New Sonoma State president brings experience leading universities through turmoil

Sonoma State Bets on Proven Leader to Navigate Stormy Seas of Higher Education Turmoil

When Michael Spagna stepped into the role of president at Sonoma State University in January, he inherited a campus grappling with deep financial woes, a decade-long enrollment slide, and a faculty and student body questioning its very future. The university, once a beacon of academic excellence, had recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons, including significant faculty layoffs and the elimination of intercollegiate athletic programs. Now, with a new leader at the helm, the focus is shifting from crisis management to rebuilding trust and charting a course toward renewed stability and growth.

A Legacy of Stabilization: Spagna's Path to Sonoma

Spagna, 64, arrives at Sonoma State with a track record of navigating complex challenges across the California State University (CSU) system. His appointment marks the fifth leadership change at Sonoma State in just five years, a period characterized by uncertainty and significant institutional upheaval. His approach, according to former colleagues and his own statements, centers on transparency, collaboration, and a deep-seated belief in the enduring value of a liberal arts education.

His career in higher education administration spans multiple CSU campuses, where he has consistently been called upon to restore order and foster continuity. At Cal State Dominguez Hills, he served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs from 2017 to 2024, stepping into a role where six previous provosts had cycled through in eight years. His tenure there was marked by efforts to build upon existing initiatives and provide a stable administrative foundation.

More recently, at Cal Poly Humboldt, Spagna took the reins as interim president in September 2024 following a vote of no confidence in the previous administration. He arrived in the wake of student protests and a contentious period for the university, tasked with stabilizing the campus environment and restoring confidence among students and faculty.

Bethany Gilden, who served as Spagna's chief of staff at Cal Poly Humboldt, described him as a "fixer" with a particular strength in "shared governance and bringing faculty along." She expressed optimism that his leadership style, if applied at Sonoma State, could lead to a positive turnaround for the institution.

From the Classroom to the Corner Office: Spagna's Educational Roots

Spagna's journey into higher education leadership is rooted in a profound commitment to education itself, beginning with his early career in K-12 teaching. In the mid-1980s, he taught civics, physics, and algebra to middle school students at Westmark School, a private institution serving students with language-based learning disabilities. This experience, he notes, instilled in him a fundamental understanding of individual strengths and the importance of finding them in every student.

His academic pursuits led him to pursue a master's degree in special education at UCLA, where he also gained invaluable experience teaching patients in the university's inpatient neuropsychiatric ward. This demanding role, he recalls, taught him critical lessons about building relationships with individuals who had faced significant educational adversity, a philosophy he carries into his administrative work.

After earning his Ph.D. in special education through a joint program at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State in 1987, Spagna transitioned to higher education. His first faculty position in the CSU system was at Cal State Northridge in 1991. As dean of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education, he was instrumental in securing a significant $7 million gift for its Center for Teaching and Learning.

During his deanship at Cal State Northridge, Spagna was recognized for his ability to elevate the university's profile through strategic relationship-building with business and political leaders. He also fostered crucial data-sharing partnerships with other universities, enhancing research on K-12 student progress and promoting collaboration between the CSU and UC systems. Beverly Cabello, who served as associate dean of the College of Education during Spagna's tenure, lauded his talent for forging "meaningful collaborations leading towards positive action."

Rebuilding Trust Through Transparency and Shared Governance

Spagna's tenure as dean at Cal State Northridge was not without its challenges. Prior to his arrival, faculty members often felt excluded from critical budget decisions. One of his initial and most impactful steps was to implement a policy of sharing detailed financial information during regular leadership and faculty meetings.

"He let the faculty know, 'Look, here are our resources and here's the budget. We'll go over it and make collaborative decisions about things,'" Cabello recounted. This open approach empowered faculty to have a direct say in resource allocation, such as decisions regarding technology funding within the college.

This commitment to transparency and collaborative decision-making became a hallmark of his leadership, a strategy he is now bringing to Sonoma State as it confronts its own set of complex financial and operational hurdles.

The Steep Climb Ahead: Addressing Sonoma State's Enrollment Crisis

The most pressing challenge facing President Spagna at Sonoma State is the university's precipitous decline in enrollment. The student population has shrunk to approximately 5,000, a staggering 46% drop from its peak of around 9,400 students in 2015. This downward trend, Spagna acknowledges, is a multifaceted issue influenced by the lingering effects of the pandemic, broader societal debates about the value of higher education, and the reputational damage incurred from recent program cuts and the elimination of athletics.

The university's decision to eliminate all 11 intercollegiate athletic programs and a quarter of its faculty to address a $20 million deficit last year undoubtedly contributed to a negative public perception. Anthropology professor Alexis Boutin, who coordinates the university’s master’s program in cultural heritage and resource management, shared her experience fielding questions about her program’s viability at a state archaeology conference, highlighting the widespread concern about the university's status.

"I had to say, 'Of course we are,' Boutin stated. 'We're still totally sustainable.'" Her sentiment reflects a broader desire within the university community to shift the narrative from crisis to resilience and to highlight the enduring strengths of Sonoma State's academic offerings.

To combat the enrollment slide, Sonoma State has received crucial one-time funding totaling $45 million from the state Legislature and an additional $10 million from the CSU chancellor's office. This financial infusion is being strategically deployed to bolster recruitment and marketing efforts, with the hope of reversing the enrollment trend.

Spagna expressed cautious optimism, projecting that the university will begin to see an uptick in enrollment by fall 2028, with an anticipated increase of 100 to 300 students annually. "It's not going to be something dramatic, but we're going to be on a better trajectory as a university," he stated.

Reimagining Academic Futures Amidst Programmatic Shifts

The impact of past budget cuts continues to resonate within the faculty. The elimination of programs like theater arts, for instance, has led to difficult transitions for faculty members. Scott Horstein, who directed the theater arts program, has been reassigned to the English Department to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum that bridges performance with fields like nursing and education.

"I’m very much in grief for the loss of my department," Horstein admitted. "On a personal level, President Spagna extended me for a couple of years and said yes to the things that I wanted to do." He, along with other faculty, expressed gratitude for the prospect of renewed stability, a sentiment echoed by students.

Ashley Metzger, a senior at Sonoma State majoring in communications and media studies, sees parallels between the challenges at Sonoma State and those faced by Cal Poly Humboldt. She acknowledges that Spagna's early actions, such as appointing an interim athletic director and retaining the geology program, are positive steps. However, she remains focused on whether this momentum can be sustained to truly revitalize the university's reputation and academic standing.

"We haven’t had a good year for five years for something to showcase the school," Metzger observed, underscoring the need for tangible successes to rebuild institutional pride and external perception.

A Complex Past: Navigating Allegations of Discrimination

While Spagna's career has been characterized by efforts to foster stability and collaboration, his past leadership has not been without controversy. In 2012, while serving as dean of the College of Education at Cal State Northridge, he faced a racial discrimination claim related to the selection of a department chair.

Marilyn Joshua Williams, a former professor of elementary education, alleged that she was overlooked for the position despite receiving the majority of votes from her department's faculty. Williams, who is Black, stated that Spagna announced his decision not to appoint her and instead selected a white male from another department with no prior experience in her field.

"It ended up being a career-ending move, which was kind of unfair because his career kept going," Williams reflected in a recent interview. She recounted a private conversation with Spagna where he indicated that some white faculty members had expressed reluctance to work with her.

Williams felt that Spagna could have upheld the departmental vote and affirmed her selection, stating, "But rather than doing that, he said he didn’t want to seat me." She subsequently filed a lawsuit against the CSU system, which was settled in 2014. Williams departed the university in 2015, earlier than she had planned to retire.

A spokesperson for Sonoma State declined to comment on the matter, citing CSU's policy regarding personnel issues. The allegations represent a complex aspect of Spagna's professional history as he assumes leadership at Sonoma State, a university striving to overcome its recent challenges and build a more inclusive and equitable future.

As President Spagna embarks on his tenure at Sonoma State, the university community watches with a mixture of hope and apprehension. His experience in navigating institutional crises and his commitment to collaborative leadership offer a potential pathway forward. The success of his mission will hinge not only on his ability to address the immediate financial and enrollment challenges but also on his capacity to foster a renewed sense of trust and shared purpose among the faculty, staff, and students who are the heart of the university's educational mission.