H. Res. 1117 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

March 3, 2010. 

Whereas the California State University system will be celebrating its 50th anniversary during 2010 and 2011; 

Whereas the individual California State Colleges were 

brought together as a system by the Donahoe Higher 

Education Act of 1960 of the State of California; 

Whereas, in 1972, the system became the California State 

University and Colleges, in 1982, the system became the 

California State University (CSU), and today the 23 

campuses of the CSU include comprehensive and polytechnic universities and, since July 1995, the California 

Maritime Academy, a specialized campus; 

Whereas the system’s oldest campus—San Jose State University—was founded in 1857 and became the first institution of public higher education in California, while the 

system’s newest campus—California State University, 

Channel Islands—opened in the fall of 2002; 

Whereas today the CSU is the Nation’s largest and most diverse university system, with 23 campuses and 7 off-campus centers, almost 433,000 students, and 44,000 faculty 

and staff; 
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Whereas the CSU draws its students from the top third of 

California’s high school graduates and is the State’s primary undergraduate teaching institution; 

Whereas each CSU campus—California State University Bakersfield, California State University Channel Islands, 

California State University Chico, California State University Dominguez Hills, California State University East 

Bay, California State University Fresno, California State 

University Fullerton, Humboldt State University, California State University Long Beach, California State 

University Los Angeles, California Maritime Academy, 

California State University Monterey Bay, California 

State University Northridge, California State Polytechnic 

University, Pomona, California State University Sacramento, California State University San Bernardino, 

San Diego State University, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, California Polytechnic 

State University, San Luis Obispo, California State University San Marcos, Sonoma State University, California 

State University Stanislaus—has its own identity, but all 

share the same mission—to provide high-quality, affordable higher education to meet the changing workforce 

needs of California; 

Whereas with 91,000 annual graduates, the CSU is California’s greatest producer of bachelor’s degrees and drives 

California’s economy in information technology, life 

sciences, agriculture, business, education, international 

trade, public administration, hospitality, engineering, entertainment, and multimedia industries; 

Whereas the CSU reaches out to California’s growing, underserved communities, providing more than half of all undergraduate degrees granted to California’s Latino, Afri-
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can-American, and Native American students, and offering affordable opportunities to pursue and attain a college degree; 

Whereas the CSU is noted for pioneering outreach efforts, including starting the Early Assessment Program (which 

enables 11th graders to assess their college readiness in 

English and math) and the Educational Opportunity Program (an access and retention program that supports 

low-income, educationally disadvantaged students, many 

of whom are first-generation college students), distributing millions of ‘‘How To Get to College Posters’’ in 

multiple languages, hosting Super Sunday events at 

churches throughout the State as part of its AfricanAmerican initiative, partnering with the Parent Institute 

for Quality Education (PIQE), which helps strengthen 

parent involvement in elementary and middle school students’ education, and actively engaging in the State’s 

Troops to College efforts on behalf of veterans; 

Whereas the CSU offers more than 1,800 bachelor’s and 

master’s degree programs in some 357 subject areas, as 

well as teaching credential programs and its own independent education doctorate program; 

Whereas the CSU has awarded nearly 2,500,000 bachelor’s, 

master’s and joint doctoral degrees since 1961; 

Whereas the CSU’s renowned faculty members are well 

known for their teaching skills as well as their significant 

contributions to research, CSU staff and administrators 

provide the vital infrastructure to fulfill the CSU mission, 

and faculty and staff together have made the CSU a 

leader in high-quality, accessible, student-focused higher 

education; 
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•HRES 1117 EH 

Whereas CSU students participate in 32,000,000 hours of 

community service annually at more than 3,560 community sites, including tutoring children and adults in 

English as a second language, working in hospitals and 

community health clinics, teaching computer literacy, 

cleaning up rivers and beaches, serving meals to the 

homeless, and building houses; 

Whereas the CSU returns $4.41 for every $1 the State invests, the CSU sustains more than 200,000 jobs in the 

State, and CSU-related expenditures create 

$13,600,000,000 in economic activity; 

Whereas the CSU has more than 2,000,000 alumni, representing one in 10 members of California’s workforce 

and the majority of the State’s teachers; 

Whereas the California State University has dedicated itself 

to helping foster improvement in the educational, economic, and cultural life of California; 

Whereas the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees have led 

the CSU during extremely difficult economic times that 

have caused the CSU to cut admission rates and raise 

costs, as they have launched initiatives to increase the 

system’s graduation rates and help underrepresented students complete college; and 

Whereas the California State University is developing not 

only college graduates, but responsible citizens and leaders for California and the Nation: Now, therefore, be it 
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Resolved, That the House of Representatives commends 

and congratulates the California State University system on 

the occasion of its 50th anniversary. 

Attest: 

Clerk.