In a significant development, the Estuary and Ocean Science Center at San Francisco State University will remain operational for at least six more months, thanks to the efforts of dedicated advocates and supporters.
Earlier this year, SF State announced it could no longer sustain the marine research facility located on its Romberg Tiburon Campus, which spans 53 acres.
Faced with a financial crisis stemming from dwindling student enrollment and reduced funding from state sources, the university initially indicated that it would be shutting down the center.
Despite raising millions from concerned scientists, conservationists, and community members, the fundraising initiative fell short of expectations.
As recently as early May, SF State expressed intent to close the campus.
However, hopeful news emerged this week with the university announcing it is negotiating a potential financial partnership with an undisclosed foundation.
“We are in conversation with [a] foundation,” said Amy Sueyoshi, SF State’s provost and vice president of academic affairs.
She indicated that this collaboration may provide the funding needed to cover ongoing expenses and even allow for the center’s long-term viability.
Discussions are expected to continue over the coming months, as the university is keen to explore this promising relationship.
Currently, SF State is grappling with a budget deficit of approximately $25 million.
Without the envisioned financial support, the university would have no choice but to phase out operations at the center, a vital regional science hub specializing in various research initiatives, including the rehabilitation of endangered fish and sea-level rise adaptation projects.
While the deal is still in its infancy, the specifics regarding what the foundation could contribute remain undetermined.
The university has set a timeline, planning to make a decisive announcement regarding the center’s future by January 2026.
Sueyoshi mentioned, “There’s going to be a group of folks from the foundation as well as from the university meeting through the fall semester.”
The Estuary and Ocean Science Center has been integral for research at SF State since its establishment in 1978, when the site, formerly a U.S. Navy base, began its operations.
In addition to being a research facility, the center also hosts the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
One individual who has been pivotal in advocating for the center’s survival is Katharyn Boyer, its interim executive director.
This past spring, Boyer worked tirelessly to rally donors, raising approximately $3.2 million by an internal deadline set by SF State of April 30.
Despite her efforts, the total fell short of the university’s goal of $10 million, which left SF State leadership unconvinced about keeping the center open.
Should the Tiburon campus close, Boyer would be forced to relocate her research to SF State’s main campus.
While declining to comment on the ongoing negotiations with the foundation, Boyer remains focused on securing the future of the center.
The coalition advocating for the center, called Friends of the Estuary and Ocean Science Center, led by Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg, engaged with statewide stakeholders and reached out to their representatives and the university.
It appears SF State is committed to exploring this new financial option, with plans to provide more information about the potential foundation at an upcoming budget meeting in the fall.
Sueyoshi emphasized the importance of estuary and ocean science, stating, “We need to be thinking seriously about the climate.”
However, she acknowledged the university’s struggle with its current business model, declaring, “We’re just not set up in the kind of business model where we can continue to subsidize Romberg Tiburon as a second location.”
image source from：https://www.kqed.org/science/1997113/backed-by-supporters-sf-states-marine-research-lab-delays-closure
