When California State University students step foot on their respective campuses this fall, even returning students will be able to find something new and exciting—from new academic and career opportunities to expanded support services and modernized facilities. No matter what the area of study, the 23 universities in the CSU system continue to grow offerings that provide students with unique and transformative educational experiences.
Take a look at some of what's new this school year.
Leadership
Britt Rios-Ellis assumed the presidency of Stanislaus State July 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy Stanislaus State Strategic Communications and Marketing)
This will be the first full academic year for several new CSU presidents, including Ronald S. Rochon at Cal State Fullerton, Berenecea Johnson Eanes at Cal State LA, Michael E. Spagna (acting) at Cal Poly Humboldt, Emily F. Cutrer at Sonoma State and Britt Rios-Ellis at Stanislaus State.
Campuses will also welcome new president's cabinet members:
- Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs, Success and Equity Gina Sánchez Gibau and Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs Bradley Olin at CSU Channel Islands
- Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Leslie Cornick at Chico State
- Director of Athletics Garrett Klassy at Fresno State
- Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew Lawson at Cal State Monterey Bay
- Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Terri Gomez and Vice President for University Advancement Frances Teves at Cal Poly Pomona
- Vice President for the new division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Marketing David Dufault-Hunter at Cal State San Bernardino
- Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity Christopher Manning at San Diego State
- Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Sacha Maria Joseph-Mathews at Stanislaus State
Over the summer, Cal State Fullerton appointed an inaugural executive director for Black Student Academic Success, Patience Bryant; Cal Poly Humboldt appointed a new Chief of University Police, Greg Allen, a Cal Poly Humboldt alumnus; and Stanislaus State appointed Myisha Butler-Ibawi to serve as its first-ever Black Student Success Coordinator in the newly formed department of Student Leadership, Engagement and Belonging.
New Academic Programs, Courses
The inaugural class of the Sacramento State Black Honors College, shown here along with campus and national leaders, was introduced at a ceremony marking the opening of the new first-of-its-kind education initiative. (Photo courtesy Sacramento State/Andrea Price)
Students at several CSU universities will also find new degrees and academic programs that expand their career opportunities.
High school students interested in sports medicine can get a head start on earning a bachelor's degree in kinesiology through a new dual enrollment program being offered by CSU Bakersfield this fall.
CSU Channel Islands has launched two new master's degree programs in public administration and school counseling, an Online Education Leadership Doctorate and an Online Health Science Degree Completion program, as well as a new minor in health science. And CSUCI's Performing Arts and Health Science programs are teaming up to offer its first “Dance for Parkinson's" class with scientifically researched movement for those with Parkinson's disease.
Chico State opened the new School of Media, Entertainment, Technology and Immersive Experiences (METX)—and has several new or revitalized academic programs. These include master's degrees in computer science (online), data science, education, engineering and computer engineering, blended bachelor's/master's degrees in computer science and social science, and new options in environmental studies and landscape studies within the Bachelor of Arts in Geography degree.
Chico State students will also have a number of new courses available to them, including “PHIL 111—Ethics of AI: An exploration of ethical problems and issues concerning artificial intelligence (AI)." Topics may include the appropriate limits for AI research and implementation, the danger of AI in propagating and producing social injustice, and whether AI can have moral rights.
Cal State Fullerton's College of Education is launching its first bachelor's degree program in urban learning to offer students an interdisciplinary education with an emphasis on social justice issues for today's diverse classrooms. CSUF will also offer a new Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) minor and a new business administration-real estate concentration.
Fresno State will begin to roll out its Humanities Internship Program this fall—housed in the College of Arts and Humanities and funded by the Mellon Foundation—to provide paid internships to humanities students.
Cal State Long Beach's new Beach Expedited Degrees in Graduate Education (EDGE) programs merge existing bachelor's and master's degree programs in similar disciplines into a single pathway, allowing students to earn graduate degrees faster and at a lower cost.
Come on down! Cal State LA will offer the nation's first-ever academic curriculum focused solely on the study and production of game shows. This series of classes will teach students the inner workings of creating, developing and producing game shows.
Cal State LA has also used a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to establish an educational and employment program, the Prison to Careers Equity Pathway program, that supports individuals during incarceration and throughout the period of reentry into their communities.
And, to address California's growing need for K-12 computer science teachers, Cal State LA has launched the Computer Science Supplementary Authorization (CSSA) Program, offered online for practicing credentialed teachers and school or district administrators with an interest in computer science.
Thanks to a grant from the Teagle Foundation, Cal Maritime will begin implementing a new General Education pathway program, “Proteus," designed to integrate humanities-based inquiry within the technical and professional curriculum at the university.
Cal State Monterey Bay is reintroducing a music technology concentration to its music major. Music technology will utilize the sound equipment and studio space in the Music Hall to teach students about recording, mixing and editing sound. The concentration hasn't been offered since 2018–19, and the new curriculum is substantially different than what was offered then.
Cal Poly Pomona has launched a new Master of Science program in statistics and applied mathematics, as well as new minors in cyber security, global humanities and sustainability education. CPP will also offer 67 new courses on such topics as the arts of Native America, gravity and black holes, practices for green stormwater infrastructure, positive psychology and sports communication.
Sacramento State and UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber have teamed up to offer a first-of-its-kind program, Combat Sports and Martial Arts University—Combat U—that will give students opportunities for education and competition in combat sports. The university has also launched a new Nonprofit Administration Certificate program and introduced a new College and Career with AI course that will teach students how to use generative AI in the classroom and job market.
Sacramento State also recently celebrated the inaugural class of its new Black Honors College (BHC), which launches this fall. The BHC—the first of its kind in the nation—offers students of all races, cultures and majors a comprehensive curriculum focusing on the Black and African American experience, and was made possible through funding provided by the CSU.
Among the new academic programs offered by Cal State San Bernardino are bachelor's degree in natural sciences (with concentrations in biology, chemistry, physics or science and society), kinesiology (with a new concentration in health promotion) and nutritional science and dietetics. CSUSB will also launch new material science and physician assistant master's programs; certificates in data science, speech-language pathology and immersive storytelling, design and innovative marketing communication; and a music technology program.
CSUSB's School of Entrepreneurship will launch an intensive 5-month Veteran Entrepreneurship Program at its Palm Desert iHub, as well as offer a mini-MBA following the success of its pilot cohort in spring. Additionally, CSUSB's Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration has elevated its Department of Information and Decision Sciences to the newly designated School of Cyber and Decision Sciences.
San Diego State has a new course on Stevie Wonder that will delve into the artist's multiple award-winning works and the cultural context in which they came to be.
And, a new grant will support the development of the Western Regional Center of Excellence, a branch of the SDSU Industrial Assessment Center (IAC), that will allow its team to extend and enhance its complimentary environmental consulting services to local, underserved communities, all while gaining critical clean energy job experience. This center partners with San Francisco State and San José State and will collaborate with Laney College and Cuyamaca College.
San Francisco State has partnered with Braven, a national nonprofit organization, to offer a career accelerator course. The course will enable Braven fellows to grow their leadership in five professional competencies: operating and managing, problem solving, working in teams, networking and communicating, and self-driven leading.
San José State will become the first CSU to start offering the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential this fall to help meet the unprecedented need for new teachers in California. Fresno State's program will begin in Summer 2025, and seventeen additional CSU campuses, as well as CalStateTEACH—the CSU's fully online program—are in various stages of developing their PK-3 Credential programs for approval by the Commission on Teaching Credentialing.
Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo has launched the Noyce School of Applied Computing and a new Mexico City Study Abroad program this year. The university's Center for Health Research has also introduced U-Rise, a two-year training and research program addressing the lack of diversity among scientists in the biomedical field. And a new partnership with Allan Hancock Community College allows transfer students near Hancock's Santa Maria campus to earn a Cal Poly bachelor's degree in sociology.
CSU San Marcos has a new bachelor's degree in cybersecurity; new minors in environmental biology, data science and media studies; a new certificate in school social work; and a new supplementary authorization credential in computer science.
Sonoma State launched its Guaranteed Admissions program in 2023—a partnership with local school districts and community colleges to create pathways for students to receive guaranteed admission—and will welcome its first cohort this fall. CSU agreements like this are helping to easy the transfer process and make degrees more accessible.
Among Stanislaus State's new academic programs and subprograms are an early childhood education credential, a musical theater bachelor's degree, museum studies and public health promotion minors and a public history certificate.
Student Support Services
From left, Cal State Monterey Bay Accommodations Coordinator Tyler St. Pierre-Young, Project Outreach Coordinator Betsaida Solis and Professor David Reichard celebrate the opening of the Rainbow Raft Pride Center. (Photo courtesy CSUMB/Brent Dundore-Arias)
The CSU strives to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of its campus communities. In that vein, CSUs continue to explore ways to enhance student support services, especially for students from historically underserved communities.
CSU Channel Islands has opened a new commuter student lounge with workstations and dinette-style seating, couches, a television with streaming services, a microwave, refrigerator, refreshments and even board games and cards.
And, a new campus dining partnership with Chartwells will provide CSUCI students with “greater variety of cuisine and dining options, and increased opportunity for healthy foods on-the-go with a focus on local and sustainable sourcing."
Chico State is opening new student success centers this fall, including a Black Student Resource Center, an El Centro/Latinx Resource Center and an Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA) Resource Center, to support students from historically underserved communities.
Cal State East Bay has a new official mascot, the Peregrine Falcon, which “embodies power, courage, adaptability, and the soaring spirit of our incredible students." CSUEB also unveiled a new logo—a nod to the university's motto, “Per Aspera Ad Astra," which translates to, “Through Adversity to the Stars."
Fresno State's Student Health and Counseling Center has launched two new initiatives: one that provides Parent Scholars with priority registration and connects them to campus and community resources, and a Wellness To-Go vending machine—located in the Resnick Student Union—to provide students with greater accessibility to essential items. The university is also expanding psychiatric services for students through its Student Health and Counseling Center.
Additionally, Fresno State's Craig School of Business will offer a new student support program, the Gender and Leadership Program, to prepare students to manage gender disparities in the workplace by instilling confidence, providing mentorship and networking opportunities and equipping students to pursue leadership roles.
Cal State Long Beach introduced a new textbook program, Day 1 Digital Access (D1DA), that provides students with access to all their required textbooks at one price, on the first day of classes each semester. Flat-fee programs in which campus bookstores negotiate with textbook publishers for the lowest possible prices are saving students millions each year.
San Diego State has rebranded its textbook accessibility program, now called Day1Ready, to “reflect the enthusiasm and confidence students feel when they're well-prepared." Since SDSU began its program in 2022, it has saved students close to $14 million on new printed materials and more than $7 million on digital course materials.
Students in Cal State Monterey Bay's Sustainable Hospitality Management program are eligible for a new Pebble Beach Scholars program. The program will provide students with up to $5,000 per year for tuition, books and other educational costs for up to four years, and continued campus housing during academic breaks.
CSUMB also opened its new Rainbow Raft Pride Center in the Student Center over the summer to provide a dedicated space for the university's LGBTQIA community.
Sacramento State announced its first Latinx "cluster hire" to fill 17 faculty positions—the first cluster hiring of its kind at the university. This initiative ensures students see individuals across campus who look like them and understand them. And, in an effort to provide support to its Southwest Asian North African community, Sacramento State will open the SWANA Center this September.
The Pride Center at Cal Poly Pomona has officially launched the OUTList, an online directory of staff, faculty, students and alumni who identify as LGBTQIA. The directory aims to increase and maintain visibility for queer issues by establishing a strong sense of community.
Additionally, CPP's Student Wellbeing & Support cluster is partnering with the College of Environmental Design and the College of Engineering to provide on-site wellbeing services and programs that are highly tailored and designed to address the unique needs of each college's specific student population.
And Bronco411—CPP's campus directory—and CPP Canvas courses now feature Namecoach profile integration which aims to help reduce mistakes with name pronunciation and foster inclusion in daily interactions. Students, faculty and staff opt-in to provide their personal recording as part their Bronco Identity.
Cal State San Bernardino has established an Office of Tribal Relations and an Office of Black Student Success to create more opportunities for Native American and Black students in higher education. And CSUSB's College of Arts & Letters students will now have access to a Professional & Career Readiness Center for students. The center assists students with applying for scholarships, internships, graduate school and more.
Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo's Disability Resource Center opened a new Serenity Room for students who experience difficulties with sensory integration or processing, and the Division of Student Affairs plans to open a Guardian Scholars Center to serve incoming students who have experienced foster care. And, Cal Poly's Center for Military-Connected Students has a new and improved location with enhanced resources.
Cal Poly's New Student and Transition Program (NSTP) has expanded its Transfer Orientation experience to bolster the integration of transfer students and their supporters to Cal Poly, including introducing a spectrum of Spanish-language resources including live interpretation at key orientation events and translation assistance.
Buildings and Facilities
San José State A.S. Student Body President Ariana Lacson speaks at the ribbon cutting for the Spartan Village on the Paseo. (Photo courtesy SJSU/Robert C. Bain)
As academic offerings continue to grow, so do the campuses themselves. Several universities have unveiled new classrooms, labs, centers and performance spaces to enrich CSU educational experiences.
This fall, students at CSU Channel Islands and Cal State Monterey Bay can enjoy competitive gaming in new esports lounges. The CSU's increased support for esports programs and facilities has provided students with more opportunities for hands-on learning experiences in event planning, broadcast, marketing and game design—preparing them to step into future careers.
Chico State's new Behavioral and Social Science Building will open during the fall term. The building, which is the third net-zero building in the CSU and the first at Chico State, boasts an indoor arboretum, an alumni-owned coffee shop and state-of-the-art learning spaces.
Cal State East Bay will open the Braddock Center for Science and Innovation during this school year to accommodate the rapid growth in students studying in the sciences at CSUEB. The building for applied science will be a place of discovery where students can become 21st-century scientists, working alongside their professors in interdisciplinary, open-concept laboratories.
Fresno State's Craig School of Business has opened a new classroom for its Executive MBA program at the Campus Pointe center. The classroom features a state-of-the-art dual projector with full sound and can accommodate up to 115 people.
Cal State Fullerton will celebrate new additions to its visual arts complex, which include gallery spaces, renovated classrooms for digital art concentrations, graduate art studios, upgraded lecture halls and indoor and outdoor seating. CSUF also established the Titan Computing Hub for AI/machine learning research, teaching and learning.
CSUN students can now take classes in Maple Hall, the university's first new academic classroom building in 15 years. The new building adds much-needed classrooms and lecture halls—including a 2,980-square-foot lecture hall, two smaller lecture halls and two seminar rooms—with flexible seating, the latest audiovisual equipment and an energy-efficient design.
Cal Poly Pomona will open its new Community Innovation Hub in downtown Pomona August 29, a transformative center dedicated to invigorating the city's workforce and empowering local entrepreneurs.
Sacramento State has opened its first faculty and staff housing, Nine Ten Place—a 30-unit apartment complex that will strengthen university recruitment efforts by providing affordable housing as employees transition to the region.
The university will also open a new Art Sculpture Lab to provide students with an advanced artistic environment. Sacramento State is the only university in Northern California with a bachelor's and master's program in fine arts.
Sacramento State Sustainability has a new food waste digester that not only turns kitchen scraps into safe, nutrient-rich fertilizer, but also produces methane gas that can be used to power campus events—and maybe even an electric car.
Cal State San Bernardino's new Performing Arts Center is scheduled to open this fall. The new 73,337 square-foot Performing Arts Center will have a 500-seat theater and modern teaching, rehearsal and performance spaces.
San Diego State students can behold SDSU's newest sculpture, "Stargazer," the first sculpture of the university's Living Land Acknowledgement project, located near the Koester Memorial Sundial in front of Hepner Hall, or stroll through the university's newly completed Mission Valley River Park.
And, thanks to a grant from Google, SDSU has established the San Diego Cyber Clinic in collaboration with the Cyber Center of Excellence, CSU San Marcos and National University.
This year marks the opening of San Francisco State's West Grove Commons, a 751-bed building that introduces a “pod-style" living environment to SF State's residential community.
San José State opened its brand-new dorms, Spartan Village on the Paseo (SVP), for the fall term—a hotel complex that has been converted into 679 beds of student housing and features a dining commons, a fitness center, an esports/gaming space, study lounges and a skybridge. SVP is the Bay Area's largest post-pandemic conversion of a downtown commercial property to residential housing.
Students at Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo can now visit 1901 Marketplace, a renovated dining complex with eight restaurants and open-air seating. In athletics, the women's soccer program unveiled a complete renovation—a fully donor-funded project that included installing 35 brand new Holman lockers, new lighting, flooring, lounge furniture, audio and video systems and a fueling station.
The Cal Poly Tech Park expansion project will be completed this fall, as well, offering an additional 16,000-square-feet of workspace for industry and other partners. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) will be the first tenants in the expanded park. The new office at Cal Poly will strengthen collaborations between faculty and sanctuary staff and provide research and internship opportunities for students.
And, the Cal Poly Partners Plaza—a new 14,200-square-foot tiered hospitality area in the north end zone of Alex G. Spanos Stadium—is on schedule to open for the fall soccer and football seasons.
Stanislaus State will celebrate the opening of a new Child Development Center (CDC) this fall. The 14,729-square-foot building will allow CDC staff to serve nearly twice as many children, and is sustainably designed with water- and energy-efficiency features and a 100-kilowatt solar panel array on the rooftop.
Technology and Equipment
Cal Poly Humboldt's new simulator allows users to fly several different types of aircraft and log some of the hours required to obtain a pilot certificate. (Photo courtesy Cal Poly Humboldt)
CSUs are also implementing technology that helps cut down on costs, ease the strain on the environment and incorporate smart features into curriculum.
The Technology Infrastructure for Data Exploration (TIDE) project has established a new computing core facility at San Diego State that allows researchers throughout the CSU to conduct high-performance computing processes, expanding their ability to perform high-level research—such as identifying antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis strains, programming robots with more human reactions, digitally reconstructing archeological artifacts and developing models of water circulation.
The computing center is currently available for partners at Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State San Bernardino, San Diego State and Stanislaus State with plans to extend it to researchers at all 23 CSUs.
Among the technology Cal State Fullerton has implemented for the fall are interactive digital displays in 24 general-use classrooms, upgraded campus computers—including in classrooms, open labs and the College of the Arts—and a newly renovated Academic Technology Center that now offers faculty a space to test classroom technology, receive technical support and ensure accessibility in instructional materials.
CSUF's Data Visualization Center has added a 200-foot 4K video wall for AI workshops and large data modeling, and the Innovation/Makerspace Center has been updated with VR headsets, a 3D scanner and printer and AI robotics for exploring new ideas. Additionally, campus-wide network upgrades have been made to replace more than 1,000 network devices, including faster network speeds and enhanced wireless capabilities in housing.
Cal Poly Humboldt has a new FAA-certified flight simulator, located on the second floor of the library, that allows users to fly several different types of aircraft and log some of the hours required to obtain a pilot certificate.
Cal State San Marcos's Instructional and Information Technology Services and its College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics purchased and produced the university's first high-performance computing (HPC) cluster to support faculty in their research and classrooms. The HPC cluster includes nine worker nodes, 40 GPUs, 36 terabytes of RAM and more than a petabyte of storage, and it delivers more than 40 applications to researchers.
Stay up to date on the latest news and developments across the 23 universities in the CSU system at Calstate.edu/news.