Decades of Service
Evans served thousands of students throughout her career at SDSU.
Barbara Evans will retire on Nov. 30 after 38 years of service to the San Diego State University community.
Since 1991, Evans, lead counselor at Student Disability Services, has contributed to the academic success of thousands of students with disabilities at SDSU. Evans said she found the SDSU environment to be a wonderful match for her values, skills and student-centered approach.
Evans began at SDSU in 1977 at Counseling Services and Placement, which was then the combined center for counseling, career planning, and placement services. After one year as a job developer and three years as the coordinator of Student Employment, she moved to a counseling position where she focused primarily on career development programming and delivery before moving to Student Disability Services in 1991.
Dedicated to diversity
During the 1970’s and 1980’s, Evans was actively involved in SDSU’s goal to better serve non-traditional students by contributing to university programming geared toward improving opportunities for women.
“I forged some of my strongest bonds on campus through the annual Women’s Opportunities Week and then as SDSU’s representative on the Women’s Council of the California State University in the early 1990s,” Evans said.
More recently, Evans has dedicated herself to diversity, staff and disability issues. During President Weber’s term, she served on the Diversity Task Force, part of the Visions Project. In 2013, she was elected to represent staff in the University Senate.
She was elected by the Senate to represent staff in the strategic initiative to recruit and retain students in underrepresented groups. She currently represents staff interests as a member of the Senate Executive Committee. Evans also served on the Student Grievance Committee for six years and represented disability concerns at Crisis Intervention Management Team for four years.
Evans noted that her years on campus have coincided with the nationwide trends to open higher education to underrepresented groups.
“I was afforded stimulating and important opportunities to help create justice for students,” she said.
Evans plans to remain involved with the university in her retirement.
Celebrating Evans' service
Student Disability Services will host at Retirement Celebration in Barbara Evans’ honor from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday Nov. 30 in the Allan Bailey Library of the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center.
All who have worked with Barbara and who would like to wish her well are invited. RSVP to Aristo Lona via e-mail or by calling (619) 594-8479 by Nov. 24.
