San Francisco State University
Encyclopedia
San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public
university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University
system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges. San Francisco State University consistently ranks among the top 50 master's–granting universities in the west by U.S. News & World Report
.
In the year of 2009–2010, approximately 30,469 students were enrolled at San Francisco State University, of whom 82.1% were undergraduate students and 17.9% were graduate students. The university was founded in 1899, making it one of California's oldest public universities.
In addition, the University has a College of Extended Learning.
The university awards bachelor's degrees in 115 areas of specialization, master's degrees in 97, and a doctor of education (Ed.D.) in educational leadership. It jointly offers three doctoral programs; a doctorate in education in partnership with University of California, Berkeley
with a concentration in special education, and two doctorates in physical therapy with University of California, San Francisco
.
SF State is a major training ground for lawyers and lawmakers in California. It ranks 18th among the top 20 undergraduate schools whose alumni go on to be admitted to the State Bar.
The Cinema department, in the College of Creative Arts, was named one of the nation's "top film schools" by Entertainment Weekly
in 2000. Alumni of the program have worked on such films as Titanic
, Schindler's List
, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
.
. The College of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
In 1968, what was then the longest student strike
in the nation's history, resulted in establishment of a College of Ethnic Studies
, and increased recruiting and admissions of students of color. In 2002 there was much tension between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian students.
. Students voted in favor of the name, but after numerous "misspellings" by the newspaper, the use of Gator, with an "o," stuck.
The team was called the Golden Gaters until the late 1940s. At that time, they began having two live alligators at football games, Oogee (oo-gee) and Ougee (aug-gee). The name was changed to the Golden Gators. The alligator mascots were dropped shortly and Golden was dropped from the name in the early 1970s.
(except in wrestling
, in which they compete in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
), in the Division II of the NCAA
. SFSU fields eleven sports for men and women for the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Fall sports for men include cross country
and soccer. Fall sports for women include cross country and soccer. Winter sports for men include basketball and wrestling. Winter sports for women include basketball and indoor track and field. The spring sport for men is baseball. Spring sports for women include outdoor track and field and softball
.
SFSU has produced three major league baseball
players, of which two later became All-Stars (former Mets
shortstop Bud Harrelson
, and former Brewers
and Red Sox
outfielder Tommy Harper
). The soccer program has had one player enter the professional leagues. Jared MacLane played in the Professional First Division in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
The Gators have also produced thirteen National Football League
players, including Billy Baird, Elmer Collett
, Maury Duncan
, Carl Kammerer
, Douglas Parrish and Floyd Peters
. Mike Holmgren
got his collegiate coaching start as the team's Offensive Coordinator in 1981. The football program ended in 1995.
Wrestling has been the most successful sports team in SFSU history. The Gators have scored at a National Championship meet every year since 1963–64. They currently have the sixth longest scoring streak of any collegiate squad. Lars Jensen has been the head coach since 1983–84 and has had an All-American in 22 of his 24 seasons. He has coached nine individual NCAA Champions, 50 All-Americans and in 1996–97, he led SFSU to the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges. San Francisco State University consistently ranks among the top 50 master's–granting universities in the west by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
.
In the year of 2009–2010, approximately 30,469 students were enrolled at San Francisco State University, of whom 82.1% were undergraduate students and 17.9% were graduate students. The university was founded in 1899, making it one of California's oldest public universities.
History
- 1899 – Founded as San Francisco State Normal School.
- 1901 – First graduating class
- 1906 – The 1906 earthquake and fire1906 San Francisco earthquakeThe San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
forces the school to relocate from Nob Hill to a new campus at Buchanan and Haight StreetHaight StreetHaight Street, in San Francisco, is perhaps best known as the principal street in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, also known as Upper Haight. It stretches from Market Street to Stanyan Street, at Golden Gate Park. It is named after California pioneer and exchange banker Henry Haight ....
s. - 1921 – Renamed San Francisco State Teachers College
- 1923 – First bachelor of arts degree awarded
- 1935 – Renamed San Francisco State College
- 1953 – Current campus near Lake MercedLake MercedLake Merced is a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco. It is surrounded by three golf courses , as well as residential areas, Lowell High School, San Francisco State University, Fort Funston and the Pacific Ocean...
opens; it is formally dedicated in October, 1954. - 1966 – Beginning of the era of campus protests led by student organizations including the Black Students Union, Third World Liberation Front, and Students for a Democratic SocietyStudents for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
. The protests against college policies and off-campus issues such as the Vietnam War included sit-ins, rallies, marches, teach-ins, and on several occasions violent conflicts with police. The protests were marked by counter-protests and widespread charges of corruption and election fraud in the student newspaper. - 1968 – A lengthy student strikeStudent strikeA student strike occurs when students enrolled at a teaching institution such as a school, college or university refuse to go to class. This form of strike action is often used as a negotiating tactic in order to put pressure on the governing body of the university, particularly in countries where...
erupted that developed into an important event in the history of the U.S. in the late 1960s. The strike was led by the Third World Liberation Front, and it demanded an Ethnic Studies program as well as an end to the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. This became a major news event for weeks in the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. At one point, University president S.I. Hayakawa famously pulled the wires out of the speakers on top of a van at a student rally. During the course of the strike large numbers of police drawn from many jurisdictions occupied the campus and over 700 people were arrested on various protest-related charges. - 1969 – In March, the strike officially comes to an end, with the administration retaining control of hiring and admissions, and the creation of the School (now College) of Ethnic Studies.
- 1972 – Received University status as California State University, San Francisco
- 1974 – Renamed San Francisco State University
- 1993 – Downtown campus opened
- 1999 – Celebrated 100th birthday
- 2007 – New Downtown Campus opened at 835 Market Street
- 2009 – Students occupied the business building before dawn Wednesday, December 9 for 24 hours to protest higher tuition, massive layoffs, hundreds of classes cut and millions for administration salary. Most of the student protesters were from the arts department and were protesting that the business department was receiving more funding than the arts department. Hundreds of students linked arms at various points throughout the day in support.
Academics
The university's academic colleges are:- Arts & Humanities
- Business
- Education
- Ethnic Studies
- Health and Human Services
- Science and Engineering
In addition, the University has a College of Extended Learning.
The university awards bachelor's degrees in 115 areas of specialization, master's degrees in 97, and a doctor of education (Ed.D.) in educational leadership. It jointly offers three doctoral programs; a doctorate in education in partnership with University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
with a concentration in special education, and two doctorates in physical therapy with University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
.
SF State is a major training ground for lawyers and lawmakers in California. It ranks 18th among the top 20 undergraduate schools whose alumni go on to be admitted to the State Bar.
The Cinema department, in the College of Creative Arts, was named one of the nation's "top film schools" by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
in 2000. Alumni of the program have worked on such films as Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, Schindler's List
Schindler's List
Schindler's List is a 1993 American film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on the novel Schindler's Ark...
, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
.
Accreditation
The university is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, a subgroup of 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...
. The College of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
Distinctions
- The university is currently ranked as the 45th best master's-granting university in the Western United States by U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
. - U.S. News & World Report ranks San Francisco State University 1st in reputation among its "Western University peers" in 2000.
- Among Western Universities, of which there are 112, San Francisco State was ranked 10th in terms of campus diversity by U.S. News and World Report.
- U.S. News & World Report ranks San Francisco State as 8th nationally in the number of transfer students.
- San Francisco State University's physical therapy master's program is consistently ranked among the top 20 in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
- San Francisco State University ranks 1st nationwide in the number of biological sciences undergrads who go on to earn biology PhDs according to the most recent National Science Foundation report.
- The Philosophical Gourmet ReportPhilosophical Gourmet ReportThe Philosophical Gourmet Report edited by Philosophy and Law professor Brian Leiter — in response to the Gourman Report — is a ranking of philosophy departments in the English-speaking world, based on a survey of philosophers who are nominated as evaluators by the Report's Advisory...
lists San Francisco State University as one of the top universities to earn a terminal MA in philosophy. - San Francisco State University is among the top 201 colleges and universities that offer "real world," job-focused services and skill development, according to Great Colleges for the Real World by (Michael P. Viollt, Octameron Associates, 2002).
- San Francisco State University is listed as having "one of the nation's top film schools" by Entertainment Weekly.
- Each year San Francisco State University's College of Business awards more business degrees than Stanford, UC Berkeley and the University of San Francisco—combined.
- San Francisco State University sends more master's graduates into PhD programs than any other masters'-granting university in the country.
- San Francisco State University is the only university in California to offer a bachelor's degree in technical and professional writing.
- The Academy of Management, the leading professional association for management scholars in the world, honored San Francisco State University's College of Business' Ohrenschall Center for Entrepreneurship with the McGraw-Hill/Irwin Innovation in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award (2002).
- San Francisco State University's College of Extended Learning offers the only American Bar Association-approved paralegal studies program in San Francisco.
- San Francisco State University was one of the first California State University campuses to offer a doctorate of education.
- San Francisco State University is the first and only university in the United States to house a College of Ethnic Studies.
- San Francisco State University was instrumental in the establishment of the International University Of KyrgyzstanInternational University Of KyrgyzstanThe International University of Kyrgyzstan is a university in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.The university was established by decree of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Askar Akayev,№ UP-74, on March 11, 1993, and by the enactment of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, № 113, on March 16, 1993...
(1993).
Diversity
| Undergraduate | |
|---|---|
| African American | 5.9% |
| Asian American | 29.8% |
| White American White American White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa... |
29.6% |
| Hispanic American | 15.9% |
| Native American | 0.5% |
| International | 6.2% |
| Ethnicity unreported/unknown | 11.9% |
In 1968, what was then the longest student strike
Student strike
A student strike occurs when students enrolled at a teaching institution such as a school, college or university refuse to go to class. This form of strike action is often used as a negotiating tactic in order to put pressure on the governing body of the university, particularly in countries where...
in the nation's history, resulted in establishment of a College of Ethnic Studies
Ethnic studies
Ethnic studies is the interdisciplinary study of racialized peoples in the world in relation to ethnicity. It evolved in the second half of the 20th century partly in response to charges that traditional disciplines such as anthropology, history, English, ethnology, Asian studies, and orientalism...
, and increased recruiting and admissions of students of color. In 2002 there was much tension between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian students.
Mascot
The school first adopted their mascot, the Gator, in 1931. After a call for a mascot by the student newspaper the Bay Leaf, students suggested the "alligator" for its strength and steadfastness. The student also suggested the spelling "Golden Gaters," with an "e," in reference to the Golden GateGolden Gate
The Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge...
. Students voted in favor of the name, but after numerous "misspellings" by the newspaper, the use of Gator, with an "o," stuck.
The team was called the Golden Gaters until the late 1940s. At that time, they began having two live alligators at football games, Oogee (oo-gee) and Ougee (aug-gee). The name was changed to the Golden Gators. The alligator mascots were dropped shortly and Golden was dropped from the name in the early 1970s.
Classes and services
- Administration (ADM)
- Burk Hall (BH)
- Business Building (BUS)
- Cesar Chavez Student Center – a unique building with an unusual floor plan. The ground floors are shaped like hexagons, containing open areas, concessions, the book store and the cafeteria. Each hexagon is topped by a thin pyramid approximately five stories tall. Both pyramids lean at approximately 45 degrees towards each other. The inside of the pyramids contain a stacked set of ever-higher living-room-like areas with couches and tables.
- Creative Arts Building (CA)
- Ethnic Studies and Psychology (EP)
- Fine Arts Building (FA)
- Gymnasium (GYM)
- Hensill Hall (HH)
- Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Building
- Humanities Building (HUM)
- J. Paul Leonard Library (currently under renovation expected completion date 2012)
- Library Annex I and II (temporary facilities due to library renovation)
- Science Building (SCI)
- Student Health Center – An underground building with a center open-air court area.
- Student Services Building (SSB)
- Thornton Hall (TH)
Residence buildings, communities, and services
- City Eats Dining Center (DC)
- Mary Park Hall (MPH)
- Mary Ward Hall (MWH)
- Science and Technology Theme Community (STTC)
- The Towers at Centennial Square (TCS)
- The Village at Centennial Square (VCS)
- University Park North (UPN)
- University Park South (UPS)
Conference facilities
- Seven Hills Conference Center
- Towers Conference Center
- Downtown Campus
Athletics
The school's athletic teams, called the Gators, compete in the California Collegiate Athletic AssociationCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association
The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
(except in wrestling
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
, in which they compete in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with some members in Nebraska and New Mexico...
), in the Division II of the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
. SFSU fields eleven sports for men and women for the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Fall sports for men include cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
and soccer. Fall sports for women include cross country and soccer. Winter sports for men include basketball and wrestling. Winter sports for women include basketball and indoor track and field. The spring sport for men is baseball. Spring sports for women include outdoor track and field and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
.
SFSU has produced three major league baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players, of which two later became All-Stars (former Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
shortstop Bud Harrelson
Bud Harrelson
Derrel McKinley "Bud" Harrelson is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers from to . After retiring, he served as a coach for the World Champion Mets, and as manager of the Mets in 1990 and 1991...
, and former Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
outfielder Tommy Harper
Tommy Harper
Tommy Harper is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played with the Cincinnati Reds , Cleveland Indians , Seattle Pilots , Milwaukee Brewers , Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Oakland Athletics , and the Baltimore Orioles .-High School...
). The soccer program has had one player enter the professional leagues. Jared MacLane played in the Professional First Division in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
The Gators have also produced thirteen National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
players, including Billy Baird, Elmer Collett
Elmer Collett
Charles Elmer Collett is a retired firefighter with the Kentfield Fire District and former professional American football player. He played eleven seasons in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Colts. Notably, he is an actual gold mining "ex-49er" and owner...
, Maury Duncan
Maury Duncan
Maurice Perry Duncan is a former quarterback for the National Football League and Canadian Football League. He played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1956-1957, the BC Lions from 1956-1957, and the Calgary Stampeders in 1958....
, Carl Kammerer
Carl Kammerer
Carlton Cordell Kammerer is a former American football defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at San Francisco State University and the University of Pacific and was drafted in the second...
, Douglas Parrish and Floyd Peters
Floyd Peters
Floyd Charles Peters was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League and went to three Pro Bowls during his 13 year career. He played college football at San Francisco State University and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1958 NFL Draft.Later, Peters was an...
. Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
got his collegiate coaching start as the team's Offensive Coordinator in 1981. The football program ended in 1995.
Wrestling has been the most successful sports team in SFSU history. The Gators have scored at a National Championship meet every year since 1963–64. They currently have the sixth longest scoring streak of any collegiate squad. Lars Jensen has been the head coach since 1983–84 and has had an All-American in 22 of his 24 seasons. He has coached nine individual NCAA Champions, 50 All-Americans and in 1996–97, he led SFSU to the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Controversies
Controversies include:- Student protests of military recruiters on campus (in which the administration defended its actions), and confrontations between students with differing views on the Iraq War (in which the administration defended its actions again).
- The National Lawyers GuildNational Lawyers GuildThe National Lawyers Guild is an advocacy group in the United States "dedicated to the need for basic and progressive change in the structure of our political and economic system . ....
charged that the university violated due process rights of campus anti-war activists. - The Campus Antiwar Network (CAN) has charged that the university violated due process rights of campus anti-war activists.
- A near-riot occurred on May 7, 2002, when a pro-Palestinian group attended a pro-Israel demonstration on campus. The pro-Israel students say that the Palestinian supporters chanted anti-semitic epithets at them, such as "Hitler should have finished the job." The pro-Palestinian group say the pro-Israelis started the conflict by calling them terrorists and using epithets such as "camel jockey." No violence occurred, but campus and city police were called in to defuse the situation.
- In 1994 a mural depicting Malcolm X was painted on the student union building, commissioned by the Pan-African Student Union and African Student Alliance. The mural's border contained yellow Stars of DavidStar of DavidThe Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
and dollar signs mingled with skulls and crossbones and near the words "African Blood." The next week, after demonstrations on both sides, the school administration had the mural painted over, and subsequently sand blasted. Two years later a new Malcolm X mural was painted, without the controversial symbols. - During the campus protests of 1968-69 to gain an Ethnic Studies program, school President S. I. HayakawaS. I. HayakawaSamuel Ichiye Hayakawa was a Canadian-born American academic and political figure of Japanese ancestry. He was an English professor, and served as president of San Francisco State University and then as United States Senator from California from 1977 to 1983...
drew the ire of students by pulling the wires from a loudspeaker so that protesters could no longer be heard. He also threw the first rock to destroy the existing Student Center (making way for a new one to be built), and dismantled several student traditions, including the school song and the school yearbook.