RENAISSANCE WOMAN
The head of SJSU, a scholar of 17th century English writers, says she believes her academic expertise prepared her to lead the university in the 21st century
San Jose State University President Mary Papazian believes her university plays a role in Silicon Valley not just because of its geography, but because the students and faculty make it such a tech talent pipeline. Papazian, who became the university’s president in 2016, is entering her third school year at SJSU after spending most of her academic career in Michigan and Connecticut. Papazian, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley and is a UCLA alumna, says it feels good to be back in her native California. She is helping to position SJSU for success in growing Silicon Valley as the region’s influence has become increasingly global.
Papazian has plenty to be excited about. In September, the California State University board of trustees is set to approve the first phase of the planned SJSU Science and Innovation Complex, which she hopes will deepen the university’s ties to local research institutions and tech companies. In October, SJSU will mark the 50th anniversary of the Black Power Salute by two alumni and Olympian athletes: Tommie Smith and John Carlos, at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
Papazian, a scholar of 17th century English Renaissance writers such as John Milton and John Donne, believes her academic expertise has prepared her to lead San Jose State in the 21st century.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q
What drew you into the works of John Donne and English Renaissance literature in the first place?
A
When I was a student at UCLA, I was inspired in part by a faculty member who became a mentor, and he was a specialist in English Renaissance in Milton and Donne. It was the way he taught it, focusing on the nexus of the Renaissance which brought together different disciplines to create the modern world. The world fundamentally changed from the medieval period to the early modern period then, and nobody seemed to understand that better than writers like Milton and Donne.
It’s a really interesting thread which takes us through to what I do in Silicon Valley. I’m sure you had the same question: “Gee, San Jose State produces a large number of employees for Silicon Valley companies, so why are they hiring an English professor specializing in the Renaissance? It makes no sense.” But let’s think more broadly. When was the last great age of innovation, of real change? It was the Renaissance. You can’t read Donne’s poetry without seeing all the references to the new sciences. I think it harkens to the element of innovation and creativity, and when I think about our modern times — especially here in Silicon Valley — I think we are at another point where that kind of creativity is happening.
Q
So how do you reconcile your own education with being the president of this university, which serves as a huge talent pipeline in Silicon Valley?
A
I think about the intersection between creativity and innovation and tech skills. In today’s world, in the fourth tech revolution, it is taking diverse perspectives, having the ability to ask a lot of questions from diverse angles and having the ability to see human impact of things. And what do English literature people do all day? We read and put our minds in the minds of other people.
When I was in Michigan teaching English, I had many engineers in my class because the auto industry is right there. When I taught them Milton, they were always nervous at first, trying to figure out what the answer was. I used to say, “No, it’s about thinking about our place in the world.” They actually grew to really enjoy it by the end of course. It was a different way of thinking.
Q
How have you been communicating beyond the students, with the Silicon Valley companies?
A
I grew up in Southern California, and it’s a bit different than Northern California, and so I really wanted to spend some time getting to know the area. I joined Silicon Valley Leadership Group, the Bay Area Council, and got a joint venture with the city of San Jose and meet regularly with the mayor. We’ve reached out to other companies. We did some work at Google and Facebook. We’ve been meeting with people at Cisco, GE Digital and a number of others. It’s normally one-on-one meetings, and we just talk about what we are doing and learn how we can better serve the companies around us.
Q
SJSU has more than 7,000 students in science and engineering majors. That’s a big number, but what would you say is SJSU’s edge, which separates itself from other local research powerhouses such as Stanford and Berkeley?
A
Our university has developed very meaningful industry partnerships, which are program-to-program in a number of areas. For example, we have a program in the College of Engineering in biomedical devices every year. There is a student club under the leadership of faculty, and they put on a large event for industry professionals to look at their prototypes and engage with them.
We have multiple events like this. There is an emphasis by our faculty and our students to focus on the practical things and to engage this way with industry representatives to understand what problems they are actively trying to solve and how we can help. We hear from companies they like to hire our students because first of all, they aren’t entitled. They are eager and hungry and work hard and learn on the job.
Q
I understand there is a new Science and Innovation Center that SJSU has been planning for at least a year. Can you tell me more?
A
We are really excited about this facility. The science part is a statebonded facility that is focused on teaching and researching in laboratory sciences. It will have eight floors, with labs for teaching and labs for research on each floor. There is no better way for learning than engagement and discovery.
The innovation building is a second part (of the project), and we will be raising private funds for it. It is intended to be a nexus for the external community and the university. We want to bring faculty and students together to help solve industry problems. We hope companies see that partnership with us will be fruitful for them. That innovation building is in the next phase, after the science building. The science building is in design phase, and we will take the designs to the CSU Board of Trustees in September.
Q
Has SJSU felt the housing crisis which ails the Bay Area as a whole?
A
It’s a huge challenge here, I must say. It absolutely impacts our students, especially our first-generation students. We are glad we didn’t have to raise tuition this year. That always worries us a great deal because we don’t want to put any challenges to access and affordability. We’ve been in many conversations with city leaders, county leaders and nonprofits to think about possible solutions. We have to expand the options on campus. We are looking at possible public-private partnerships trying to find ways to support faculty, staff and students. But honestly, it’s one of the most difficult challenges we have.