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President Adela de la Torre speaking at the All-University Convocation. (Calista Stocker<\/a>)<\/p>\nDe la Torre also addressed the budget deficit California faces as a whole, with recent revisions bringing the proposed public university cut down from nearly 8%<\/a> to a 3% base funding deferral<\/a> until 2026-2027.<\/p>\n Amid recent reports<\/a> of a brand new Artificial Intelligence and Human Responsibility major to come to SDSU in fall 2026, AI was briefly mentioned at the convocation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year will demand much of us,\u201d Schellenberg said. \u201cWe\u2019ll face budget challenges, we\u2019ll navigate through political chaos, disruption and frankly, mendacity. We\u2019ll wrestle with the impact and role of AI for ourselves and for our students. These are not minor challenges, but the University Senate will be here, along with all of you, as a convener, a collaborator, and when necessary, a conscience for campus.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, the focus of the convocation\u2019s videos, speeches and faculty award distributions surrounded SDSU\u2019s various accomplishments, most notably those from the Carnegie Foundation.<\/p>\n In February, SDSU received R1 institution status<\/a>, an honor given to universities with high levels of research spending and doctorate production. Of the less than 5% of universities that possess this designation, SDSU is one of 16 to also be recognized as a Hispanic and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.\u00a0<\/p>\n Compiled with these accolades, SDSU is the only university in the world to also be considered a Carnegie Opportunity University. This designation is reserved for institutions with high access, measured by the enrollment of Pell Grant recipients and underrepresented minority students, and high earnings, scraping by the threshold with a median eight-year post-graduate income of $61,120, according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n Year after year since 2020, SDSU has continually broken its own records in applicant and enrollment numbers, and this year is no exception.<\/p>\n According to a video shown at the convocation and a recent SDSU press release, more than 123,000 people applied for the fall 2025 semester, of which 95,000 were first-year applicants. Of these numbers, SDSU is welcoming a record 6,600 freshmen this fall, with total enrollment across all campuses surpassing a record 43,000, with a final count to be published in October.\u00a0<\/p>\n In terms of student athletes, the convocation celebrated an average GPA of 3.26 and an average graduation rate of 98%. In addition, nine sports teams received perfect NCAA Academic Progress Rates and five were conference champions. De la Torre herself, in particular, expressed excitement about the Aztecs joining the PAC-12 conference in fall 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n The event also highlighted successes with the San Diego Community College District partnership<\/a>, breaking ground<\/a> at the Mission Valley campus and Career Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n