The California State University board named Michael Spagna as Sonoma State University’s permanent president, effective Jan. 20, tasking him with a financial and enrollment turnaround after a turbulent year of cuts. Sonoma State’s fall headcount fell more than 13% year over year and earlier budget estimates showed a deficit approaching $24 million. Spagna, a longtime Cal State administrator and interim president at Cal Poly Humboldt, takes over after the resignation of Mike Lee following controversy over campus protest agreements. Trustees said they selected an insider with systemwide experience to stabilize finances, rebuild trust and lead efforts to boost enrollment by as much as 20% over five to seven years. Immediate challenges for the new president include restoring faculty morale, finalizing program suspensions and legal exposure from lawsuits over athletic cuts, while also executing recruitment and programmatic strategies that tie academic offerings to regional labor markets.