Presentations & Media
During her tenure as president of San José State, Dr. Papazian often gave interviews to members of the news media, both in informal settings as well as official press conferences and media events. In addition, she regularly spoke at conferences and industry events at the local, regional, state, national, and even international levels. She delivered keynote addresses and served as a panelist during roundtable discussions on various higher education topics. Dr. Papazian also was featured in a number of SJSU video and audio productions. In all of these instances, Dr. Papazian aimed to represent San José State admirably, advocate for the needs of the university and higher education as a whole, and highlight to all the great things taking place at SJSU.
On this page, you can find:
Speeches and Presentations
2021
Fall Welcome Address [pdf] (Aug. 16, 2021) Note: a 12-part series of short Fall Welcome video messages is also available.
Executive Leadership Academy presentation [pdf] (Aug. 2, 2021)
Economic & Social Impact Study [pdf] - Heritage Society of SJSU presentation (June 24, 2021)
2020
Fall Welcome Address [pdf] (Aug. 6, 2020) Note: a video presentation of this speech is available.
State of the University Speech [pdf] (March 9, 2020)
Note: this speech was to be delivered at the 2020 State of the University presentation on March 9. The event and speech were cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shelter-in-place orders.
2019
December Commencement speech [pdf] (December, 2019)
Fall Welcome Address [pdf] (Aug. 22, 2019)
Silicon Valley Education Summit Presentation [pdf] (Aug. 9, 2019)
"Humanities for the 21st Century: Innovation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution" [pdf] speech to the Council of Graduate Schools (July 15, 2019)
Commencement Speech [pdf] (May 22-24, 2019)
State of the University Speech [pdf] (April 8, 2019)
2018
Creating a Monster with Paradise Lost [pdf], presentation to Frankenstein Bicentennial Celebration 2018 (Sept. 18, 2018)
Fall Welcome Address [pdf] (Aug. 20, 2018)
Remarks at Rotary District Conference [pdf] (June 2, 2018)
San Jose Downtown Association presentation [pdf] (June, 2018)
Commencement speeches [pdf] (May 23-25, 2018)
Remarks at Kiwanis Club Scholarship Event [pdf] (April 5, 2018)
Remarks at San Jose Rotary [pdf] (April 4, 2018)
Remarks at Student Success Symposium [pdf] (March 15, 2018)
Remarks at Saratoga Rotary [pdf] (Feb. 16, 2018)
2017
"People. Book. Land: The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People with the Holy Land" [pdf] (Nov. 28, 2017)
Assembly Select Committee on the Master Plan fro Higher Education in California [pdf] (Nov. 1, 2017)
Heritage Society Fall Luncheon [pdf] (Oct. 31, 2017)
Fall Welcome Address [pdf] (Aug. 24, 2017)
Remarks at Los Altos Rotary [pdf] (June 22, 2017)
Mineta Transportation Institute Convocation [pdf] (June 17, 2017)
Videos and Podcasts
2021
Reflections, Gratitude, and a Fond Farewell from former SJSU President Mary A. Papazian (December 22, 2021)
"The Accidental Geographer" podcast (March 29, 2021)
In this conversation, we learn all about President Papazian's passion for poetry, her experience as a university student, her early career choices, and how her own history translates into her work as a university administrator today.
2020
EdUp Experience podcast (August 25, 2020)
In this podcast episode recorded for the EdUp Experience in late July 2020, President Papazian discusses how to lead a large public higher education university at the intersection of education, business and technology during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fall Welcome 2020 (August 17, 2020)
"At Home with President Papazian" - Episode #4 (June 17, 2020)
"At Home with President Papazian" - Episode #3 (June 2, 2020)
"At Home with President Papazian" - Episode #2 (May 22, 2020)
"At Home with President Papazian" - Episode #1 (May 16, 2020)
SJSU Planning underway for Fall 2020 (April 20, 2020)
Press Conference: Comprehensive Housing Solutions for SJSU Students, Faculty and Staff (Jan. 27, 2020)
2019
Spartans Shine: 2019 Fall Commencement (Dec. 20, 2019)
Holiday Message (Dec. 17, 2019)
SJSU Welcomes Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai and Apple CEO Tim Cook (Dec. 16, 2019)
East Side Hall of Fame - Class of 2019 (Nov. 21, 2019)
Miseducation, Technology & the Individual" - Keynote Address at the World Congress on Information Technology (Oct. 9, 2019)
SJSU Transformation 2030 (Aug. 23, 2019)
Fall Welcome Address (Aug. 22, 2019)
2018
Holiday Message (Dec. 17, 2018)
Fall Welcome Address (Aug. 20, 2018)
2017
Fall Welcome Address (Aug. 24, 2017)
Inauguration Speech (June 14, 2017)
In the News
SJSU announces initiatives to tackle student housing shortage
KRON4 - January 27, 2020
Following a major press conference to announce SJSU's comprehensive housing solution,
President Papazian and others were featured on multiple news outlets that covered
the story - including this account from KRON 4 News.
Teaming with Google on Downtown Development
San Francisco Chronicle - November 6, 2019
An op-ed by President Papazian in the San Francisco Chronicle lays out the ways in
which SJSU can assist Google with its downtown San Jose development project.
Today’s Tech Revolution Requires Some Humanity
The Sacramento Bee - October 29, 2019
An op-ed by President Papazian published in the Sacramento Bee asserts that “the liberal
arts must remain a vital part of higher education for the sake of the future of our
students, our economy, and our society.”
IBM and SJSU Partner to Advance Tech Education
KPIX5 - October 18, 2019
SJSU and IBM sign an agreement that promises to deliver enhanced tech skills to students,
faculty and staff. “This collaboration between IBM and San Jose State is perfect for
us. We are the anchor institution in Silicon Valley providing the workforce,” said
President Papazian.
We Want Armenian Universities to Be a Vibrant Source of Talent
NEWS.am - October 6, 2019
Armenia has growth in IT, and I hope we will continue to build and grow this sector,
president of SJSU Mary Papazian said as she arrived in Yerevan to participate in WCIT
2019. Papazian said the growth in the IT sector is very important, and this will bring
to a healthy economy.
What Happens When Women Run Colleges?
The Chronicle - June 30, 2019
Collaboration and collegiality are also watchwords for President Papazian. “Everybody’s
point of view at that level is important and valued,” she says. “I’m not going to
have people jumping on other people, explaining to other people, taking an idea that
somebody else has expressed.”
What a Painting Says About SJSU and Its President
The Mercury News - February 14, 2019
President Papazian only agreed to have the painting exhibited in such a public way
if it was part of a larger statement about SJSU. “It’s really an honor being part
of a long tradition at San Jose State,” she said. “But it’s important only in so far
as it’s the current representation of something that reaches back into the past.”
SJSU Has an Edge as Silicon Valley Talent Pipeline
The Mercury News - August 17, 2018
“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.”
Bringing Stability to a Campus Weary of Turnover
The Chronicle - May 9, 2017
“We have done a great deal in various parts of our community, involved in the neighborhoods
and other areas. But we haven't always been at the table in the way we should be as
the largest entity in the downtown.”
SJSU Is 'Right Institution with Endless Possibilities'
Silicon Valley Business Journal - May 3, 2017
“'We're in Silicon Valley, it's a public university, we're supplying the workforce—but
what's the connection?' There’s a disconnect between these global companies and, not
just our local community, frankly, but our national community.”
