Golden Gate University
Encyclopedia
Golden Gate University is a private
, nonsectarian
, coeducational university located in the South of Market
district, immediately south of the Financial District
of downtown San Francisco, California
. Founded in 1901, GGU specializes in educating professionals through its schools of law, business, taxation, and accounting. The University offers two undergraduate degrees with eight concentrations and 15 graduate degrees with 24 concentrations.
The university evolved out of the literary reading groups of the San Francisco Central YMCA
at a time when, according to one contemporary estimate only one of every two thousand men had a college education. On November 1, 1881 at the YMCA
building at 232 Sutter Street, which the organization had occupied since 1868, the YMCA Night School was established. Classes were offered in bookkeeping
, mathematics
, stenography, elocution
, Spanish
and gymnastics
. Successful completion of these courses led to a certificate that was recognized by more than 100 colleges and trade schools. Other offerings of the association would include a common school
for boys. In April
1894 the YMCA
moved to a new five-story building at the northeast corner of Mason and Ellis Streets.
The night school was re-named the Evening College on October 1, 1896 and became a full-fledged operation in 1901 with the creation of a law school. The law school was the first of the Y's educational departments to offer a full degree-level course, and thus the University traces its founding to the law school's establishment. Courses in Accountancy
and Business Administration leading to the degree of Bachelor of Commercial Science
began in 1908. Later, courses in foreign trade were added. The YMCA building was destroyed in the fire that followed the 1906 Earthquake. Following the earthquake, the school was conducted out of tents, and later leased space at 1220 Geary St. (now Geary Boulevard
near Franklin Street in the Western Addition
. In November
1910 the school moved into the YMCA's new building (closed in 2009) at 220 Golden Gate Avenue at Leavenworth Street, also in the Tenderloin
.
A student contest resulted in the adoption of the new name Golden Gate. originally suggested by law student Charles H. Pool, Jr. (1895-1977) (LLB 1925) because contest judges thought it symbolized "romantic California." The institution was separately incorporated from the Central YMCA on April 9, 1923 as Golden Gate College with the power to confer degrees as California law then provided. The college continued to share the "Y"'s building until 1968, when it moved into the Allyne Building, a former warehouse in the South of Market
at 532–536 Mission Street
the College had purchased in May 1964; (the law school had moved there in December 1964.) However, the YMCA contributed members to the school's Board of Trustees for over two decades thereafter. In 1972, the College expanded and elevated itself to university status. In 1979, a new "west wing" of the university was completed, where most of the classroom space is located today.
Its four schools, with the year a university degree was first offered in the area are as follows:
The School of Law offers the JD, LLM, and JSD (Doctor of Juridical Science
) degrees, while the Ageno School of Business offers the degrees of BA, BS, MS, MBA, PMBA, and DBA (Doctor of Business Administration
). The School of Taxation offers an MS in Taxation and the School of Accounting offers the MAc (Master of Accountancy
).
It has no residential students, being entirely a "commuter school" located in the heart of the business district of San Francisco with a major student demographic being returning students and working professionals. Golden Gate University is a public-benefit, not-for-profit institution.
(WASC) since 1959. It had previously been accredited by what is now the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
since 1950. Additionally, the School of Law has been accredited by the American Bar Association
(ABA) since August 1956 and the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California
since 1940 (standards for accreditation having been adopted in 1937). The Law School is also a member of the Association of American Law Schools
(AALS). The University's financial planning program is registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board)
and students completing either the MS
in Financial Planning or the graduate certificate in financial planning qualify to sit for the Certified Financial Planner
(CFP) certification exam.
The GGU campus is located in the Financial District of San Francisco. It maintains satellite teaching/learning sites in the following locations:
programs in 1993 via correspondence, online courses in 1997, then began offering fully accredited online degree programs in 1998. Cybercampus offerings include 13 graduate degrees, two undergraduate degrees, seven graduate certificates, and 10 undergraduate certificates, all of which can be completed entirely online. GGU currently uses the Moodle
online learning platform to manage and deliver course content.
37.78923°N 122.3988°W
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, nonsectarian
Nonsectarian
Nonsectarian, in its most literal sense, refers to a lack of sectarianism. The term is also more narrowly used to describe secular private educational institutions or other organizations either not affiliated with or not restricted to a particular religious denomination though the organization...
, coeducational university located in the South of Market
South of Market, San Francisco, California
South of Market is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States.-Name and location:Its boundaries are Market Street to the northwest, San Francisco Bay to the northeast, Mission Creek to the southeast, and Division Street, 13th Street and U.S. Route 101 to the southwest...
district, immediately south of the Financial District
Financial District, San Francisco, California
The Financial District is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, that serves as its main central business district. The nickname "FiDi" is occasionally employed, analogous to nearby SoMa.-Location:...
of downtown San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Founded in 1901, GGU specializes in educating professionals through its schools of law, business, taxation, and accounting. The University offers two undergraduate degrees with eight concentrations and 15 graduate degrees with 24 concentrations.
History
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
at a time when, according to one contemporary estimate only one of every two thousand men had a college education. On November 1, 1881 at the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
building at 232 Sutter Street, which the organization had occupied since 1868, the YMCA Night School was established. Classes were offered in bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions. Transactions include sales, purchases, income, receipts and payments by an individual or organization. Bookkeeping is usually performed by a bookkeeper. Bookkeeping should not be confused with accounting. The accounting process is usually...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, stenography, elocution
Elocution
Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone.-History:In Western classical rhetoric, elocution was one of the five core disciplines of pronunciation, which was the art of delivering speeches. Orators were trained not only on proper diction, but on the proper...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
. Successful completion of these courses led to a certificate that was recognized by more than 100 colleges and trade schools. Other offerings of the association would include a common school
Common school
A common school was a public school in the United States or Canada in the nineteenth century. The term 'common school' was coined by Horace Mann, and refers to the fact that they were meant to serve individuals of all social classes and religions....
for boys. In April
April
April is the fourth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and one of four months with a length of 30 days. April was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before January and February were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC...
1894 the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
moved to a new five-story building at the northeast corner of Mason and Ellis Streets.
The night school was re-named the Evening College on October 1, 1896 and became a full-fledged operation in 1901 with the creation of a law school. The law school was the first of the Y's educational departments to offer a full degree-level course, and thus the University traces its founding to the law school's establishment. Courses in Accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
and Business Administration leading to the degree of Bachelor of Commercial Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
began in 1908. Later, courses in foreign trade were added. The YMCA building was destroyed in the fire that followed the 1906 Earthquake. Following the earthquake, the school was conducted out of tents, and later leased space at 1220 Geary St. (now Geary Boulevard
Geary Boulevard
Geary Boulevard is a major east-west thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, beginning downtown at Market Street near Market Street's intersection with Montgomery Street, and running westbound through downtown, the Civic Center area, the Western Addition, and running for most of its length...
near Franklin Street in the Western Addition
Western Addition, San Francisco, California
The Western Addition is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States.-Location:The Western Addition is sandwiched between Van Ness Avenue, Golden Gate Park, the Upper and Lower Haight neighborhoods, and Pacific Heights....
. In November
November
November is the 11th month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of four months with the length of 30 days. November was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar...
1910 the school moved into the YMCA's new building (closed in 2009) at 220 Golden Gate Avenue at Leavenworth Street, also in the Tenderloin
Tenderloin
-Media:* Tenderloin , by Samuel Hopkins Adams* Tenderloin , a 1928 film* Tenderloin , a musical from 1960* "Tenderloin", a song by Rancid from Let's Go...
.
A student contest resulted in the adoption of the new name Golden Gate. originally suggested by law student Charles H. Pool, Jr. (1895-1977) (LLB 1925) because contest judges thought it symbolized "romantic California." The institution was separately incorporated from the Central YMCA on April 9, 1923 as Golden Gate College with the power to confer degrees as California law then provided. The college continued to share the "Y"'s building until 1968, when it moved into the Allyne Building, a former warehouse in the South of Market
South of Market, San Francisco, California
South of Market is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States.-Name and location:Its boundaries are Market Street to the northwest, San Francisco Bay to the northeast, Mission Creek to the southeast, and Division Street, 13th Street and U.S. Route 101 to the southwest...
at 532–536 Mission Street
Mission Street
Mission Street is a north-south arterial thoroughfare in San Francisco, California that runs from the city's southern border to its northeast corner. The street and the Mission District through which it runs were named for the Spanish Mission Dolores, several blocks away from the modern route. Only...
the College had purchased in May 1964; (the law school had moved there in December 1964.) However, the YMCA contributed members to the school's Board of Trustees for over two decades thereafter. In 1972, the College expanded and elevated itself to university status. In 1979, a new "west wing" of the university was completed, where most of the classroom space is located today.
Schools
Golden Gate University is primarily a post-graduate institution focused on professional training in law and business, with its smaller undergraduate programs linked to its larger graduate and professional schools.Its four schools, with the year a university degree was first offered in the area are as follows:
- School of LawGolden Gate University School of LawGolden Gate University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Golden Gate University. Located in downtown San Francisco, California, GGU is a California non-profit corporation and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association...
(1901) - Edward S. Ageno School of Business (1908)
- School of AccountingAccountancyAccountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
(1908) - School of Taxation (1970)
The School of Law offers the JD, LLM, and JSD (Doctor of Juridical Science
Doctor of Juridical Science
Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of the Science of Law, Scientiae Juridicae Doctor , abbreviated J.S.D. or S.J.D., is a research doctorate in law and equivalent to the PhD It is offered primarily in the United States, where it originated, and in Canada...
) degrees, while the Ageno School of Business offers the degrees of BA, BS, MS, MBA, PMBA, and DBA (Doctor of Business Administration
Doctor of Business Administration
The degree of Doctor of Business Administration, abbreviated, or and equivalent to , is a research doctorate in business administration. The D.B.A...
). The School of Taxation offers an MS in Taxation and the School of Accounting offers the MAc (Master of Accountancy
Master of Accountancy
Master of Accountancy , alternatively Master of Professional Accountancy or Master of Science in Accountancy , is a graduate professional degree designed to prepare students for public accounting and to provide them with the 150 credit hours required by most states before taking the...
).
It has no residential students, being entirely a "commuter school" located in the heart of the business district of San Francisco with a major student demographic being returning students and working professionals. Golden Gate University is a public-benefit, not-for-profit institution.
Accreditation
Golden Gate University has been accredited on an institution-wide basis by the Western Association of Schools and CollegesWestern Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
(WASC) since 1959. It had previously been accredited by what is now the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the United States Department of Education since 1952 and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the regional authority on educational quality and institutional...
since 1950. Additionally, the School of Law has been accredited by the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA) since August 1956 and the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California
State Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
since 1940 (standards for accreditation having been adopted in 1937). The Law School is also a member of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
(AALS). The University's financial planning program is registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board)
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board)
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is the non-profit certifying and standards-setting organization that administers the Certified Financial Planner certification program and oversees more than 61,000 professionals using the CFP certification in the United States.-Mission:The...
and students completing either the MS
MS
MS may refer to:* Ms., an honorific title for women* Ms. , an American feminist magazine* Manuscript, a hand-written document- Geography and linguistics :* Mississippi, a state in the United States of America...
in Financial Planning or the graduate certificate in financial planning qualify to sit for the Certified Financial Planner
Certified Financial Planner
The Certified Financial Planner designation is a professional certification mark for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc...
(CFP) certification exam.
Campuses
- The Los Angeles learning site was established in the 1970s and offers graduate in taxation through the School of Taxation and the School of Law.
- The Silicon Valley learning site offers graduate programs in businessBusinessA business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and public administrationPublic administrationPublic Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
.
- The SeattleSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
learning site (opened in 1974) is the only one located outside of California. It offers programs in Taxation.
CyberCampus
Golden Gate first offered distance educationDistance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
programs in 1993 via correspondence, online courses in 1997, then began offering fully accredited online degree programs in 1998. Cybercampus offerings include 13 graduate degrees, two undergraduate degrees, seven graduate certificates, and 10 undergraduate certificates, all of which can be completed entirely online. GGU currently uses the Moodle
Moodle
Moodle is a free source e-learning software platform, also known as a Course Management System, Learning Management System, or Virtual Learning Environment...
online learning platform to manage and deliver course content.
External links
37.78923°N 122.3988°W