Opinion: The power of half a million: SDSU alumni are transforming our region

Dathe is the executive director of San Diego State University Alumni and lives in Loma Portal.

We have a special community that has a population rivaling greater metro areas like Atlanta, Miami and New Orleans — and nearly as big as the state of Wyoming. It’s the community of living San Diego State University alumni, and it’s reached an incredible new milestone.

During our May commencement ceremonies at SDSU, we reached 500,000 living alumni, and are now a global network that is more than half a million strong. While you can find an Aztec just about anywhere in the world, the majority stay here — 60 percent in our transborder San Diego region and 75 percent in California. If you are reading this in San Diego, there is an exceedingly high likelihood that you are an SDSU alumnus, like me, or know one.

We should grasp the exceptional characteristics of having half a million people connected to a single institution. This phenomenon stands out significantly within U.S. higher education, as few universities have achieved this milestone.

Holding a college degree at any level, and especially at the graduate level, directly contributes to a person’s social mobility, including their ability to be competitive for jobs and to gain higher earnings. It is something for which SDSU is known; not only is the SDSU degree highly desired — more than 110,000 students applied last fall — but also our graduates are in high demand with employers. And, the value extends to the region’s economy. Cities with high levels of college-educated individuals — think Boston, Washington, D.C., Seattle and San Francisco — tend to be hubs for innovation, arts and culture and tax revenue. This is attractive to travelers, potential new residents, and companies ready to partner and invest.

This is why when SDSU and its students win, San Diego wins.

Being half a million strong is not a mere testament to the academic excellence of our university; it is a testament to the profound impact universities can have on the communities they call home. The sheer scale of half a million interconnected people is staggering, but what it truly reflects is a deep-rooted, 127-year-old connection between SDSU and the city.

Many SDSU alumni are local and state elected officials. Our alumni lead health agencies and are health professionals who support you. They are philanthropists who give to our local educational and arts organizations. They are authors, performers and entertainment executives creating books, films and other works that are enjoyed locally and globally. They are business owners aplenty, including many who host watch parties for Aztecs fans and help to drive SDSU pride.

As our alumni community grows and succeeds, it fuels the continued rise of SDSU among the nation’s most esteemed universities and the success of new generations of Aztecs. Our alumni help drive the Aztec Mentor Program, which pairs thousands of current students each year with established professionals for career guidance. They also account for many of the 100,000 career and internship opportunities offered to students each year through SDSU Career Services.

SDSU alumni are changing the world and creating new opportunities. San Diego’s small businesses, tech startups, cultural institutions and nonprofits — many of them either owe their existence or longevity to this expansive alumni network. Our graduates are the architects of change, the drivers of progress and creators of opportunity locally and globally, and they include: Ellen Ochoa, former NASA astronaut and the first Hispanic woman in space, who recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom; Hollywood producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy; the late Baseball Hall of Famer and Padres player Tony Gwynn; former San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce; Chase Fisher, who founded Blenders Eyewear; and, with the 2024 graduating class, Lamont “Buzzer Beater” Butler.

As we reflect on this milestone, let us not just celebrate the achievements of the past, but also strive to ensure that our university continues to be a beacon of knowledge, a catalyst for change and a source of inspiration for generations to come. While half a million alumni is indeed a remarkable feat, the true measure of our success lies not merely in numbers but in the lives we touch and the legacy we leave behind.