Strategic Priorities

Vision

The College of Social Sciences supports students and faculty to be change leaders through critical inquiry, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community engagement to build a prosperous, just and sustainable future.  

Mission

CoSS creates inclusive learning environments that emphasize academic excellence, innovative research, and theory-informed practice. Students critically engage with complex social problems, generate dynamic solutions,  and develop leadership skills to transform our communities and future world. CoSS faculty and students conduct cutting edge research that advances understanding of the social, cultural, economic, psychological, and environmental dimensions of human behavior. Through our teaching, research, and collaboration, we advance solutions to society’s challenges in San José, Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and the world.

Priorities

The College of Social Sciences is:

• Visible: We dedicate attention and resources to critical social problems and their solutions

• Interdisciplinary: We collaborate across diverse disciplines, discourses and contexts of learning in the social sciences

• Engaged: We partner with community, government, and private sector to realize the impact of our work

Action Plan

Priorities→Action

• Visible: We dedicate attention and resources to critical social problems and their solutions by articulating our contribution and spotlighting our programs.

• Interdisciplinary: We collaborate across diverse disciplines, discourses, and contexts of learning in the social sciences by facilitating inclusive opportunities for collective action and impact and working to instill a sense of community spirit and belonging in our students, staff, and faculty. 

• Engaged: We partner with the community, government, and private sector to realize the impact of our work through strong alumni connections, meaningful community relationships, and government and industry partnerships.

Visible: We dedicate attention and resources to critical social problems and their solutions by articulating our contribution and spotlighting our programs.

• Publicize the relaunch of CoSS with new strategic priorities and action plans.

• Host regular college-wide, public-facing events that celebrate our accomplishments and facilitate connections between students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community, including showcases of research and accomplishments to educate students and engage alumni and community. 

• Raise the visibility of departments and establish the CoSS brand by enhancing connections with alumni and community, industry, and government partners.

• Establish timely and transparent communication from CoSS leadership and within departments.

• Communicate CoSS impact by promoting accomplishments and opportunities internally to CoSS and SJSU, and alumni, and community, industry, and government partners.

• Establish recruitment strategies for SJSU and non-SJSU students.

Interdisciplinary We collaborate across diverse disciplines, discourses, and contexts of learning in the social sciences by facilitating inclusive opportunities for collective action and impact and working to instill a sense of community spirit and belonging in our students, staff, and faculty. 

• Increase curricular and research collaborations across disciplines and departments: support and promote interdisciplinary and integrative learning, establish interest groups to discuss research opportunities, and develop and support opportunities for students to collaborate across departments.

• Create centralized CoSS spaces for teaching, learning, and community gathering.

• Establish and support faculty and alumni mentors across departments.

Engaged We partner with community, government, and private sector to realize the impact of our work through strong alumni connections, meaningful community relationships, and government and industry partnerships.

• Continue to facilitate and support community-engaged research and curricular opportunities that create positive relationships in social sciences fields and areas of impact.

• Reconnect with alumni to establish supportive and engaging networks within and across CoSS’s diverse departments for mutually beneficial relationships.

• Strengthen existing and establish new partnerships with community, industry, and government organizations to realize the benefit of social science research to the Silicon Valley community.

Implementation Chart AY 24-25

Visible 

Relaunch of CoSS & Establish CoSS Brand

• Strategic Plan launch event

• CoSS swag

Events

• Weeks of Welcome

• Festival of the Social Sciences

• Admitted Students events

• RSCA showcases

• Teaching showcases

• Trans teach in

Communication

• Social media, including greater Linked In presence

• Student and faculty newsletters to wider audience

• Amplify CoSS Blog

• Annual CoSS impact report

• Semesterly Alumni/Donor CoSS newsletter

• Implement recruitment strategies

Interdisciplinary

• Establish annual Faculty Learning Communities around student success

• Establish Teaching showcases

• Establish research interest groups and continue current groups

Engaged

• Establish CoSS community advisory board

• Partner with public and other nonprofit organizations

• Operationalize consistent and regular communication with alumni & retired faculty 

• Highlight alumni and retired faculty profiles on dept webpages

• Alumni scholarship reception

• Invite retired faculty and alumni to showcases, etc.