From the President: Welcome to the Fall Semester!

August 25, 2025

Dear Southern Community,

Welcome to the fall semester, everyone! I am grateful for the warm welcome and the thoughtful conversations I have already had with many of you. I hope that your summer has been productive and enjoyable and that you are feeling rejuvenated as we commence the new academic year.

During the orientation sessions and on move-in day this past weekend, I had the opportunity to greet many members of our 1,300-strong incoming undergraduate class. I also spoke to a full ballroom of new transfers and a full auditorium of new graduate students. It is clear that our new students are excited to become part of our extended Southern family.  Additionally, we have several staff members who started their employment over the summer and 20 newly hired faculty who are joining us this week. Please take the opportunity during these first few weeks to make sure that all our new colleagues feel welcome and supported.

I extend my sincere appreciation to the faculty who taught summer courses and the many employees who worked to orient and advise our new students and prepare the campus for the start of the fall semester. To our teams in orientation, housing, facilities, campus security, SEOP and more – your Southern pride is evident and uplifting.

The past academic year was one of achievement in many ways, highlighted by Southern being named an R2 research institution by the Carnegie Foundation. This prestigious national recognition speaks to the exceptional scholarship of our faculty, the successful expansion of our doctoral programs and our growing ability to secure impactful grants. As the only R2 institution in Connecticut (Yale and UConn are the two R1s), Southern provides an enticing opportunity for prospective students to directly benefit from faculty teaching and research at a level not seen elsewhere. During the coming months, we will work to spread the word about the depth of excellence at Southern and find new ways to tell our story.

This new year will not be without its challenges: we continue to operate under financial constraints and a partial hiring freeze, making it especially important to strike a balance between resource efficiency and care for our employees. This is why, as I wrote earlier this month, a great deal of my immediate focus will be on addressing barriers to effective operations, so that our people and programs can thrive. This means enhancing employee support, streamlining processes, and aligning organizational structures in ways that strengthen our ability to serve our communities and achieve our institutional goals.

With our leadership team, I am also monitoring the latest federal directives and working with the CSCU system office to evaluate and respond to their impact. It is important to note that our historic commitment to access, equity and inclusion will not change. Reflecting this, our Multicultural Center, SAGE Center, Interfaith Center and other affinity group areas – which have always been open to all individuals on our campus – will continue their important work.

Our enrollment continues its gradual rebound from the pandemic years.  Our incoming new student class is our largest in many years; our retention rate is increasing steadily; and Southern’s graduate school remains the largest in the CSCU System. However, in the years ahead, demographic trends show that recruitment efforts focused on traditional high school students will not be adequate to maintain or increase our overall undergraduate enrollment levels. To that end, we will be developing new strategies to attract transfer students from our CT State community college campuses, and adult learners who completed some college in the past.  We will also invest in maintaining and growing enrollment in graduate programs that are in high demand and/or meet the workforce needs of our state and region.

During the summer, I met with many elected officials and community leaders to listen to and learn about what Southern is doing well and where we need to improve. From their responses, Dr. Smith’s strong efforts to increase Southern’s engagement in Greater New Haven have clearly been recognized, valued, and appreciated. I am committed to sustaining and growing these partnerships for the benefit of our city and its surrounding communities.

As we begin the new academic year, I am eager to continue connecting, listening, learning, and celebrating the good work happening throughout our campus and beyond. I am honored to serve alongside you and look forward to the accomplishments we will achieve together in the year ahead. I thank you in advance for all that you will do in service to Southern and our students.

Most Sincerely,

Dr. Sandy Bulmer
Interim President