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California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt

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Not to be confused with Humboldt University of Berlin.
Humboldt State University
Seal of Humboldt State University
Former names
Humboldt State Normal College (1913-35)
Humboldt State College (1935-72)
California State University, Humboldt (1972-74)
MottoPhos Aletheia (Greek for "Light and Truth")
TypePublic
EstablishedJune 16 1913
PresidentRollin C. Richmond
Academic staff
551
Students7,773
Undergraduates6,760
Postgraduates1,013
Location
Arcata
,
California
,
USA
CampusRural, 144 acres (0.58 km²) main campus and nearly 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of additional property[1]
ColorsGreen and gold
  [1]
NicknameLumberjacks
AffiliationsCalifornia State University
MascotLucky the Logger
Websitehumboldt.edu
File:CSU.PNG

Humboldt State University (HSU) is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata, California. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated above Arcata on solid granite with commanding views of the Humboldt Bay region and the Pacific Ocean. Its location eight miles (13 km) north of Eureka and 279 miles (449 km) north of San Francisco on the North Coast of California is notable for its natural beauty.

History

Humboldt State Normal School was established as a teachers college on 16 June 1913 by California Governor Hiram Johnson. It opened on 6 April 1914, in the former Arcata Grammar School building with 78 students and 5 faculty. The school was put under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Education, renamed Humboldt State Teachers College and Junior College, and moved to its current location in 1921. In 1924 the Associated Students and the Alumni Association were organized and The Foghorn, the first student newspaper, was published. Bachelor's degrees began being offered in 1927. It was renamed Humboldt State College in 1935 and the next year the Lumberjack was adopted as its mascot. In 1937 the students opened a cooperative bookstore and soda fountain, which would exist for the next 40 years as the center of student life.

Founders Hall is the most prominent building on campus and is featured on the university's seal. It is also the oldest building on campus, constructed in 1921.

During World War II Founder's Hall, which is visible from Humboldt Bay, was painted camouflage so Japanese submarines would not use it as a navigational aid. An air observation post was also set up atop the art shop to watch for Japanese air strikes. The observation post was primarily staffed by the faculty members' wives until its removal in 1953.

Graduate programs began being offered in 1947. The same year KHSC, the first state college radio station in California, was established (later to become KHSU). In 1960 the college joined the newly formed California State College system. The junior college program, terminated at HSU in 1962, was re-established in 1964 at College of the Redwoods (CR) south of Eureka. Located only seventeen miles south of HSU, both institutions maintain a close working relationship, with many students transferring to HSU following graduation from CR.

Student activism on campus rose through the 1960s and early 1970s, peaking in a protest against the Vietnam War with about 800 students (out of 3,600) on 15 October 1969. This was followed by another protest with nearly 3,000 students, who planned a student strike, after the Cambodian Incursion. With similar events across the state, Governor Reagan shut down the CSC system in May 1970 for the rest of the year. The 1970s also saw the rise of feminist, cultural, and LGBT groups, and though the Women's Center would be the only one to survive through the 1980s most would reappear in the mid 1990s.

In 1972 the college was renamed California State University, Humboldt, and renamed Humboldt State University two years later. Enrollment reached 7,500 in 1974, where it remains up to today. Through the 1980s mature students started becoming a large part of Humboldt State's student body, and in 1986 40% of the students were over the age of 25.[2]

Academics

The university is divided into three colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the College of Natural Resources and Sciences; and the College of Professional Studies. There are 49 undergraduate majors and 85 minors. The two most popular majors are Biology and Art, both with over 20 faculty and extensive facilities on and off campus. There are several credential programs and twelve master's programs of which Natural Resources and Social Work are the largest.

Humboldt State is one of only two universities in California to offer a major in Botany, the other being Cal Poly Pomona. The Native American Studies major and the Oceanography major are also unique to the California State University system. The university offers unique minors including Multicultural Queer Studies, Scuba Diving, and Appropriate Technology.

The university's location on the North Coast provides access to the Pacific Ocean, lagoons, marshes, estuaries, and the Fred Telonicher Marine Laboratory, which provides opportunities for "hands-on" experiences and research for the sciences.

In 2005 Humboldt State University made public its plans to expand the campus into Eureka. The first of these plans has been realized with the spring 2007 opening of the HSU Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, a $4.5 million aquatic facility on Humboldt Bay in Old Town Eureka. Other plans include a new HSU Bay and Estuarine Studies Center, to be placed on the bay. This new facility will be closer to the Coral Sea (now docked at Woodley Island, Eureka), which is the only vessel in a US educational institution solely dedicated to undergraduate research. The new facility would be considerably larger than other existing facility, the Fred Telonicher Marine Laboratory in Trinidad, twenty miles (32 km) north.[3].

Statistics

  • Average GPA: 3.18
  • Average SAT: 1051
  • Average ACT: 22[2]
  • Student to Faculty Ratio: 17.3[3]

Ranking

  • Best Western Colleges. Chosen because it stands out in it's region, HSU is one of the 123 colleges named a Best Western College by The Princeton Review. Other CSU campuses chosen for the list were Cal State Long Beach, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Sonoma State.
  • Colleges With a Conscience. HSU is one of the colleges profiled in The Princeton Review's book, Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement. It was selected because of its record of having excellent service-learning programs and blending academics with community work.[4]
  • First Tier of Western Universities (Top 15). In a Saludos Hispanos survey, the university merited this multicultural listing due to the fact that approximately 8% of the student body is Hispanic (only schools with at least 7% Hispanic students qualified). Factors that led to placement as number 9 of the top 15 schools in the West included reasonable tuition, both in and out of state, and the fact that HSU students record the highest passing scores among the 23-campus CSU system on the CBEST (the California Basic Educational Skills Test). The CBEST measures reading, mathematics skills and expository writing and is required of new teachers, administrators, counselors, psychologists and librarians.[5]
  • Top 10 Counterculture Colleges. High Times Magazine placed HSU in the number six slot this year. The magazine ranks the nation’s institutions of higher education from the cannabis community’s point of view. This year the guide placed an emphasis on campus activism and academic excellence. The HSU listing on the top ten is in good company, including four other California schools: UCSB, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Cruz. [6]

Student life

Humboldt State's student population has stayed consistently around 7,500 for several decades. This is equal to approximately half of the population of Arcata, though students are dispersed all over the region. Eighteen percent of students live in the residence halls, usually new freshmen and transfer students. The university's student body's average age is 26, one of the highest in the country.[5]

Many of Humboldt State's unique programs, such as the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, Youth Educational Services, and Student Access Gallery, are student-initiated, student-directed, and student-employed programs. The university has one of the most active and strongest Associated Students in the California State University system offering more services and programs than any other.[citation needed] One of HSU's largest clubs is the Humboldt Circus, and is one of the better known clubs in the community for their regular performances and appearances at local events.

Humboldt State is well known for its environmental awareness and activism. Compost and recycling bins are more common on campus than trash cans and many events are encouraged to be zero waste. The Associated Students fund the Campus Recycling Program, the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, and the Sustainable Living Arts and Music Festival (SLAM fest).

The location of HSU affords students potential for outside activities in local parks and public lands, which include miles of accessible, undeveloped coastline. Rivers and streams, extraordinary terrain, and forests are just outside the classroom door.

Student Media

The Lumberjack is the student-run weekly newspaper of Humboldt State University and is funded by the Instructionally Related Activities fee. It covers news relevant to the students and faculty of the Humboldt State and major news throughout Humboldt County. This includes coverage of university issues, protests, rallies, athletics and the local music scene and sometimes has a quirky police log.

The Osprey is the student-run magazine, published twice annually. It has won first-place awards in major regional competitions, including the Society of Professional Journalists' "Mark of Excellence" Awards and the California Intercollegiate Press Association awards.

KRFH.NET 610 AM is a student run radio station founded in 1990 by Dr. Gary Melton. KRFH's purpose is to provide broadcast experience to students while also approximating the structure of a commercial radio station. Students enroll in JMC 155 or JMC 355 in order to become DJs, committing to weekly shows of one to two hours respectively.

Marching Lumberjacks

The HSU Marching Lumberjacks is the official student-run marching band of the university. It performs in the scatter band style often associated with ivy league schools, using humorous routines and scripts during its half-time field shows in Redwood Bowl.

The band plays at numerous campus and community events, marches in parades across California and Oregon, aids in student recruiting and performs at home football and basketball games. Its traditional uniform consists of a yellow hardhat, suspenders, a yellow t-shirt, green work pants and boots.

The group was depicted marching into the Pacific Ocean in a photograph in the July 1993 National Geographic magazine. Members of the band were cast to portray a high school band in the 2001 feature film The Majestic with Jim Carrey, filmed in Ferndale, California.

People

Alumni

Faculty

Staff

  • Charles Horn — former KHSU volunteer on-air host and Development Director. Increased membership revenue by 8%, 14%, and 27% respectively over the last three fiscal years, then fired without notice 7/9/2007

Footnotes

  1. ^ Humboldt State University, Office of Admissions: Research Facilities URL retrieved October 3, 2007.
  2. ^ Tanner, 135-144
  3. ^ Northcoast Journal, Out with the Tide, URL retrieved October 16, 2007
  4. ^ The Princeton Review: Humboldt State University: Rankings & Lists URL Retrieved on October 18, 2007.
  5. ^ Saludos.com: Education Pavilion: [http://www.saludos.com/educationpavilion/college1.html Undergraduate Colleges and Universities Saludos Hispanos College Survey] URL Retrieved on October 18, 2007.
  6. ^ High Times "Top Ten Counter Culture Colleges URL Retrieved on October 18, 2007.

References

See Also

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