California State University, Fullerton

Public university in Fullerton, California, US

Not to be confused with Fullerton College.

California State University, Fullerton

Former names

| Orange County State College
(1957–1962)
Orange State College
(1962–1964)
California State College at Fullerton
(1964–1972)
Motto| Vox Veritas Vita (Latin)

Motto in English

| "Voice, Truth, Life"
Type| Public research university[1] [2] [3]
Established| 1957; 67 years ago (1957)[4]

Parent institution

| California State University
Accreditation| WSCUC

Academic affiliation

* CONAHEC
* CUMU
* USU

Endowment| $131 million (2022)[5]
President| Ronald S. Rochon
Students| 41,408 (Fall 2020)[6]
Undergraduates| 36,330 (Fall 2020)[6]
Postgraduates| 5,078 (Fall 2020)[6]
Location|

Fullerton

California

United States

33°52′50″N 117°53′07″W﻿ / ﻿33.88056°N 117.88528°W﻿ / 33.88056; -117.88528
Campus| Large suburb[7], 236 acres (96 ha)
Newspaper| The Daily Titan
Colors| Blue and orange

Nickname| Titans

Sporting affiliations

* NCAA Division I – Big West
* MPSF

Mascot| Tuffy the Titan
Website| fullerton.edu

California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State University (CSU) system, and its graduate student body of more than 5,000 is one of the largest in the CSU and in all of California.[6] As of fall 2016, the school had 2,083 faculty, of whom 782 were on the tenure track.[8] The university offers 109 degree programs: 55 undergraduate degrees and 54 graduate degrees, including 3 doctoral programs.[9][10][11]

Cal State Fullerton is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[12] It is also a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) and is eligible to be designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander serving institution (AANAPISI).[13]

CSUF athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the CSUF Titans. They compete in the Big West Conference.

## History

[edit]

### Founding

[edit]

In 1957, Orange County State College became the 12th state college in California to be authorized by the state legislature as a degree-granting institution. The following year, a site was designated for the campus to be established in northeast Fullerton. The property was purchased in 1959. The same year, William B. Langsdorf was appointed as founding president of the school.

Classes began with 452 students in September 1959. The name of the school was changed to Orange State College in July 1962. In 1964, its name was changed to California State College at Fullerton. In June 1972, the final name change occurred and the school became California State University, Fullerton.

### Mascot

[edit]

The choice of the elephant as the university's mascot, dubbed Tuffy the Titan, dates to 1962, when the campus hosted "The First Intercollegiate Elephant Race in Human History." The May 11 event attracted 10,000 spectators, 15 pachyderm entrants, and worldwide news coverage.[14]

### Campus violence

[edit]

See also: 1976 California State University, Fullerton massacre

The campus has seen three significant instances of violence with people killed. On July 12, 1976, Edward Charles Allaway, a campus janitor with paranoid schizophrenia, shot nine people, killing seven, in the University Library (now the Pollak Library) on the Cal State Fullerton campus. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in Orange County history.[15]

On October 13, 1984, Edward Cooperman, a physics professor, was shot and killed by his former student, Minh Van Lam, in McCarthy Hall.[16]

On August 19, 2019, Steven Shek Keung Chan, a retired budget director working as a consultant in the international student affairs office, was found dead from multiple stab wounds in a campus parking lot. Chuyen Vo, a co-worker in the same office, was charged with murder.[17]

### 2000s: Modern growth

[edit]

The university grew rapidly in the first decade of the 2000s. The Performing Arts Center was built in January 2006, and in the summer of 2008 the newly constructed Steven G. Mihaylo Hall and the new Student Recreation Center opened.[18][19]

In fall 2008, the Performing Arts Center was renamed the Joseph A.W. Clayes III Performing Arts Center, in honor of a $5 million pledge made to the university by the trustees of the Joseph A.W. Clayes III Charitable Trust.[20] Since 1963, the curriculum has expanded to include many graduate programs, including multiple doctorate degrees, as well as numerous credential and certificate programs.

In 2021, president of the university Framroze Virjee acknowledged the university's location on the lands of the Tongva and Acjachemen and pledged for the university to be more committed toward partnering with Indigenous peoples.[21]

## Campus

[edit]

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2010

The campus is on the site of former citrus groves in northeast Fullerton. It is bordered on the east by the Orange Freeway (SR-57), on the west by State College Boulevard, on the north by Yorba Linda Boulevard, and on the south by Nutwood Avenue.

Although established in the late 1950s, much of the initial construction on campus took place in the late 1960s, under the supervision of artist and architect Howard van Heuklyn, who gave the campus a striking, futuristic architecture (buildings like Pollak Library South, Titan Shops, Humanities, McCarthy Hall). This was in response to the numerous Googie buildings in the Fullerton community.

The University Archives & Special Collections in the Pollak Library houses the Philip K. Dick papers and Frank Herbert papers as part of the Willis McNelly Science Fiction collection.[22]

Since 1993, the campus has added the College Park Building, Steven G. Mihaylo Hall, University Hall, the Titan Student Union, the Student Recreation Center, the Nutwood Parking Structure, the State College Parking Structure, Dan Black Hall, Joseph A.W. Clayes III Performing Arts Center West, Phase III Housing, the Grand Central Art Center, and Pollak Library. In order to generate power for the university and become more sustainable, the campus installed solar panels on top of a number of buildings. The panels, which generate up to 7–8 percent of the electrical power used daily, are atop the Eastside Parking Structure, Clayes Performing Arts Center and the Kinesiology and Health Science Building.[citation needed]

In August 2011, the university added a $143 million housing complex, which included five new residence halls, a convenience store and a 565-seat dining hall called the Gastronome.[23]

Pathway leading to the parking structure, 2010

El Dorado Ranch serves as the university president's residence.

### Satellite campus

[edit]

The university opened a satellite campus in Irvine, California in 1989, approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of the original Fullerton location.[24] Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the satellite campus closed in July 2021.[25]

### Proposed expansion

[edit]

CSUF announced plans in May 2010 to buy the lot occupied by Hope International University, but this deal fell through.[26]

CSUF also announced plans in September 2010 to expand into the area south of Nutwood Avenue to construct a project called CollegeTown, which would integrate the surrounding residential areas and retail spaces into the campus.[27] After community opposition, the Fullerton planning commission indefinitely postponed any action on the project in February 2016.[28]

### Desert Studies Center

[edit]

The Desert Studies Center is a field station of the California State University located in Zzyzx, California in the Mojave Desert. The purpose of the center is to provide opportunities to conduct research, receive instruction and experience the Mojave Desert environment. It is officially operated by the California Desert Studies Consortium, a consortium of 7 CSU campuses: Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona, Long Beach, San Bernardino, Northridge, Dominguez Hills and Los Angeles.[citation needed]

## Academics

[edit]

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023  Race and ethnicity[29] | Total

|

Hispanic | 52%  | 52

Asian | 22%  | 22

White | 16%  | 16

Two or more races[a] | 4%  | 4

Foreign national | 2%  | 2

Black | 2%  | 2

Unknown  | 2%  | 2

Economic diversity
Low-income[b] | 49%  | 49

Affluent[c] | 51%  | 51

### Admissions and enrollment

[edit]

Fall freshman statistics[30][31][32]

| 2017  | 2016 | 2015 | 2015 | 2013 | 2012

|
|
|
|
|
|

Freshman applicants  | 45,808  | 44,493  | 41,841 | 40,933 | 40,989 | 38,882
Admits  | 20,943  | 21,459  | 17,515 | 18,190 | 19,463 | 17,790
% Admitted  | 45.7  | 48.2  | 41.9 | 44.4 | 47.9 | 45.7
Enrolled  | 4,437  | 4,426  | 4,401 | 4,357 | 4,668 | 4,526
GPA  | 3.58  | 3.58  | 3.57 | 3.53 | 3.48 | 3.39
SAT Composite  | 1020  | 1022  | 1030 | 1028 | 1018 | 1027
*SAT out of 1600 & GPA out of 4.0

As of the fall 2013 semester, CSUF is the third most applied to CSU out of all 23 campuses receiving nearly 65,000 applications, including over 40,000 for incoming freshmen and nearly 23,000 transfer applications, the second highest in the CSU.[31]

### Rankings and distinctions

[edit]

Academic rankings

Master's
Washington Monthly[33]| 29
Regional
U.S. News & World Report[35]| 133 (National Universities) (tie) [34]
National
Forbes[36]| 76
WSJ/College Pulse[37]| 392

USNWR departmental rankings[38]

Nursing–Anesthesia | 4
Nursing–Midwifery | 21
Nursing: Master's | 70
Part-time MBA | 125
Fine Arts | 110
Public health | 136
Speech–Language Pathology  | 132
Social Work | 140
Public Affairs | 147

* The 2024 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Fullerton tied for 2nd "Performers on Social Mobility," tied 70 in top public schools, tied 31 for best undergraduate teaching, 211 for best value schools, and the undergraduate engineering program tied for 40, tied 8 in computer engineering, tied 8 in civil engineering and tied 9 in electrical/electronic/communications, tied 201 in economics, and tied 154 for Nursing.[34]
* Money magazine ranked Cal State Fullerton 34th in the country out of 739 schools evaluated for its 2020 "Best Colleges for Your Money" edition[39] and 22nd in its list of the 50 best public schools in the U.S.[40]

## Athletics

[edit]

"Titans" on the exterior of Titan Gym, 2010

Main article: Cal State Fullerton Titans

CSUF participates in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference and MPSF. Cal State Fullerton Athletics boasts 31 national championships covering 11 sports and dating back to its first in 1967. There are 12 team national titles and 19 individual championships. The Titans became an NCAA Div. I program for the 1974-75 academic year and have since produced 11 (6 team and 5 individual) national titles, four of them by the Titans' baseball team. Eighteen of the titles come from men's sports, 12 from women's. 12 team national championships in eight different sports. (1970, women's basketball (CIAW); 1971, 1972, 1974 men's gymnastics; 1971 cross country team; 1973 women's fencing; 1979, women's gymnastics; 1979, 1984, 1995, 2004 baseball; 1986 softball). Their baseball team is a perennial national powerhouse with four national titles and dozens of players playing Major League Baseball. The CSUF Dance Team currently holds the most national titles at the school, with 15 national titles from UDA Division 1 Jazz; 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017; and one national title from UDAs in Division 1 Hip Hop. The Dance Team also holds multiple titles from United Spirit Association.

CSUF holds the Ben Brown Invitational every track and field season. CSUF currently supports 21 club sports on top of its Division I varsity teams, which are archery, baseball, cycling, equestrian, grappling and jiu jitsu, ice hockey, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, nazara Bollywood dance, men's rugby, women's rugby, roller hockey, salsa team, men's soccer, women's soccer, table tennis, tennis, ultimate Frisbee, men's volleyball, women's volleyball, skiing, and wushu.[41]

Because of the proximity to Long Beach State, the schools are considered rivals. The rivalry is especially heated in baseball with the Long Beach State baseball team also having a competitive college baseball program.[42]

## Student life

[edit]

CSUF was the first college in Orange County to have a Greek system, with its first fraternity founded in 1960.[43] The Daily Titan, the official student newspaper of the university, also started in 1960.[44] Other official student media includes Titan Radio.[45]

On April 23, 2014, Cal State Fullerton opened the Titan Dreamers Resource Center. The center was the first resource center for undocumented students in the CSU system.[46][47]

## Notable alumni

[edit]

Main article: List of California State University, Fullerton people

CSUF alumni include: an astronaut who, as of June 2024[update], is participating in her third trip to space; a speaker of the California Assembly;[48] other politicians and Academy Award-winning directors, actors, producers, and cinematographers; award-winning journalists, authors, and screenwriters; nationally recognized teachers; presidents and CEOs of leading corporations; international opera stars, musicians, and Broadway stars; professional athletes and Olympians; doctors, scientists and researchers; and social activists.

Titan alumni number more than 210,000. An active alumni association keeps them connected through numerous networking and social events, and also sponsors nationwide chapters.

* Actor and filmmaker Kevin Costner (BA 1978)

* Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson (BS 1993)

* Speaker of the California State Assembly and former professor Anthony Rendon (BA 1992 & MA 1994)

* U.S. representative Ed Royce (BA 1977)

* U.S. representative Lou Correa (BA 1980)

* No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani

* Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry (BA 1995)

* Actor David Castañeda (BA 2015)

* Singer Adam Lambert

* MLB player and manager Gabe Kapler

* NBA player Bruce Bowen (BA 2006)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Other consists of Multiracial Americans & those who prefer to not say.
2. ^ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
3. ^ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "California State University-Fullerton".
2. ^ "Carnegie Classification Tags Campus as National University". February 2022.
3. ^ "CSUF Surpasses Record to Secure $46.1 Million in Grants and Contracts". 26 August 2023.
4. ^ "California State University at Fullerton, California". EduMaritime.com. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
5. ^ As of June 30, 2022. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2022 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY21 to FY22 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. June 30, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
6. ^ a b c d "Fall Term Student Enrollment". The California State University Institutional Research and Analyses. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
7. ^ "College Navigator - California State University-Fullerton". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
8. ^ "CSU Employee Profile - CSU". www2.calstate.edu.
9. ^ "Search CSU Degrees". Degrees.calstate.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
10. ^ "For The Media". Retrieved 2014-08-18.
11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-24. Retrieved 2015-03-01.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
12. ^ "California State University-Fullerton - Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education". American Council on Education. 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
13. ^ "Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)". Department of Education. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
14. ^ "How The Elephant Became Our Mascot". Fullerton.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
15. ^ Smith, Nicole (May 15, 2006). "History of a Cal State Fullerton Killer". Daily Titan. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
16. ^ Trotta, Dan (October 16, 1984). "Student jailed in campus killing" (PDF). The Daily Titan. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
17. ^ Simon, Darran; Mossburg, Cheri (22 August 2019). "Police have arrested a co-worker in the death of retired Cal State Fullerton administrator". CNN. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
18. ^ "Grand Opening of Mihaylo Hall". Titan Magazine. 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
19. ^ "Debut of New Student Recreation Center Set for April 9". California State University, Fullerton Inside. April 2, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
20. ^ "Performing Arts Center to be renamed Clayes Center". The Daily Titan CSUF. September 14, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
21. ^ "Honoring Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples". CSUF News. 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2023-01-05. "At Cal State Fullerton, we want to be more intentional and consistent in our acknowledgement that we are occupants of land that belongs to the Tongva and Acjachemen peoples. While the past cannot be erased, the university has recently created new partnerships with tribal community colleges and established a CSUF Native and Indigenous Student Success Advisory Board."
22. ^ "University Archives & Special Collections - Pollak Library | CSUF". www.library.fullerton.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
23. ^ "Students move into $143 million CSUF complex". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
24. ^ "California State University, Fullerton – Irvine Campus". Fullerton.edu. 2012-04-16. Archived from the original on 2014-08-23. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
25. ^ "Irvine Center to Close in June, 2021". Fullerton.edu. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
26. ^ "CSUF to acquire HIU campus". Retrieved 6 December 2018.
27. ^ "CollegeTown at Cal State Fullerton". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
28. ^ Ponsi, Lou (2016-02-11). "CollegeTown plan near Cal State Fullerton and Hope University will get reworked". Orange County Register. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
29. ^ "College Scorecard: California State University-Fullerton". United States Department of Education. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
30. ^ "Institutional Research and Analytical Studies". Fullerton.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
31. ^ a b "News - CSU". www2.calstate.edu.
32. ^ "Institutional Research & Analytical Studies – First-time Freshmen". Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
33. ^ "2023 Master's Universities Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 27, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
34. ^ a b "California State University--Fullerton Overall Rankings". US News Best Colleges. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
35. ^ "2023-2024 Best Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 18, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
36. ^ "America's Top Colleges 2023". Forbes. September 27, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
37. ^ "2024 Best Colleges in the U.S." The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse. September 6, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
38. ^ "California State University--Fullerton - U.S. News Best Grad School Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
39. ^ "The Best Colleges in America, Ranked by Value". Money. August 25, 2020.
40. ^ "Best Public Colleges". Money. August 25, 2020.
41. ^ "CSUF Club Sports – CSUF Club Teams". Fullerton.edu. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
42. ^ "Rivalry between Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton should reach new heights with a trip to Omaha on the line". Los Angeles Times. 9 June 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
43. ^ "Phi Kappa Tau: then and now". Daily Titan. Archived from the original on 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
44. ^ "Daily Titan 50th Anniversary". Daily Titan. Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
45. ^ "Titan Radio". CSUF. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
46. ^ Kopetman, Roxana (April 23, 2014). "Cal State Fullerton Opens Center for Undocumented Students". Orange County Register. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
47. ^ "Titan Dreamers Resource Center – Services". Retrieved 22 July 2015.
48. ^ "CSUF News Center - Titan Taking Reins of CA Assembly". Archived from the original on 2015-09-18. Retrieved 2015-09-18.

## External links

[edit]

* Los Angeles portal
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Research|

* Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California
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