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San Diego State University

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San Diego State University was founded on March 13, 1897 for the training of elementary school teachers. The seven faculty and ninety-one students of the then Normal School's first class met on November 1, 1898 in temporary quarters downtown while the first unit of the main building of the campus was under construction at Park Boulevard where El Cajon Boulevard begins.

The curriculum was limited at first to English, history and mathematics, but it broadened rapidly under the leadership of Samuel T. Black, who left the position of State Superintendent of Public Instruction to become the first President (1898-1910).

Under the vigorous administration of the second president, Edward L. Hardy (1910-1935), the School was reorganized as a four-year State Teachers' College in 1921, and control was transferred from a local board of trustees to the State Board of Education. In the same year, the two-year San Diego Junior College, the antecedent institution to the present Community Colleges, was incorporated as a branch of San Diego State, where it remained through 1946.

It became clear early that the only collegiate institution in San Diego would soon outgrow its 17-acre site, and a campaign was begun in the 1920s to build a new campus. The Legislature agreed, provided the city furnish a new site and buy the old one. In 1928 the present campus, on what was then the far eastern border of the city, was approved by the electorate.

In February 1931, the college moved to the seven mission-style buildings of the present campus, surrounding what is still called the Main Quad. In 1935, the Legislature removed the word "Teachers" from the name of the institution and authorized the expansion of degree programs into areas other than teacher preparation. In the same year, Walter R. Hepner (1935-1952) was appointed president, and the institution entered a period of slow growth and then, with the coming of war, of contraction. At the end of World War II, enrollment had fallen to 1,918.

In the next quarter century, under Dr. Hepner and subsequently under Malcolm A. Love (1952-1971), enrollments increased phenomenally to over 25,000 students. In 1960, the College became a part of the newly created California State College system, under a statewide Board of Trustees and a Chancellor. In 1971, recognizing that the institution had in fact achieved the status of a university, the Legislature renamed the system The California State University and Colleges, and shortly afterward renamed this institution San Diego State University.

Acting President Donald E. Walker (1971-1972), President Brage Golding (1972-1977), Acting President Trevor Colbourn (1977-1978), and President Thomas B. Day (1978-1996) were followed by the seventh President Stephen L. Weber (1996-).

Today, San Diego State University is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral University II. With over 28,000 students it is one of the largest universities in the western United States.

SDSU is a teaching university with strong research programs. Research and scholarship strengthen the instruction SDSU students receive in the classroom and laboratory. SDSU's faculty conducts more than $65 million in funded research each year. These projects provide unusual opportunities for students who can work alongside faculty using the latest equipment. The excitement of discovery spreads to the classroom, creating a unique learning experience.

Accommodation for students is furnished in new and continually improved physical facilities. The campus currently encompasses over 5.3 million square feet in academic and other support facilities. Included are the award winning Aztec Center, the first student union building in the CSU system; the Dramatic Arts building containing the Don Powell Theater, one of the finest in the nation; the Music building with its Smith Recital Hall; and the newly renovated and improved Malcolm A. Love Library containing over one million volumes in 520,000 square feet, the largest library in the CSU system. Student Health Services, Art and Humanities classroom buildings as well as modern residence halls and parking facilities for 12,500 cars have been added to complement the campus infrastructure and original historic structures, Hepner Hall, Little Theater, Hardy Tower, Speech and Telecommunications, and Exercise and Nutritional Sciences buildings which were renovated during the 70's and 80's.

Several recent construction projects have enhanced the service to students by consolidating all student needs in a new complex of Student Service facilities with a prominent clock tower as its focal point. A major addition to the library with its domed entry complements these facilities and with its newly landscaped grounds creates a park-like atmosphere at the core of the campus. In the past five years a new Gateway Center was constructed to house the campus public television station, KPBS and the College of Extended Studies. An International Student Center and Aztec football complex were also added in the early 90's.

The 12,000 seat Cox Arena, the Aztec Recreation Center, and the 3,000 seat Tony Gwynn Baseball Stadium were completed in 1997, bringing basketball and events to the campus and increased recreational opportunities to students. A complete renovation to the main food service facility, East Commons, provides new and improved dining opportunities to the campus. A major science laboratory building for chemistry and geological sciences is under construction.

The University now offers bachelor's degrees in 74 areas, the master's in 55, and the doctorate in 10.

There are five multidisciplinary honor societies on campus that help to reinforce the high academic standards of the campus. They include Golden Key, Mortar Board, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma, and Phi Kappa Phi. In addition, there are a number of disciplinary honor societies that recognize superior scholarship and leadership in specific academic fields.

The mission of San Diego State University is to provide well-balanced, high quality education for undergraduate and graduate students and to contribute to knowledge and the solution of problems through excellence and distinction in teaching, research, and service.

San Diego State University provides an environment that encourages the intellectual development of students. Its undergraduate and graduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences are designed to help students learn about themselves, their cultural and social heritage, and their physical environment. Additionally, students are challenged to understand how advances in these areas may influence their present lives and their futures. Professional programs, while including many of these broad goals, are designed to meet the needs of the students who seek specific employment in many diverse fields. The University is concerned with developing leaders in cultural, economic, educational, scientific, social, and technical fields.

Closely related to the teaching mission of the University is student and faculty research. Involvement in research ensures that both students and faculty maintain currency in their disciplines and fosters the advancement of knowledge. Graduate study at San Diego State University at the master's and doctoral levels emphasizes creative scholarship, original research, and the development and utilization of research techniques.

Located in a large and ethnically diverse metropolitan center bordering Mexico and on the Pacific Rim, the University uses the social, cultural, scientific, and technical resources of this region to enrich its teaching and research programs. Through its teaching, research, and service, the University is primarily responsive to the people of California as well as to the needs of the regional, national, and international communities it serves. The University also seeks cooperative programs with other institutions of higher education both in the United States and abroad.

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