California State University, Fresno

California State University, Fresno, often referred to as Fresno State, is one of the top-ranked campuses comprising the California State University system. It is located at the northeast edge of Fresno, only 58 miles from Yosemite National Park. The university has a total enrollment of 22,565 students including undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Fresno State 6th in public regional universities in California, 9th in public regional universities in the West (all the western states from Hawaii and Alaska to Texas and Oklahoma), and 37th in all regional universities, both public and private, in the West.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Fresno State's graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling #13 in the entire nation. At the graduate level, Fresno State also boasts the following nationally ranked programs: part-time MBA, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Speech-Language Pathology, and Social Work.

The Princeton Review ranks Fresno State's Sid Craig School of Business MBA Program #45 in the nation. The GMAT score for students in this program averages in the top 30 percentile nationwide.

In Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Colleges List for 2013," Fresno State is ranked in the top 44% of universities nationwide at #359. This ranking places Fresno State 6th out of the 23 California State University campuses and outranking some UC campuses.

Fresno State has a selective admission rate of 58%. The university offers 95 Bachelor's degrees, 51 Master's degrees, 7 Doctoral degrees, and 20 different teaching credentials.

The university's unique facilities include on-campus raisin and wine grape vineyards and a commercial winery, where student-made wines have won over 300 awards since 1997. Fresno State is one of only a few universities world-wide that have an on-campus planetarium, operated by the Physics Department. Members of Fresno State's nationally ranked Top 10 Equestrian Team have the option of housing their horses on campus, next to indoor and outdoor arenas. Fresno State boasts a newly opened state-of-the-art Student Recreation Center and one of the biggest libraries in the California State University system.

The campus sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the San Joaquin Valley. The city of Fresno is the fifth largest city in California. The university is within an hour's drive of many mountain and lake resorts and within a three hour drive of both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Yosemite National Park is only 58 miles from campus.

Fresno State operates on a semester schedule. The fall semester runs from late August through December. The spring semester runs from mid-January through mid-May.

History


Fresno State was founded as the Fresno State Normal School in 1911 with Charles Lourie McLane as its first president. The original campus was what is now Fresno City College. In 1921, Fresno State Normal School became Fresno State Teachers College, and in 1934 it was renamed Fresno State College and adapted its official fight song "Fight! Varsity." Fresno Junior College, now FCC, moved onto the campus with Fresno State in 1921 and the two institutions shared the campus until 1948, when the FCC moved to another location. The first graduate degrees, in English and Education, were granted in 1949. In 1954, the 70-member Fresno State College Orchestra became the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1956, Fresno State moved its campus to its present location in the northeast part of the city, and FCC bought the old campus and moved back in. Fresno State College became a charter institution of the California State University System in 1961. In 1972 the name was officially changed to California State University, Fresno.

Campus
The greater campus extends from Bulldog Stadium on the west boundary to the Save Mart Center and the under-construction Campus Pointe and Highway 168 on the east side. Vineyards and orchards designate the northern boundary of the campus, while Shaw Avenue designates the southern edge.

The 388 acre main campus features more than 46 traditional and modern buildings. An additional 34 structures are on the 1,011 acre University Farm, which includes the student-run Equine, Swine, Beef, Dairy, Poultry, and Sheep Units as well as several hundred acres of cattle rangeland. It is considered one of the most modern and best equipped agricultural facilities in the West. Fresno State was officially designated as an arboretum in 1979 and now boasts more than 4,000 trees on campus. 

Fresno State operates the first university-based commercial winery in the United States.

Henry Madden Library


The Henry Madden Library is the main resource for recorded knowledge and information supporting the teaching, research, and service functions of Fresno State. Because of its size and depth, it is an important community and regional resource and a key part of institution's role as a regional university.

The library recently underwent a $105 million renovation that was completed February 2009. The library held its grand opening on February 19, 2009 and is now home to a variety of book collections. The library houses 1,000,000 books in its 327920 sqft. The library is home to the largest installation of compact shelving on any single floor in the United States. The shelves amount to over 20 mi in length. It is currently the third largest library in the CSU system (in terms of square footage), and among the top ten largest in the CSU system based on the number of volumes. It also is the largest academic building on the Fresno State campus. The five-story building features seating areas for almost 4,000 people, group study rooms, wireless access and a Starbucks.

The Table Mountain Tribe, which runs Table Mountain Casino north of Fresno, donated $10 million to this project. The library features Native American elements in its architecture. The expanded and remodeled library is among the largest libraries in the 23-campus California State University system and is the largest academic library in the Central Valley.

Public computers are available that run either the Mac or PC operating systems. Student, faculty and staff have access to over 200 wireless laptops, a media production lab for editing digital video and audio and an instruction and collaboration center (Studio 2) for teaching information literacy skills. Reference assistance can be accessed by telephone, e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, and in-person in the Library.

The Henry Madden Library features a number of special collections such as the Arne Nixon Center, a research center for the study of children's and young adult literature, and the Central Valley Political Archive.

Michael Gorman, the former dean of the Library, was the President of the American Library Association in 2005-2006. Peter McDonald is the current Dean.

Academics
Smittcamp Family Honors College - President's Scholars is a program providing top California high school graduates a fully paid President's Scholarship, room and board, as well as other amenities for the duration of their studies. The Honors College is named after longtime campus friends and philanthropists Earl and Muriel Smittcamp. Fresno State was first of all 23 CSU campuses to offer an individual-campus doctorate.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Fresno State 6th in public regional universities in California, 9th in top public universities in the West (all the western states from Hawaii and Alaska to Texas and Oklahoma), and 37th in all regional universities, both public and private, in the West.

The Princeton Review ranks Fresno State's Sid Craig School of Business MBA program #45 in the nation.

In Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Colleges List for 2013," Fresno State is ranked in the top 44% of universities nationwide at #359. This places Fresno State 6th out of the 23 California State University campuses, closely ranked behind Cal Poly and San Diego State and outranking some UC campuses.

Fall Freshman Statistics

The Craig School of Business is considered one of the top business schools in the western US. According to the Princeton Review, Craig School (MBA) is a top-45 business school nationwide, based on annual rankings. Listed in that publication's 2009 "Best 282 Business Schools." The Sid Craig School of Business is accredited by the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Forbes Magazine ranked Fresno State as one of "America's Best Public Colleges in the U.S." in 2009

U.S. News & World Report ranks Fresno State's Rehabilitation Counseling program #13 in the nation.

Accreditation


Fresno State is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.


 * The university is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools, Western Association of Graduate Schools, and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.


 * The university has 32 nationally accredited departments and programs, among the highest number within the CSU system.


 * The Lyles College of Engineering is ABET accredited.

National rankings

 * In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked Fresno State 6th in public regional universities in California
 * U.S. News & Wold Report ranked CSU-Fresno 9th in top public regional universities in the West.
 * U.S. News & Wold Report ranked CSU-Fresno 37th in regional universities, both public and private, in the West.
 * U.S. News & World Report ranks Fresno State's graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling 13th in the entire nation.
 * Washington Monthly magazine ranked Fresno State 10th "America's Top 50 Master's Universities" in 2012
 * In 2013, Forbes Magazine ranked Fresno State 359th of universities in the nation.
 * In 2013, U.S. News & World Report ranked Fresno State's Rehabilitation Counseling program 13th in the entire nation

Schools and colleges



 * Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology


 * College of Arts and Humanities


 * Craig School of Business


 * Kremen School of Education and Human Development


 * Lyles College of Engineering


 * College of Health and Human Services


 * College of Science and Mathematics


 * College of Social Sciences


 * Division of Continuing and Global Education

Greek
The Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development provides services, programs and co-curricular educational activities that give students the opportunity to develop skills and expand their knowledge.

Greek life is active at Fresno State. 6% of men are in fraternities and 5% of women are in sororities. The most established fraternities are clustered in The Row, adjacent to Sorority Row. Student Activities & Leadership Development is charged with advising the four Greek Councils at Fresno State: the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the Panhellenic Association (PHA), the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), and the United Sorority & Fraternity Council (USFC). Councils are provided support in the areas of programming, council management, leadership development, membership recruitment, policy interpretation, scholastic achievement, and public relations.

The Kappa chapter of Phrateres, a non-exclusive, non-profit social-service club, was installed here in 1936. Between 1924 and 1967, 23 chapters of Phrateres were installed in universities across North America.

Clubs and organizations
Student clubs and organizations are groups that have been recognized by the university. Clubs and organizations can be based on academic, cultural, recreational, religious or other special interests. These groups are required to apply for recognition to receive support from the university.

Associated Students, Inc. (ASI)
ASI is the recognized student body government at Fresno State. Through ASI, students participate in the governance of the university through fostering awareness of student opinions on campus issues and assisting in the protection of student rights. Twenty students are elected each year. There are three executives who include a President, Vice President and a Vice President of Finance, nine at-large senators and eight college senators. Those elected serve annual terms from June 1 to May 31.

ASI provides funding for student-related projects on campus. Sponsored Activities Funding provides supplemental event funding for recognized student clubs and organizations. The Instructionally Related Activity (IRA) fund provides funding for activities and laboratory experiences that are partially sponsored by an academic program, discipline, or department. rGrants provide financial support for graduate and undergraduate student research, projects, and other scholarly endeavors in all academic disciplines.

Student Recreation Center
In February 2006 the Student Recreation Center opened. Construction costs were paid for and operating funds are derived from a semester student-use fee. While an Association entity, the Student Recreation Center is under the direction of the Division of Student Affairs. The Student Recreation Center is adjacent to the Save Mart Center arena.

Any student who has paid the USU student-use fee in the current semester is eligible to use the Recreation Center. Faculty and staff may join at a monthly rate. This facility is not available to the general public.

The center has four full-size basketball courts, a dance studio, a 1/8 mile (200 m) indoor running track, locker rooms, 2 racquetball courts, aerobic equipment, and weight-lifting machines. Services include personal training, group fitness classes, towel service and personal lockers. Intramural sports are very popular among students. Sports typically offered are basketball, softball, soccer, water polo, tennis, flag football, table tennis, kickball, dodgeball and racquetball.

Student housing - University Courtyard
Home to 1,100 students, University Courtyard consists of nine housing communities of both suite and community style living. Fresno State's classrooms, library, computer lab, student activities, athletic facilities, theater, Save Mart Center, Student Recreation Center and health center are all within walking distance of the residence halls.

University Courtyard offers a computer lab and an outdoor swimming pool. The Courtyard has lighted parking, an electronic room and hall lock system, gated bicycle racks and campus escorts. During the fall and spring, all halls have live-in staff available 24 hours/7 days a week.

Athletics
Fresno State is a member of the Mountain West Conference. The university's 18 varsity sports teams are known as the Bulldogs, and the school's colors are cardinal red and blue. Fresno State has made several runs at NCAA tournaments in basketball, soccer, tennis, baseball, softball, and volleyball. The Bulldogs compete as a NCAA Division I school.

The Bulldogs have earned the following NCAA Division I National Championships:
 * NCAA Division I National Champions, baseball, in 2008
 * NCAA Division I National Champions, softball, in 1998.

The Mountain West Conference is currently in the process of evaluation as a potential automatic-qualifier BCS conference in football.

Media
FresnoStateNews is an online source of information about current events affecting Fresno State students, faculty and staff. The site provides an archive of news articles, videos and photos, as well as links to major resources on campus.

The FresnoState Magazine is published twice per year from the Office of University Communications. It is both a print and online publication that features current events at Fresno State, Alumni Association events and alumni achievements.

The Collegian is the campus student-run newspaper. It is published during the fall and spring semesters on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The online edition features video, podcasts and photo galleries.

ROTC


Two branches of the military are represented on campus at Fresno State: Air Force and Army. The Air Force ROTC Detachment on campus, Detachment 35, is one of the oldest in the nation. Founded in 1949, only two years after the signing of the National Defense Act of 1947 which made the Air Force a separate armed force, Detachment 35 has become one of the premier commissioning sources for ROTC in the country. In July 2008, Detachment 35 was awarded the "High Flight" award, naming it the top mid-sized detachment in the entire southwest region of the United States. Just a few months later, on Oct 29th 2008, Detachment 35 was named best mid-sized detachment in the nation, and awarded the prestigious "Right of Line" award. This award is the highest honor for a detachment, and is a true sign of the leadership and quality of instruction within the organization. In addition to top honors in military performance, Detachment 35 has won "Warrior Challenge", an intense athletic competition between 3 other competing midsize dets, 5 years in a row. Information about Detachment 35 can be found at their website.

Jan and Bud Richter Center
The Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning promotes the value of community service to students, faculty, and staff. CESL represents the university in activities that establish service-oriented partnerships.

Kenneth L. Maddy Institute
The mission of Maddy Institute is “To inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.”

Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT)
An independent testing laboratory, applied research facility, and educational resource center with the aim of advancing water management practices and irrigation technology. CIT’s programs cover four major areas: hydraulics laboratory testing, field research, analytical studies and special projects and education. CIT also boasts two sister institutions. The California Water Institute and the International Center for Water Technology.

International Center for Water Technology
The International Center for Water Technology (ICWT) was established in 2001 to educate, promote, and assist in developing and adopting innovative technologies that improve water utilization, reduce energy demand, and positively impact air quality.

California Water Institute
The California Water Institute (CWI) was created to provide education, research and analysis of policy issues involving water resources including water quality issues and integrated regional water management planning.

Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Lyles Center assists students and community members in pursuit of their entrepreneurial goals. The Lyles Center delivers assistance through applied learning, professional consulting, and managed problem solving.

Central California Autism Center
The Central California Autism Center is a treatment & research center that provides principle-based behavior therapy for children 18 months to 6 years of age with a diagnosis of autism or a related disability. Most children receiving behavior therapy services improve their skills and abilities across many domains including language, motor skills, self-help skills, social skills, pre-academic skills and general learning skills.

Central Valley Health Policy Institute
The institute's mission is to improve equity in health and healthcare by developing the region’s capacity for policy analysis and program development, implementation and evaluation through integrating and leveraging the resources of Fresno State and the institutions and communities of the San Joaquin Valley.

Notable Fresno State alumni
Due to the large number of notable Fresno State alumni, another page has been created specifically to mention them. It is found here: