At a special interview panel during the 2025 State of the University address on Nov. 7, Nicquet Blake, PhD, vice provost and dean of the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA), spoke about the state of trust in higher education, the use of AI at UC San Francisco, and the importance of leveraging the expertise of all students on campus.
During the conversation led by Chancellor Sam Hawgood, Dean Blake was asked about a recent report that revealed a decline in public trust in higher education and science.
“I think that one of the things we have to understand is that trust is really rebuilt one teaspoon at a time,” said Blake. “We have to be able to share with our respective audiences what our outcomes look like.”
Blake went on to mention UCSF’s 90 percent graduation rate and the importance of promoting not only the success of the institution, but also the success of its people.
GEPA’s International Students and Scholars Office was also mentioned in the chancellor’s address for its work guiding UCSF’s international community as federal immigration policies continue to shift.
Watch the full conversation featuring Chancellor Hawgood, Dean Blake, and John Davis Rodríguez, PhD, MD, vice chancellor of Education and Student Affairs, below.