San Jose ranked as #1 College Destination of Mid-Sized Cities
The 2009-2010 ratings by the AIER selected San Jose, California as the top mid-sized (1 – 2.5 million) college destination based on Cultural Amenities, Student Population, Job and Internship Prospects, Other Academic, Social & Economic Factors.
"To determine the rankings, each city was then assessed on the academic environment it provides, the quality of life it offers and the professional opportunities available to residents," said Kerry Lynch, AIER Senior Economist.
The twelve criteria used to rank the cities...
Academic environment:
- Student Concentration (number of college students per 1,000 residents)
- Student Diversity (percentage of all students holding foreign passports)
- Research Capacity (academic R&D expenditures per 100,000 residents)
- Degree Attainment (percent of the 25-34 year old population with college degrees)
Quality of life:
- Cost of Living (based upon average rent for a two-bedroom apartment)
- Arts and Leisure (number of cultural and entertainment venues, such as concert halls, museums, parks, biking trails and other recreational facilities per 100,000 residents)
- City Accessibility (percentage of workers over age 16 who commute by public transportation)
- Creative Class (percentage of residents working in design, education, arts, music and entertainment)
Professional opportunities:
- Earning potential (income per capita)
- Entrepreneurial activity (net annual increase in total number of business establishments per 100,000 residents)
- Brain Gain or Drain (yearly increase in college-educated people moving into or out of the city)
- Unemployment rate
The Top ten mid-size Metropolitan college destinations are:
1) San Jose, CA
2) Austin, TX
3) Hartford, CT
4) Raleigh, NC
5) Denver, CO
6) Salt Lake City, UT
7) Pittsburgh, PA
8) Orlando, FL
9) Portland, OR
10) Sacramento, CAFor more information, please click here.
- SAL’s Student Assistant, Michelle Decker, returns from
SJSU’s 2009 Summer Study Grant Program
“The first [picture on the left] is of me, Dr. Micheal Conniff and his wife Anne Fountain. The other one is of me in front of the Sugar Loaf, and the third is of my Brazilian sister Marina Castro and I in front of a town in Brazil that was settled by the Germans called Campos do Jardao.” -Michelle Decker
Michelle spent 2 months in Brazil and travelled through Copacabana, Curitiba, Paraná, São Paulo, Sao José do Rio Preto, Mirassol, São Paulo and Campos do Jordão. After attending the Latin American Studies Conference at the Catholic University in Rio, Michelle was convinced that attending graduate school there would be worthwhile. She especially enjoyed panels on “right” and “left” Brazilian politics and on the “dynamics of the workers party in Brazil,” she stated. Because of budget cuts, Michelle had to modify her original research plans. She said, “I conducted interviews with politicians from a brand new socialist party (Party of Socialism and Liberty) that is making waves for the 2010 Presidential Elections.” She found that there is a rift in the Party for Socialism and Liberty. While some citizens want Heloísa Helena (the rebellious female leader of the party) to run for governor, others want her to run for president. Michelle concluded that, “the left is growing stronger in Brazil.” Besides conducting research, this trip provided Michelle the opportunity to strengthen her foreign language ability and gain valuable international work experience. She also added that, “Most importantly, this trip has reaffirmed my belief that travelling is one of the most enriching exercises for the soul. I gained self confidence and motivation to continue to strive for my goals.” One of Michelle’s poignant memories of the trip was when she met her “Brazilian-sister” who lived with her family while she was an exchange student in Argentina.
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The World on a Plate:
SAL’s First Annual International Food Festival 
- SAL’s Student Activity Club (S.A.C) hosted the first annual International Food Festival this September 2009. It was held in the Fall since it is also the season of the Asian “moon festival which shows appreciation for harvests in the fall,” Sunny Yu (the S.A.C. Faculty Coordinator) explained. Sunny Yu said that the idea for this event came about when “Tina (Wei-Ting) Peng, one of the S.A.C. members, suggested having a ‘Foreign Cooking Party.’” Thirteen international dishes were served including: Chinese dry noodles, Chinese tofu, Taiwanese tea eggs, Thai mango sticky rice, Japanese chicken and pork katsu, American brownies, Russian borsch (beet soup), Indian garbanzo bean pilaf, Vietnamese spring rolls, Korean rolls, Korean noodles, Korean seafood pancakes, and Mexican chips and salsa. This event was quite a success since 77 tickets were sold. Sunny mentioned that this event was a hit with faculty and students since the tickets were a steal at just $3 each. She also attributed the triumph of this event to the “good chefs!” Proceeds from the International Food Festival will be used by the S.A.C. to plan future activities. Next year, Sunny hopes for a greater variety of foods. “Some European food will be great!” she exclaimed.
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To see more photos from this event, please click here.
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Studies in American Language Recognized by the Commission of English Language Program Accreditation (CEA)
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The SAL program was recently reviewed by educational experts. The review included a report on SAL language and student services and site visit in which reviewers observed courses and spoke with SAL staff and students. The reviewers agreed that the SAL program meets nationally recognized standards of educational excellence and has granted SAL one-year accreditation. CEA accreditation ensures quality services for SAL students.
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To read the story about SAL's accreditation which appeared in the 9/9/09 Spartan Daily News Online, please click here.
- San Jose State Among Top 20 in the West, Engineering Nationally Ranked
SAN JOSÉ, Calif., -- Once again, San José State University has excelled in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings. The 2010 edition of "America's Best Colleges," now available at newsstands and online, shows San José State ranked 12th overall among the West's top public universities offering bachelor's and master's degrees, one place ahead of last year.
"It is wonderful to receive national recognition for our hard work," President Jon Whitmore said. "This shows San José State is moving forward even during troubled times."
SJSU also ranked sixth for racial diversity among universities in the West offering bachelor's and master's degrees. Leveraging this strength, San José State recently became the first California State University campus to develop a campuswide diversity master plan. The plan asks all students, faculty and staff members to re-commit to the principles of diversity, fairness and social justice.
"A model of the global society to come, San José State University is a leader in graduating students of diverse backgrounds, including thousands who are the first in their family to attend college," President Whitmore said.
SJSU's Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering received top marks, ranking 19th nationwide among engineering schools offering bachelor's and master's degrees. San José State was one of just three CSU campuses to make the top 20 in engineering. San José State University's undergraduate computer and industrial/manufacturing programs were ranked among the top five in the nation, the same as last year.
"I am delighted to receive recognition for our work as the largest provider of engineers to Silicon Valley," said Belle Wei, dean of the Davidson College of Engineering. "The current economic downturn underscores the importance of our contributions toward the education of young people powering Silicon Valley's innovation engine."
Read more from U.S. News & World Report.
(8/26/09 - news story taken from SJSU Office of Public Affairs website: http://www.sjsu.edu/news/releases/releases_detail.jsp?id=3176)
- San Jose State University Ranked No. 13 in “Top Universities by Salary Potential”
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- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Virginia (UVA)
- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
- University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
- University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
- University of California, Davis
- University of Colorado - Boulder (UCB)
- University of California, Irvine (UCI)
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
- Texas A&M University
- Binghamton University
- Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T)
- San Jose State University (SJSU)
- University of Maryland, College Park
- University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
For the complete list, please visit: http://www.payscale.com/2008-best-colleges/top-state-universities.asp
- SAL’s New Activity Club
This Spring 2009 semester, Sunny Yu (a SAL teacher who also organizes student activities) has helped students start SAL Activity Club. Sunny says that the purpose of the club is to have students “be more involved with the community and practice their English skills. It’s a great chance to meet with other people and practice speaking English. They also help other SAL students (non-members) to find more ways to have a good time while staying in the U.S.” The Activity Club has 23 members so far and consists of two branches: a Volunteer Committee and a Social Committee. The Volunteer Committee is led by, M.J. from Korea and Hisae from Japan. The Social Committee is further divided into a game section, led by Chris from Spain and Charlie from Taiwan, a soccer section, led by Toan from Vietnam, and a movie section, led by Ariel and Yi-Ju from Taiwan.
The Activity Club has been busy with several events and is on the lookout for even more prospective opportunities. They made and distributed red envelops for SAL’s Lunar New Year Celebration. Furthermore, the game, soccer, and movie clubs have already started planning and holding activities of their own. On February 12th and 13th, the Activity Club will be holding a Valentine’s Day bake sale where they will be selling homemade treats. The proceeds from this event will be donated to Scared Heart Community Service Center. In the future, the Volunteer Committee plans to help senior citizens at Live Oak Adult Day Services.
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SAL’s Student Assistant, Michelle Decker, selected for SJSU’s 2009 Summer Study Grant Program
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Michelle Decker, a bright SAL Student Assistant, has been chosen for SJSU’s 2009 Summer Study Grant Program in Brazil. She will be assisting Yoko Baba, the chair of the sociology department, in researching Japanese language retention among Japanese-Brazilians within three small Japanese-Brazilian communities in the state of Sao Paulo. During this time, Michelle will also attend the Latin American Studies Association Conference in Rio De Janeiro. A $1,500 College of Social Sciences Research Grant will be used as Michelle will conduct her own research on the economic effects of changing human capital in Japanese-Brazilian enclaves.
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From this experience, Michelle hopes “to gain a better understanding of this new restless human race and the ramifications of their movements.” In the future, Michelle hopes to attend an overseas graduate program in Foreign Policy. She also hopes to finish her research with a Fullbright Research Grant and present her discoveries at the next Latin American Studies Association Conference in 2011.
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SJSU Programs Recognized in U.S. News’ “America’s Best Colleges”
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In the 2009 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” in the U.S. News & World Report, San Jose State University’s ratings are noteworthy. The Undergraduate Industrial and Manufacturing program ranked 3rd nationwide. Ranking 4th is San Jose State University’s Undergraduate Computer Engineering Program. Undergraduate programs in Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering are included in the list of top 10. Furthermore, San Jose State University ranks 13th in the top Public Master’s Universities (West).
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SJSU Ranked No. 8 in the West by U.S. News
Once again, San José State University has excelled in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings. The 2008 edition of "America's Best Colleges" shows San José State ranked eighth among the West's top public universities offering bachelor's and master's degrees, two places ahead of last year.
In addition, the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering, ranked 16th nationally, received top marks. Its undergraduate computer and industrial/manufacturing programs placed among the top five in the nation. The College of Engineering remains one of just three California State University campuses to make the top 20 nationwide, along with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona.
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San Jose Ranked No. 3 Safest Big City by U.S. Mercury News
“The distinction ended up on brochures touting San Jose as a good place to live and work, and is the subject of much bragging at police chiefs’ conferences.
‘We are happy to be the safest big city in the Bay Area. We are happy to be the safest big city in California,’ Mayor Chuck Reed said. ‘But we are not satisfied to be No. 3 in the country.’
San Jose was ranked with other cities with a population over 500,000. In past years, Muyo noted, the company compared the city with only 23 other cities. This year, San Jose competed with 33.”
2008 Safest Big Cities (With a population of more than 500,000)
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- New York, New York
- El Paso, Texas
- San Jose, California
- Austin, Texas
San Jose State University English as a Second Language Students Learn by Teaching
To read the story written by Judy Rickard which was featured in the International and Extended Studies July 2008 Newsletter, please click here.
SAL's Annual Pumpkin Carving Day
The Spartan Daily, San Jose State University's newspaper, featured an online video story of our Pumpkin Carving Day (October 30, 2008) on their website. Watch our students create Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns during this yearly event.
SAL's "Boulevard of Languages" Recognized
Click here to read the article about SAL's "Boulevard of Languages" which appeared in the Spartan Daily (San Jose State University's newspaper) on November 20, 2008. A story about this event is also included on the Spartan Daily Online as a video. Pictures from this event can also be viewed on our website.
