California State University, Fullerton

Public university in Fullerton, CaliforniaTemplate:SHORTDESC:Public university in Fullerton, California

**California State University, Fullerton** (**CSUF** or **Cal State Fullerton**) is a public 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. As of fall 2016, the school had 2,083 faculty, of whom 782 were on the tenure track. The university offers 109 degree programs: 55 undergraduate degrees and 54 graduate degrees, including three doctorates.

Cal State Fullerton is an Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) and is eligible to be designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander serving institution (AANAPISI). The university is nationally accredited in art, athletic training, business, chemistry, communications, communicative disorders, computer science, dance, engineering, music, nursing, public administration, public health, social work, teacher education and theater. Spending related to CSUF generates an impact of around $2.26 billion to the California and local economy, and sustains nearly 16,000 jobs statewide.

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

### Founding

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

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.

### Campus violence

The campus has seen three significant instances of violence with people shot and 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. On October 13, 1984, Edward Cooperman, a physics professor, was shot and killed by his former student, Minh Van Lam, in McCarthy Hall.

On August 19, 2019, Steven Shek Keung Chan, 57, of Hacienda Heights was found by police with multiple stab wounds. When the police arrived at the parking lot where Chan was assaulted, he was pronounced dead. Chan was a retired budget director working as a consultant in the international student affairs office. On August 22, 2019, the coworker who committed the violent act was arrested at his residence in Huntington Beach. Chuyen Vo, 51, was believed to have acted alone, but the motive was never identified. Chan and Vo worked in the same division and Cal State Fullerton spokeswoman Ellen Treanor stated:

> "Of all the individuals that I talked to in that division, there didn't seem to be any concerns at all that anybody would ever hurt Steve at all. Not a single person said there were problems," Treanor said. "He wasn't known as a difficult boss. He was known as a very thoughtful man, very by-the book, a man of few words."
>
>

### 2000s: Modern growth

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.

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. 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.

## Campus

 File:Humanities and Social Sciences May 2010 Commencement.jpg
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 Pollak Library houses the Philip K. Dick science fiction collection.

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.Template: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.

 File:Calstate-trees.jpg
### Satellite facilities

The university operates a satellite campus in Irvine, California, approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of the original Fullerton location, the Grand Central Art Center in downtown Santa Ana, and a Garden Grove Center.

### Proposed expansion

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

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. After community opposition, the Fullerton planning commission indefinitely postponed any action on the project in February 2016.

### Desert Studies Center

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.Template:Citation needed

## Academics

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2020

CSUF's academic departments and programs are organized into four Liberal Arts colleges,

* College of the Arts
* Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences
* College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
* College of Communications

and four vocational colleges

* College of Engineering and Computer Science
* College of Health and Human Development
* College of Business and Economics
* College of Education

### Admissions and enrollment

**Fall freshman statistics**

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.

### Rankings and distinctions

Template:Infobox US university ranking

 Speech–Language Pathology
 Public Affairs | 157

* The 2023 edition of *U.S. News & World Report* ranked Fullerton 7th for "Top Performers on Social Mobility," 83 in top public schools, tied 66 for best undergraduate teaching, 222 for best value schools, and the undergraduate engineering programs ranked 42, tied 7 in computer engineering, 12 civil engineering and 11 electrical/electronic/communications and 153 for Nursing.
* The 2022 edition of *U.S. News & World Report* ranked Fullerton 3rd for "Top Performers on Social Mobility," tied 3rd for most innovative schools, 5th in top public schools, tied 6 for best undergraduate teaching, 41 for best value schools, and the undergraduate engineering programs ranked 29, 7 computer engineering, 8 civil engineering and 12 electrical/electronic/communications and 148 for Nursing.
* The 2021 edition of *U.S. News & World Report* ranked Fullerton tied for 16th among 127 Western U.S. regional universities that offer some masters programs but few doctoral ones, and 4th best public university among 66. CSUF was also ranked tied for 9th out of 124 regional schools for "Top Performers on Social Mobility", and tied for 3rd out of 25 for "Best Undergraduate Teaching Programs".
* *Money* magazine ranked Cal State Fullerton 34th in the country out of 739 schools evaluated for its 2020 "Best Colleges for Your Money" edition and 22nd in its list of the 50 best public schools in the U.S.

## Athletics

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.

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.

## Student life

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

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.

## Notable alumni

CSUF alumni include an astronaut who has made two trips to space; a speaker of the California Assembly; 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; and professional athletes, Olympians, doctors, scientists, 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.

Kevin Costner 2016.jpgActor and filmmaker Kevin Costner (BA 1978)Tracy E Caldwell portrait.jpgAstronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson (BS 1993)Anthony Rendon official photo.jpgSpeaker of the California State Assembly and former professor Anthony Rendon (BA 1992 & MA 1994)Edward Royce, official photo portrait color.jpgU.S. representative Ed Royce (BA 1977)Lou Correa.jpgU.S. representative Lou Correa (BA 1980)Gwen Stefani, Bloomingdales.jpgNo Doubt lead singer Gwen StefaniMarc Cherry Republicans.gif*Desperate Housewives* creator Marc Cherry (BA 1995)David Castañeda 2019 MTV.pngActor David Castañeda (BA 2015)Singer Adam LambertGabe Kapler 2022 (cropped).jpgMLB player and manager Gabe KaplerBruce Bowen 2009.jpgNBA player Bruce Bowen (BA 2006)
## Notes

1. ↑ California State University at Fullerton, California. *EduMaritime.com*.
2. ↑ As of June 30, 2020. Template:Cite report
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Fall Term Student Enrollment. The California State University Institutional Research and Analyses.
4. ↑ CSU Employee Profile - CSU.
5. ↑ Search CSU Degrees. Degrees.calstate.edu.
6. ↑ For The Media.
7. ↑ Archived copy.
8. ↑ Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). .ed.gov.
9. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"California State University, Fullerton". *America's Top Colleges*. Forbes. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
10. ↑ How The Elephant Became Our Mascot. Fullerton.edu.
11. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Smith, Nicole (May 15, 2006). "History of a Cal State Fullerton Killer". Daily Titan. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
12. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Trotta, Dan (October 16, 1984). "Student jailed in campus killing" (PDF). Daily Titan. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
13. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Police have arrested a co-worker in the death of retired Cal State Fullerton administrator".
14. ↑ Grand Opening of Mihaylo Hall (2009).
15. ↑ Debut of New Student Recreation Center Set for April 9 (April 2, 2008).
16. ↑ Performing Arts Center to be renamed Clayes Center (September 14, 2008).
17. ↑ Honoring Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples (en-US) (2021-11-30). "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."
18. ↑ University Archives & Special Collections - Pollak Library | CSUF.
19. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Students move into $143 million CSUF complex". *Orange County Register*. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
20. ↑ California State University, Fullerton – Irvine Campus. Fullerton.edu (2012-04-16).
21. ↑ CSUF to acquire HIU campus.
22. ↑ CollegeTown at Cal State Fullerton.
23. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Ponsi, Lou (2016-02-11). "CollegeTown plan near Cal State Fullerton and Hope University will get reworked". *Orange County Register*. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
24. ↑ College Scorecard: California State University-Fullerton. United States Department of Education.
25. ↑ Institutional Research and Analytical Studies. Fullerton.edu.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 News - CSU.
27. ↑ Institutional Research & Analytical Studies – First-time Freshmen.
28. ↑ California State University--Fullerton - U.S. News Best Grad School Rankings.
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 California State University--Fullerton Rankings (2021).
30. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
31. ↑ Best Public Colleges (August 25, 2020).
32. ↑ CSUF Club Sports – CSUF Club Teams. Fullerton.edu.
33. ↑ 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).
34. ↑ Phi Kappa Tau: then and now. Daily Titan.
35. ↑ Daily Titan 50th Anniversary. Daily Titan.
36. ↑ Titan Radio. CSUF.
37. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Kopetman, Roxana (April 23, 2014). "Cal State Fullerton Opens Center for Undocumented Students". *Orange County Register*. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
38. ↑ Titan Dreamers Resource Center – Services.
39. ↑ CSUF News Center - Titan Taking Reins of CA Assembly.

## External links

* **Lua error in Module:Official\_website at line 90: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**
* Cal State Fullerton Athletics website

Template:Authority control

Cite error: `<ref>` tags exist for a group named "n", but no corresponding `<references group="n"/>` tag was found