Economic Council of Sacramento, as well as the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce.

The President also hosted the first of three student listening sessions, at which he learned about student challenges with financial aid. As a result, the President created a Tiger Team on Financial Aid and a ten-point plan for addressing financial challenges.

August 2023

At the Fall Address on August 24, President Wood officially announced the 100 Days of Listening Tour. However, even before the official start of the tour, the President heard from students, staff, and faculty about the urgent need to improve campus safety. To address this need, on August 16 President Wood announced the creation of the Presidential Taskforce on Campus Safety.