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California State University, Bakersfield

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California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB, Cal State Bakersfield, or CSU Bakersfield) is a public university in Bakersfield, California. It was established in 1965 as Kern State College and officially in 1968 as California State College Bakersfield on a 375-acre (152 ha) campus, becoming the 20th school in the California State University system. The university offers 39 different bachelor's degree programs, 17 master's degree programs, and a doctoral program in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.).[10][11]

California State University, Bakersfield
Former names
California State College, Bakersfield (1971–82)
Motto"Inspiring Excellence, Transforming Lives"[1][2]
TypePublic university
Established1965; 59 years ago (1965)
Parent institution
California State University
AccreditationWSCUC
Endowment$26.9 million (2020)[3]
Budget$111.5 million (2018)[4]
PresidentVernon B. Harper Jr.
ProvostJames L. Rodríguez (interim) [5]
Academic staff
662 (including Lecturers) (fall 2017)[6]
Administrative staff
526 (fall 2017)[6]
Students11,264 (fall 2021)[7]
Undergraduates9,788 (fall 2020)[7]
Postgraduates1,609 (fall 2020)[7]
Location
Bakersfield
,
California
,
United States

35°21′00″N 119°06′14″W / 35.350°N 119.104°W / 35.350; -119.104
CampusLarge city[8], 375 acres (152 ha)
Other campusesLancaster
NewspaperThe Runner
ColorsBlue and gold[9]
   
NicknameRoadrunners
Sporting affiliations
Websitecsub.edu

As of fall 2021, there were more than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students at either the main campus in Bakersfield or the satellite campus, Antelope Valley Center in Lancaster, California. CSU Bakersfield has more than 59,000 alumni from its four schools: Arts and Humanities; Business and Public Administration; Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering; and Social Sciences and Education. The university is primarily a commuter campus serving the city of Bakersfield. CSU Bakersfield's petroleum geology program is the only one offered by a public university west of the Rockies.[12] The university is a Hispanic-serving institution. Alumni include local, state, and federal politicians, including one former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

History

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The Walter Stiern Library, CSUB

CSUB owes its founding to the Donahoe Higher Education Act of 1960, which formalized the creation of the CSU system, initially as the "California State Colleges" system. The areas in the southern San Joaquin Valley had been demanding a four-year university since the 1950s. After considering several locations, including nearby Delano and parts of Kings and Tulare County, a steering committee decided on Bakersfield because it was the largest isolated metropolitan area in the United States without a four-year university at that time. Their decision was turned into a bill by Bakersfield's State Senator Walter W. Stiern, ratified by the California State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Pat Brown.

Under these rules, the school was authorized as Kern State College, in 1965, and founded as California State College, Bakersfield in 1968. First classes were held on October 1, 1970. In 1982, the California State College system became the California State University system. The school changed to its present name in 1988, when it was granted university status.

Presidents

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  • Paul F. Romberg (1967–1973)
  • Jacob P. Frankel (1974–1983)
  • Tomas A. Arciniega (1983–2004)
  • Horace Mitchell (2004–2018)
  • Lynnette Zelezny (2018–2023)
  • Vernon B. Harper (2024-present)

Academics

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Cal State Bakersfield academics are grouped into four schools with the exception of interdisciplinary programs:[13]

  • School of Arts and Humanities (A&H)
  • School of Business and Public Administration (BPA)
  • School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering (NSME)
  • School of Social Sciences and Education (SSE)

Together, the four schools offer 39 baccalaureate degrees, 17 master's degrees, and one educational doctorate.

Popular majors for undergraduates in 2018 included Business Administration (Management and Operations) at 19.39%, Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at 12.82% and Psychology (General) at 8.53%. While popular majors for graduates were Education (General) at 35.28%, Social Work at 20.56% and Student Counseling and Personnel Services at 9.44%.[14]

On May 24, 2019, at the 49th annual undergraduate commencement ceremony, CSU Bakersfield awarded 2,312 bachelor's degrees, a 28% year-over-year increase and a record for the university.[15] On May 22, 2019, 462 graduate degrees, including the university's first 12 doctoral degrees, were awarded at the annual hooding ceremony.[16]

Research

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The Office of Grants, Research, and Sponsored Programs (GRASP) provides administrative support for student and faculty research. External grant funding grew from 2014/15 to 2016/17, with active awards increasing from 54 to 70 and total funding increasing from $10M to $14.7M.[17]

Institutions that have been established as part of university research include:[18][19]

  • Business Research and Education Center
  • California Energy Research Center (CERC)
  • California Well Sample Repository
  • Center for Economic Education and Research (CEER)
  • Center for Environmental Studies
  • Kegley Institute of Ethics
  • Political Research Center

Cal State Bakersfield conducts scientific research using advanced facilities and technologies. Facilities include the Materials Science Engineering Lab,[20] Sediment Analysis Lab, Computer Mapping and Simulation Lab, Plant Physiology Lab, and Elemental Composition Lab, Wireless Communications Lab, Robotics Lab, Power Systems Lab, VLSI/Circuits Lab, Cognitive Processes Lab, Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Social Cognition Lab, and more.[21][22] Researchers on campus have access to advanced equipment including scanning electron microscopy, high resolution CAT scanning, and 2D gel electrophoresis.[23]

Active areas of research include synthesizing polymers from renewable resources[24] and geologic CO2 storage.[25]

The California Energy Research Center (CERC) was announced in 2013[26] to foster collaborations between CSUB students, faculty, and the Kern County energy industries.[27] Dr. Alan Fuchs became director of CERC in 2017. The California Energy Research Center will be housed in the 53,000 square-foot Energy and Engineering Innovation Center after its completion in 2023.[26][28]

Rankings

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  • In 2021, ranked 25th for "Top Public Schools" by U.S. News & World Report in the Regional Universities West category.[34]
  • In 2021, ranked 28th for schools in "Top Performers on Social Mobility", by U.S. News & World Report in the Regional Universities West category.[34]
  • In 2021, ranked tied for 51 in "Regional Universities West", by U.S. News & World Report.[34]
  • In 2021, ranked 25 in Best Bang for the Buck, 68th in Master's University by Washington Monthly.[35]
  • In 2020, ranked tied for 92st in "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs" where doctorates not offered, by U.S. News & World Report.[34]
  • In 2020, ranked tied for 221st in Undergraduate Nursing where doctorates not offered, by U.S. News & World Report.[34]
  • In 2020, ranked tied for 52nd overall out of 127 schools in "Regional Universities West", by U.S. News & World Report.[34]
  • In 2020, ranked tied for 24th out of 66 "Top Public Schools" by U.S. News & World Report in the Regional Universities West category.[34]
  • In 2020, ranked tied for 31st out of 124 schools in "Top Performers on Social Mobility", by U.S. News & World Report in the Regional Universities West category.[34]
  • In 2020, ranked tied for 91st of 220 schools in "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs" where doctorates not offered, by U.S. News & World Report.[34]
  • In 2020, ranked 9th in the "Best Bang for the Buck Colleges" category out of 215 schools in the U.S. western region by Washington Monthly.[36]
  • In 2019, ranked 17th out of 606 "Master's Universities" by Washington Monthly based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.[37]
  • In 2017, ranked 3rd in the nation for upward mobility by The New York Times.[38]
  • In 2014, ranked 20th in the United States by Payscale and CollegeNet's Social Mobility Index college rankings.[39]
  • In 2014, ranked 39th in the United States by Time magazine in a list of the top 100 universities.[40]

Athletics

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Main article: CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners

CSU Bakersfield is currently an NCAA Division I school. The Roadrunners began the transition process in 2006 and became a full Division I member in July 2010. Following a period as one of a small number of Division I independents, CSU Bakersfield joined the Western Athletic Conference in July 2013 for most sports.[41] For wrestling, CSUB competes in the Pac-12 conference. CSUB wrestling is the institution's original Division-I sport and has placed 3rd (1996) and 8th (1999) in the NCAA D-I Wrestling Championships.[42][43] The men's and women's basketball teams compete on campus at the Icardo Center.

On June 1, 2006, CSU Bakersfield president, Dr. Horace Mitchell, formally announced that CSUB would raise $6 million over a five-year period for the additional costs for the athletics program. Part of the additional costs were to start a baseball program and a women's golf program.[44] In September 2011, CSUB accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference for baseball.

Rudy Carvajal was CSUB's athletic director from 1972 until his retirement on December 31, 2010. In 2005, Carvajal received the prestigious CSU Wang Family Award. Under Carvajal's leadership, CSUB has 30 national championships and received the Sears Directors Cup in 1998.[45] Nearly 60,000 people attend NCAA sporting events at CSU Bakersfield.[12]

On May 17, 2007, CSUB announced that Bill Kernen would be the school's first baseball coach, with the school's first official season beginning in spring of 2009.[46]

On January 8, 2011, Jeff Konya assumed the position of athletic director.[47]

Kenneth "Ziggy" Siegfried was named director of athletics on August 20, 2015.[48]

On November 27, 2017, CSUB president Dr. Horace Mitchell announced that CSUB had accepted an invitation to join the Big West Conference. The Roadrunners will remain a member of the Western Athletic Conference until July 1, 2020, at which point it will begin a full membership in the Big West.

Athletic achievements

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National Division II championships

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  • Men's basketball: 1993, 1994, 1997
  • Men's swimming and diving: 1986–1993, 1998, 2000–2002, 2004
  • Wrestling: 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980–1983, 1987
  • Men's soccer: 1997
  • Softball: 1988, 1989, 1990
  • Women's volleyball: 1989
  • Women's tennis: 1977 (AIAW)

Student life

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Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023
Race and ethnicity[49] Total
Hispanic 68% 68
 
White 13% 13
 
Asian 7% 7
 
Black 4% 4
 
Unknown 4% 4
 
Two or more races[a] 2% 2
 
Foreign national 2% 2
 
Economic diversity
Low-income[b] 67% 67
 
Affluent[c] 33% 33
 

Admissions

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Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment[50][51][52]

In fall of 2013, CSUB enrolled its largest freshman class of over 1,300 students.[53] As of fall 2018 CSU Bakersfield has the largest enrollment percentage of unknown Americans and along with CSU Chico the second largest enrollment percentage of Native Americans in the Cal State system.[54]

Clubs and organizations

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CSU Bakersfield has 120 recognized student clubs and organizations (including seven Greek Organizations: Phi Sigma Sigma, Gamma Phi Beta, Nu Phi Chi, Theta Sigma Chi, Kappa Delta Nu, Delta Zeta Tau, and Kappa Sigma) as of spring 2018. Each year, the top juniors, seniors, and graduate students receive membership invitations to join Alpha Chi through the California Iota chapter of the national honor society.[55] The Associated Students Inc. (ASI) is the recognized student government and is known for having an active role on campus. The Bakersfield campus has a Student Union and a 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) Recreation Center.[56]

Enrollment and dormitories

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CSUB is predominantly a commuter school, drawing its student body from a mix of recent high school graduates in the local area and working people returning to school or pursuing a degree part-time. While the majority of students live off-campus, the campus dorms can accommodate up to 324 students, or under 5% of the 2002 enrollment figure of 7,700. Space in the dorms has historically been plentiful, with single-occupancy rooms often available and one entire dorm devoted to faculty offices through the mid-1990s. However, space is now impacted and usually fills up quickly. New dorms opened in 2015.[57]

The six buildings comprising the original (West) dorm complex are each named after locations in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novel: Rivendell, Rohan, Entwood, Numenor, Dobry, and Lorien. Dorm facilities include a first floor lounge in each building, a dining commons, a swimming pool, a sand volleyball court, a pond, and a parking lot.[58] CSUB has added a new dorm complex called Student Housing East on the northeast end of campus. The original dormitories have been partially repurposed for use as offices.[59]

Tradition

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The CSUB Fight Song and Alma Mater were selected through a structured contest initiated by the student government, Associated Students Inc. (ASI). The winner of the Fight Song Contest was a current music student, Gwendolyn Wilcox, and the winner of the Alma Mater Contest was a CSUB alumnus and current high school music instructor, Bill Ingram.[60]

Notable alumni

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  • Roy Ashburn, California State Senator[61] – BA in Public Administration, 1983
  • John W. Ayers, behavioral epidemiologist – BA, Political Science, 2006
 
Kevin McCarthy
 
Scott Wilk

Notes

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  1. ^ Other consists of Multiracial Americans & those who prefer to not say.
  2. ^ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
  3. ^ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

References

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  1. ^ "CSU Bakersfield Fact Book 2018" (PDF). CSU Bakersfield. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  2. ^ "About CSU Bakersfield". CSU History. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  3. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  4. ^ "2017-18 University Budget Book-Final.pdf" (PDF). CSU Bakersfield. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs". CSU Bakersfield. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  6. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2013-06-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ a b c "Fall Term Student Enrollment". The California State University Institutional Research and Analyses. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "IPEDS-California State University, Bakersfield".
  9. ^ "CSUB Visual Identity Guide". CSUB.edu. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  10. ^ "Search CSU Degrees". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-24. Retrieved 2017-02-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ a b "CSU Bakersfield - The Impact of the California State University". California State University. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  13. ^ "Schools and Departments | California State University, Bakersfield". www.csub.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  14. ^ "California state university%2c bakersfield programs - Bing". www.csub.edu. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  15. ^ "CSUB Will Graduate a Record Number This Year President Zelezny: A 'Golden Time in the History of CSUB' | California State University, Bakersfield". www.csub.edu. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  16. ^ SASIC, EMA (19 May 2019). "First group of CSUB doctoral students prepares to graduate". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  17. ^ "CSUB Fact Book 2018" (PDF). p. 18. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  18. ^ "Institutes & Research Centers | California State University, Bakersfield". www.csub.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  19. ^ "Campus Centers and Institutes | CSU". www2.calstate.edu. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  20. ^ "Dr. Luis Cabrales - Materials Engineering Laboratory". www.csub.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  21. ^ "Dept of Computer & Electrical Engineering & Computer Science". www.cs.csub.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  22. ^ "Research opportunities | California State University, Bakersfield". www.csub.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  23. ^ "CSUB Master of Science in Biology Program Student Guide" (PDF). csub.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  24. ^ "Dr. Luis Cabrales - Research". www.csub.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  25. ^ Engineering Aspects of Geologic CO2 Storage. SpringerBriefs in Petroleum Geoscience & Engineering. 2017. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-56074-8. ISBN 978-3-319-56073-1. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  26. ^ a b "Energy and Engineering Innovation Center Academic Facilities Master Plan Proposal" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  27. ^ "Energy resource center to open in winter". 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  28. ^ "Cal State Facilities Planning Documents 2019-2020 Submittals. COBCP for "Bakersfield - Energy and Engineering Innovation Center"" (PDF). pp. 170–180. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  29. ^ "2024 Master's Universities Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  30. ^ "2023-2024 Best Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 18, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  31. ^ "2025 Best Colleges in the U.S." The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse. September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  32. ^ "California State University–San Bernardino – U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  33. ^ "California State University–Bakersfield - U.S. News Best Grad School Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h i "California State University--Bakersfield Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  35. ^ "Washington Monthly's 2021 College Guide and Rankings". Washington Monthly. 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  36. ^ "2020 Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: West". Washington Monthly. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  37. ^ "2019 Master's University Rankings". Washington Monthly. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  38. ^ Leonhardt, David (18 January 2017). "America's Great Working-Class Colleges". The New York Times.
  39. ^ CollegeNET. "Social Mobility Index 2015 - CollegeNET". Socialmobilityindex.org. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  40. ^ "CSUB Makes List of Time Magazine's Best Colleges Ranking". CSU Bakersfield. May 4, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  41. ^ THE MOVE TO NCAA DIVISION I – GoRunners.com—Official Web Site of the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners Archived 2012-03-02 at the Wayback Machine
  42. ^ 66th NCAA Wrestling Tournament: 3/21/1996 to 3/23/1996 at Minnesota (PDF), NCAA, 1996.
  43. ^ 69th NCAA Wrestling Tournament: 3/18/1999 to 3/20/1999 at Penn State (PDF), NCAA, 1999.
  44. ^ Evans, Jeff (July 26, 2006). "Historic signing: Bellows first to join golf team". Bakersfield Californian. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  45. ^ Loveless, Jaclyn. "AD is 4th CSUB Wang winner". Cal State Today. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  46. ^ "Bill Kernen Bio". GoRunners.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  47. ^ "Jeff Konya To Become Roadrunner Director of Athletics Jan. 8". GoRunners.com. 29 November 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  48. ^ "Siegfried Named Athletics Director at CSUB". Go Runners. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  49. ^ "College Scorecard: California State University--Bakersfield". United States Department of Education. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  50. ^ "Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment". Archived from the original on 2013-02-17. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  51. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-10-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  52. ^ "Newsroom CSU Chancellor's Office" (PDF). Calstate.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  53. ^ "Fast Facts - Fall 2013" (PDF). CSU Bakersfield. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2015.
  54. ^ "Ethnicity Enrollment Profile". www.calstate.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  55. ^ "Alpha Chi Honor Society". CSU Bakersfield. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  56. ^ "Facilities Planning Development & Operations – BAS CSUB". Archived from the original on 2006-09-02.
  57. ^ Welcome to CSUB Residential Life
  58. ^ "Campus Map - Quadrant 2". Archived from the original on 2004-01-06. Retrieved 2004-01-06.
  59. ^ Oliver, Megan (22 January 2017). "Old dorms buildings repurposed". therunneronline.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  60. ^ Cal State Today Spring 2005 Archived 2006-06-22 at the Wayback Machine
  61. ^ "Biography". Roy Ashburn. Archived from the original on March 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
  62. ^ "Next gen enters the fray". The Tribune India. 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  63. ^ "Greg Colson | CSU". www2.calstate.edu. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  64. ^ "Jeff Colson | CSU". www2.calstate.edu. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  65. ^ "Jeremy Gunn - Staff Directory". Charlotte 49ers. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  66. ^ "Men's Staff". www.stanfordsoccer.com. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  67. ^ "Brandon Landers: Aretha". Meer. 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  68. ^ "About Kevin". KevinMcCarthy.House.gov. Archived from the original on 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
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