Message from Dean Kassiola

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences' (BSS) web site. For those of you visiting for the first time you will find up-to-date information on all of our Departments, Programs, Institutes, Centers, and, most importantly, our BSS faculty.

The BSS College’s Mission Statement and Principles to Achieve the Mission of the College of BSS found on this page clearly explain what we are about in BSS and how we plan to achieve our vital mission to our students and the various communities we serve. I cordially invite you to explore the various Departmental and Programmatic web pages through this College web portal to learn more about the exciting learning and research going on in BSS. We are one of the largest colleges on campus and in the State of California devoted to the behavioral and social sciences (second in total student enrollment, first: in degrees awarded, incoming freshmen and transfer students, and in majors electing our academic programs) but the faculty and I work very hard to make all of our high-demand programs (over 6,000 students majoring in BSS College programs), accessible to all students. Therefore, it is important that all prospective BSS students have as much information as possible for their specific interests and needs to ensure a smooth admission and timely progress toward graduation; hence, the significant role of this web site and all the other ways we communicate to interested students, including the latest Dean’s “Report of the State of the College” to the BSS faculty available on this web page.

I feel privileged to be the Dean of this outstanding College. It is a delight to work with the faculty and students are seeking more knowledge—and creating new knowledge through their research—about the vastly wide-ranging and practically significant subjects that behavioral and social scientists address. One such theme is international and global studies. Over one-half of the BSS faculty study topics having to do with areas outside of the United States. In addition, last year the College created three new Global Studies Minor Programs in: South Asian, Pacific Asian and Middle East and Islamic Studies, along with revising our Minor in European Studies. These new and revised Programs complement our existing Latin American and African Studies Minors.  These new and revised Global Studies Minors advance the study of our globalized world at SF State and BSS College.

I look forward to communicating with you about the constant new developments occurring in our always-improving College, all in the effort to make advancements in student learning, faculty research, and reaching out to the many communities interested in our vital work. I welcome e-mail contacts from all students with questions or comments on how we can make improvements in our College and our communications with the public. My e-mail address is: kassiola@sfsu.edu

Dr. Joel J. Kassiola
Dean
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
August 20, 2007
Personal web page: http:bss.sfsu.edu/kassiola; to learn about my education, teaching philosophy, syllabi, research interests and publications.