The California State University Thread

[612bv3]

With 23 campuses, California State University is the largest univeristy system in the US. Since the University of California system has its own thread, why not start a California State University Thread.

THE CAMPUSES:
* San José State University Founded 1862
- Established as the "Normal School of the State of California"
- School was referred to as the "California State Normal School" and later renamed this
- Now known as "San Jose State"
* California State University, Chico Founded 1887
- Also known as "Chico State"
* San Diego State University (SDSU) Founded 1897
- Also known as "San Diego State"
* San Francisco State University Founded 1899
* California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Founded 1901
- Also known as "Cal Poly," "Cal Poly San Luis Obispo," or "Cal Poly SLO"
* California State University, Fresno Founded 1911
- Also known as "Fresno State"
* Humboldt State University Founded 1913
* California Maritime Academy Founded 1929 and incorporated into the CSU in 1999
* California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Founded 1938
- Founded in 1938 as Southern Branch of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The Pomona campus became independent from the San Luis Obispo campus 1966
- Also known as "Cal Poly Pomona"
* California State University, Los Angeles Founded 1947
* California State University, Sacramento Founded 1947
- Also known as "Sacramento State"
* California State University, Long Beach Founded 1949
- Also known as "Long Beach State"
* California State University, East Bay Founded 1957
- Formerly known as California State University, Hayward
* California State University, Fullerton Founded 1957
* California State University, Northridge Founded 1957
- Formerly known as San Fernando Valley State College
* California State University, Stanislaus Founded 1957
* California State University, Dominguez Hills Founded 1960
* California State University, San Bernardino Founded 1960
* Sonoma State University Founded 1960
* California State University, Bakersfield Founded 1965
* California State University, San Marcos Founded 1988
- Formerly the "North County Branch" of San Diego State University, the branch campus was relocated to San Marcos and founded 1988
* California State University, Monterey Bay Founded 1995
* California State University, Channel Islands Founded 2002
- Formerly a satellite campus of California State University, Northridge.
(from Wikipedia)

[612bv3]

(from gostate.org)

CSU Restoration in San Jose
How to honor the original California State

Many believe restoration of its original California State identity could be an important step in San Jose's development as a University at this time. Many believe this could enhance the value of the degrees the school grants and help unify and elevate the entire fragmented CSU system. Those who believe this have developed the folowing proposed program to achieve these goals:


1. Restore Dual State-City Identity - Like most major state universities, San Jose should have a dual state-city identity, allowing students and graduates who don't care for the provincial "SJSU" identity the freedom of choice to market themselves as CSU graduates. To accomplish this the school should restore the words "California State University" as an alternate identity or in some other manner, while also maintaining a strong San Jose identity. The school should also try to phase out "San Jose State" in favor of "San Jose" (similar to the UC Berkeley's use of "Berkeley").

2. Restore 1862 - Stop dishonoring the State of California and restore recognition of the school's authentic year of establishment: 1862.

3. Restore Marketing Integrity -- Restore recognition of San Jose as the "oldest public institution of higher learning in California" and discontinue use of the false and inconsequential "oldest public institution on the West Coast".

4. Restore Eureka Seal -- Restore San Jose's historic Eureka Seal as an important symbol of the University.

5. Market San Jose's California Primacy -- Celebrate and heavily market the school's California identity, including its status as the oldest California institution of higher learning and original CSU, instead of attempting to hide and obfuscate this status is currently done by "SJSU".

6. CSU Reintegration -- Reintegrate San Jose with the rest of the CSU system, promoting the school's status as the oldest CSU and forging alliances with other schools for development of a powerful "California State" identity to rival the "California" identity promoted by the oldest UC campus in Berkeley.

7. "Desination" Residential Campus -- Promote the development of San Jose's CSU as a residential "destination" campus, instead of as a city college commuter school as is currently done. This incudes promoting redevelopment of the campus area, particularly with respect to student-oriented housing and retail.

8. Geographical Diversity -- Use the school's restored California State identity to promote greater geographical diversity among its incoming students, and a higher percentage of traditional college age non-commuter students..

9. Increase Admission Standards -- Once recognition and interest in the school starts to increase as a result of its more nationally and internationally recognizable California State identity, slowly increase admission standards to help secure San Jose's reputation as an insitution of academic excellence.

10. No More CSU Campuses -- Stop CSU 'brand dilution" by convincing the CSU Chancellors office not to create any more CSU campus, at least until the oldest one is able to establish a solid CSU identity.

[dewback]

Originally Posted by 612bv3

6. CSU Reintegration -- Reintegrate San Jose with the rest of the CSU system, promoting the school's status as the oldest CSU and forging alliances with other schools for development of a powerful "California State" identity to rival the "California" identity promoted by the oldest UC campus in Berkeley.
.

Fat chance, SJSU represents the qualities of the CSU system: a mid tier college with weak tradition, serving as a "city-centric" institution, overshadowed by the University of California.

Apparently the "gostate.org" website wants to name SJSU as the crown jewel of the system, but they want to base its preferential status on the fact they were established first. In the UC system Berkeley is the flagship, but not only the school has history, but it also has the best academic program of the entire system. And yet, can you imagine Berkeley changing its name to "University of California" without the Berkeley part? Not at all.

SJSU should be working on saving its football team and creating a real culture of their own. To change a name won't do much for the college.

[bay_area]

Well, Berkeley is known simply as California in intercollegiate sports-not UC Berkeley or Cal-Berkeley...just California or "Cal". Aside from sports though, People would get confused trying to distinguish Berkeley if a person just said "I attended The University of California" or "UC"-because the immediate response would be, "which one"?

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by dewback

F In the UC system Berkeley is the flagship, but not only the school has history, but it also has the best academic program of the entire system. And yet, can you imagine Berkeley changing its name to "University of California" without the Berkeley part? .

I don't think any state university in the US can change its offical name on its own, without state legislative approval. All it can change is what it calls itself. So Berkeley can be Cal or California, or even (in athletics) the University of California....but it cannot choose The University of California as its offical name even if it wanted to.

[bay_area]

You dont any legislatve approval to change a school name-Cal State Hayward became Cal State East Bay and it only required the approval of the CSU governing board(I think their Chancellors like UC)

On another note, I honestly admire the CSU system. I think that while UC gets all the glory but CSU is the real workhorse of the California higher education system. There are what? 500,000 students enrolled in the CSU System.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by bay_area

You dont any legislatve approval to change a school name-Cal State Hayward became Cal State East Bay and it only required the approval of the CSU governing board(I think their Chancellors like UC)

On another note, I honestly admire the CSU system. I think that while UC gets all the glory but CSU is the real workhorse of the California higher education system. There are what? 500,000 students enrolled in the CSU System.

but it would never have had the option of calling itself "California State University"....with no city attached. And I don't see any schools in the system that don't contain the name "state".

Could the school have chosen to call itself just plain "East Bay University" or the "University of the Bay Area" if it had chosen?

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by 612bv3

The school should also try to phase out "San Jose State" in favor of "San Jose" (similar to the UC Berkeley's use of "Berkeley").

I realize the school does push the name "Berkeley". In fact, its website has a large "Berkeley" with a smaller "University of California" underneath.

I realize it...but don't understand it. As the only school in the system that is allowed to call itself "Cal".....why woud it want to be known as anything else.

I find Cal a much better name than anything else out there: UCB, UC Berkeley, Cal Berkeley, Berkeley

Cal, IMHO, is the best of the bunch....a simple name that says it all (and a hell of a cool logo for that matter)

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by 612bv3

6. CSU Reintegration -- Reintegrate San Jose with the rest of the CSU system, promoting the school's status as the oldest CSU and forging alliances with other schools for development of a powerful "California State" identity to rival the "California" identity promoted by the oldest UC campus in Berkeley.

May I assume that SJSU would love to be in the same position as Berkeley (in its ability to call itself Cal or California) and be able to use the name California State or Cal State (with no city ID)....but that the CSU system would not confer that honor on its oldest member the way that UC does for Cal?

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by 612bv3

10. No More CSU Campuses -- Stop CSU 'brand dilution" by convincing the CSU Chancellors office not to create any more CSU campus, at least until the oldest one is able to establish a solid CSU identity.

I have no idea what the future needs of the state of California would be in higher education, but if a new school is needed, aren't the only two options being run by UC or CSU?

[hngcm]

Just wondering, what would be the CSU's flagship?

[tritown]

Speaking as an non-Californian, the four that seem to make it past the borders for notoreity are San Diego, San Jose, Chico, and CalPoly. It would also seem natural that if these universities don't depend on the prefix (CSU), that they stand pretty well on their own in the public sphere.

[612bv3]

I don't think there is a CSU flagship. San Jose State claims that it is because it's the first CSU. Does anyone know the top ranking CSU?

[tritown]

I looked at the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2005 through the lists, and San Diego State is the only one on there. It's in the list for between 300 and 400. So acording to this ranking, San Diego State would be the best.

[hngcm]

And UCSD > UCLA.

Take that!

[612bv3]

I can't find any good pictures of CSUs, anyone bother sharing if they have any?

[Eric95403]

If you're looking for a "flagship" CSU school....try Sacramento State.

http://www.csus.edu/news/012005nameChange.stm

"If approved (Sacramento State as the new name, which was approved), the University will begin using the name as part of a rebranding effort that will take place over the next several months. That work will be tied to Sacramento State’s ambitious growth initiative—“Destination 2010”—which has the goal of making Sacramento State a destination campus for the West and a flagship of the California State University system."

[612bv3]

I read somewhere that some CSU Sac professors were against this.

[Eric95403]

Sacramento State's "Destination 2010" appears to be in full force. I haven't seen or heard about the faculty being against it. Looking at Sac State's "Destination 2010" website...much progress has been made toward their plan. Being a Sac State grad, I'm looking forward to seeing the outcome. I believe the "flagship" campus slogan has to do w/ the school being in the state capital. In one of those alumni newspapers I received (last year, so it's recollection is vague), that was the main focus of the "flagship" campus of the CSU system, have the "best" campus of the CSU system in the California capital.

[CSUalumniSanJose]

Originally Posted by Eric95403

Sacramento State's "Destination 2010" appears to be in full force. I haven't seen or heard about the faculty being against it. Looking at Sac State's "Destination 2010" website...much progress has been made toward their plan. Being a Sac State grad, I'm looking forward to seeing the outcome. I believe the "flagship" campus slogan has to do w/ the school being in the state capital. In one of those alumni newspapers I received (last year, so it's recollection is vague), that was the main focus of the "flagship" campus of the CSU system, have the "best" campus of the CSU system in the California capital.

You are wrong, CSU Sacramento's professor's did stop the full name change.

See: http://gostate.org/Anti-CSU_name_change.htm