President's Campus Messages
Campus messages and reflective blog posts cover a variety of important issues, announcements, administrative updates, holidays, and celebrations, and sometimes address more challenging issues.
President Thompson delivers a monthly video message to the campus that offers news, updates, and insight into current activities around campus. Find the most recent monthly video message below, or visit our YouTube channel to see an archived playlist of his past video messages.
You can also scroll down to see links to other recent campus communications from the President and an archive of past messages.
2025 State of the College
“This Is Our Moment!”
In what he anticipates will become an annual Fall tradition, Saint Mary’s President Roger Thompson delivered the 2025 State of the College address on October 22 in front of a packed Soda Center audience, framing the year around four priorities—Student Experience, Academic Excellence, Access and Belonging, and Places and Spaces—and outlining steps to strengthen the College’s long-term sustainability.
He highlighted momentum in enrollment, new academic pathways, and vibrant campus life—and called for expanded evening and weekend programming in The 1928 Pub, Saint Mary’s Redwood Grove, Café Louis, and the Joseph L. Alioto Recreation Center—to create more opportunities for students to connect and participate in a vibrant campus experience. He also wove in student stories that bring the themes he spoke of to life: from collaborative research projects in the Sierra Nevada to internships that turn curiosity into purpose.
November 2025
President Roger Thompson begins his November 2025 video message to the Saint Mary’s campus community with a quick recap of his recent State of the College presentation. He continues with a preview of Veterans Day, Native American Heritage Month, and a variety of performing arts events taking place at the College throughout the fall. He also looks ahead to Friendsgiving and the season of gratitude and remembrance.
Recent Campus Messages
Recent op-ed
NCAA Rule Changes Will ‘Quietly Hurt Thousands of Student-Athletes’
In an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle, President Thompson lays out an argument for why the NCAA should reconsider its plans to reduce roster sizes for a number of Division I sports. The underpinning theme, he says, is opportunity and the broader student experience.
Read morePrevious Campus Messages
2025
A New Chapter for Our Library (October 20, 2025)
Introducing the Office of Inclusion and Belonging (October 13, 2025)
Save the Date: 2026 Commencement Ceremonies on May 21 and May 22 (October 8, 2025)
Remembering September 11, 2001 (September 11, 2025)
Welcome to the Fall 2025 Semester! (August 14, 2025)
Carol Ann Gittens, PhD, Appointed Provost of Saint Mary's College (July 16, 2025)
The Launch of SMC's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program! (June 23, 2025)
Action Items in Response to Racist Incidents (May 1, 2025)
Recent Media Coverage of Racism and Vandalism (April 25, 2025)
Blessings of the Holy Season (April 16, 2025)
In Op-Ed for the San Francisco Chronicle, President Thompson Argues NCAA Rule Changes Will ‘Quietly Hurt Thousands of Student-Athletes’ (March 21, 2025)
Recent and Upcoming Highlights from our Partnership with University Credit Union (February 21, 2025)
Welcome to the Spring Semester (February 3, 2025)
Announcing Our New Interim Deans (February 4, 2025)
Welcome Jeff Shilling, SMC's New Vice President for Advancement (January 7, 2025)
A Life of Faith, Service, and Community: Celebrating Brother Ronald Gallagher, FSC (January 6, 2025)
2024
Introducing Charlie Faas, SMC's new Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration/Chief Financial Officer (December 16, 2024)
Season's Greetings from Roger and Debbie Thompson (December 12, 2024)
Welcome Jim Brooks, SMC's New Senior Vice President for Student Experience and Enrollment Management (SVP SEEM) (December 11, 2024)
The Launch of our GREAT Referral Program (October 1, 2024)
The Enduring Significance of September 11, 2001 (September 11, 2024)
Key position searches underway (September 3, 2024)
President Thompson's August 2024 video message to the campus (August 5, 2024)
President Roger Thompson's Welcome Message to SMC Faculty, Staff, and De La Salle Christian Brothers (July 15, 2024)
Unrest and calls for change amid global conflict (May 8, 2024)
In solidarity with Saint Mary's students (April 16, 2024)
SMC's Partnership with University Credit Union (March 26, 2024)
Easter Blessings (March 25, 2024)
Understanding and Supporting our Muslim Community During the Holy Month of Ramadan (March 12, 2024)
Completion of WSCUC Accreditation and Reaffirmation (March 8, 2024)
Saint Mary’s College Introduces Donald Gibson as New Dean of School of Economics and Business Administration (February 26, 2024)
Celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 12, 2024)
Introducing Dr. Terri Jett, Our New AVP/Senior Diversity Officer (January 11, 2024)
2023
Recent Saint Mary's Media Coverage Regarding Lawsuit (December 18, 2023)
Merry Christmas and Warmest Holiday Wishes (December 14, 2023)
Thank you, Veterans (November 10, 2023)
Respecting, supporting, and caring for each other during the Middle East crisis (November 3, 2023)
Progress update on Transformation 2028 (November 1, 2023)
Community Prayers for the Unfolding Situation in the Middle East (October 12, 2023)
Celebrating the Cultures of Our Hispanic and Latinx Communities (September 27, 2023)
Recent Court Decision on DACA (September 22, 2023)
Remembering the Heroes of September 11, 2001 (September 11, 2023)
Jacksonville Shootings and MLK’s “I Have a Dream” (August 29, 2023)
Welcome to Fall Semester! (August 28, 2023)
Congratulations to Chief Information Officer (CIO) James Johnson (July 5, 2023)
Please welcome Brother Thomas Jones, FSC, as Interim President (May 22, 2023)
Saint Mary's Welcomes Sandra Kim As Its New Vice President for Finance and Administration (April 13, 2023)
My Departure from Saint Mary's (March 30, 2023)
Congratulations to our Scholars Reception Honorees (March 20, 2023)
Updates On DEI Activities This Spring (March 2, 2023)
Solidarity and Support for Victims of Turkey/Syria Earthquake (Feb. 15, 2023)
Shooting Incident at Michigan State University (Feb. 14, 2023)
Announcing the College’s Strategic Plan (Feb. 7, 2023)
Finance & Administration Updates and Budget-Planning Process (Jan. 27, 2023)
2022
Vandalism On Campus (Dec. 20, 2022)
Incidents of violence at Universities of Idaho and Virginia (Nov. 21, 2022)