History of Cal State LA

1947

  • Los Angeles State College was founded by an Act of the California legislature and opens for classes on the campus of L.A. City College; P. Victor Peterson, president of LACC, becomes acting president of the new college.
  • Jack Bradley becomes first student government president.

June 1948

  • First student newspaper, The College Times, published.

June 17, 1948

  • First graduating class.

Sept. 1949

  • L.A. State College became Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts & Sciences, with 2,187 students; Howard S. McDonald is named second president and becomes first full-time president.

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June 1952

  • First master’s degrees awarded.

May 1955

  • Groundbreaking for new campus.

1957

  • First L.A. State time capsule sealed in corner of Administration building (now Student Affairs).

Fall 1958

  • Ten buildings completed at new site.
  • Library South officially opened.
  • First classes offered at new campus.

Fall 1959

  • First freshmen entered.
  • First L.A. State telecourse, "20th Century American Novel," offered over KCOP Channel 13.

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1961-2

  • Distinguished Visiting Professor of English: Christopher Isherwood, noted author (his Berlin Stories was the basis for the Broadway musical and film, Cabaret).

June 1962

  • Albert Graves became third president.

Sept. 1962

  • North Hall opened.

1962-63

  • Distinguished Visiting Professor of English: Dorothy Parker, writer, member of the Algonquin Round Table.

Sept. 1963

  • Franklyn A. Johnson became fourth president.

Dec. 6, 1963

  • The California State College (now California State University) Board of Trustees named the library after the late President John F. Kennedy.

Jan. 1964

  • L.A. State College was officially renamed California State College at Los Angeles (CSCLA) and becomes part of the California State College (CSC) system formed in 1960.

Feb. 12, 1964

  • An edifice plaque was unveiled during the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library naming ceremony.

June 1964

  • First Commencement at new site.

Fall 1964

  • Solomon Diamond, professor of psychology, selected as one of the first two systemwide awardees to be named 1963-64 Outstanding Professor by the California State College Board of Trustees.

1965

  • Football team ranked No. 1 nationally.
  • The College Times named best newspaper by California Intercollegiate Press.

1966

  • Hudson Roysher, professor of art, named 1965-66 Trustees Outstanding Professor.

May 1966

  • John A. Greenlee became fifth president.

June 1967

  • California State College at Los Angeles converted to quarter system.

1968

  • Alumna Billie Jean King (att. '61-'64) won third consecutive Wimbledon championship to become the world’s top-ranked women’s amateur in tennis. In 1967 she had been the first woman player since 1939 to win the triple crown of singles, doubles and mixed doubles in the British and American championships. King went on to win the Wimbledon title 20 times and the U.S. crown 5 times. Her outspoken support for better treatment of women players was instrumental in increasing the popularity of women’s tennis.

Sept. 1968

  • First child care center in the California State College system opened on the Cal State LA campus.
  • Nation’s first Chicano Studies department established at Cal State LA.

Nov. 24, 1968

  • North Hall renamed King Hall in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Nov. 1969

  • John F. Kennedy Memorial Library completed with the addition of the North Wing and was dedicated in 1969.

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1970

  • Alumni Association donated the Alumni Carillon to campus.
  • Joseph Casanova, Jr., professor of chemistry, named 1969-70 Trustees Outstanding Professor.

Fall 1970

  • South Tower and South Hall were completed and opened.

1971

  • Gilbert Geis, professor of sociology, named 1970-71 CSC Trustees' Outstanding Professor.

1972

  • The California State College system became The California State University and Colleges (CSUC). California State College at Los Angeles receives University status and henceforth is known officially as California State University, Los Angeles or -- informally -- Cal State LA.

Oct. 2, 1972

  • The College Times changed its name to University Times, in accordance with the change in university status.

1973

  • The John A. Greenlee Fountain and Grove (later renamed Greenlee Plaza) was donated by the Alumni Association.
  • Author Joseph Wambaugh was presented with the University’s first Outstanding Alumnus award.

Feb. 10, 1973

  • The baseball field was officially renamed as Reeder Field in honor of baseball coach Jim Reeder who never had a losing season prior to his untimely death in January 1972.

1975

  • Business Forum, the CSUC’s only national quarterly business journal, established by the School of Business and Economics.

May 1975

  • Cal State LA’s University-Student Union opened.

July 1976

  • The CSUC Board of Trustees approved the renaming of South Tower to Simpson Tower, in memory of Floyd R. Simpson, first dean, School of Business and Economics.
  • South Hall renamed Salazar Hall in memory of slain Los Angeles Times journalist Ruben Salazar.

1977

  • Jane Sanford Lewis, home economics professor, named 1976-77 CSUC Trustees' Outstanding Professor.
  • Cal State LA announced it has dropped intercollegiate football (Dec. 6).

1978

  • Harold Goldwhite, professor of chemistry, named 1977-78 CSUC Trustees' Outstanding Professor.
  • Cal State LA track team won NCAA Championship, Division II.
  • Emeriti Association founded at Cal State LA (Feb. 9).

Sept. 12, 1979

  • James M. Rosser became the University’s sixth president. He was appointed May 15, 1979, began serving September 12, 1979, and was inaugurated May 20, 1980.

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1981

  • Lloyd N. Ferguson, professor of chemistry, named 1980-81 CSUC Trustees' Outstanding Professor.

Jan. 1981

  • Mascot changed from Diablo to Golden Eagle; team name changed accordingly.

1982

  • The CSUC system is officially renamed The California State University (CSU); each of the (then) nineteen CSU campuses now carries the title of "University."

1983

  • Robert D. Kully, professor of speech communication, was appointed by Gov. George Deukmejian as the first faculty member of the CSU Board of Trustees.

June 1984

  • Residential Life Complex Phase I, first on-campus housing, opened.

July 1984

  • Cal State LA was the site of XXIII (23rd) Olympiad judo events.
  • Olympic mural, "Olympic Fantasy," a mosaic tile work by muralist Guillermo "Bill" Granizo (installed on west side of P.E. building), unveiled.

Sept. 1984

  • Anna Bing Arnold Child Care Center new facility opened.

Oct. 1985

  • The L.A. County High School for the Arts opened on Cal State LA campus.

1986

  • Physical Sciences 453 was dedicated as the Lester Hirsch Exploratorium after Cal State LA physics professor Lester Hirsch retired.

June 1986

  • Cal State LA kicked off "Festival 40," commemorating the University’s 40th Anniversary.

1987

  • Hendrik Keyzer, professor of chemistry, named 1989-90 CSU Trustees' Outstanding Professor.

June 1987

  • Statue of Confucius, a gift of the Republic of China on Taiwan, dedicated.

Sept. 1987

  • Residential Life Complex Phase II opened.

Oct. 1, 1987

  • Earthquake damaged campus structures; one student fatality.

Nov. 1987

  • Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs affiliated with, and moved to, Cal State LA campus.

1988

  • Biological Sciences conference room renamed to commemorate earthquake victim, student Lupe Elias-Exposito.

1989

  • Dance Kaleidoscope, the annual dance festival, was reestablished at Cal State LA to become L.A.’s leading dance showcase.

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1990

  • Olga Termini, music professor, named 1989-90 CSU Trustees Outstanding Professor.

June 1990

  • Cal State LA’s Solar Eagle, the first solar-powered electric car designed and built by Engineering and Technology students, placed fourth in the nation and is first among California competitors in the transcontinental GM Sunrayce USA.
  • CSU/CSLA honorary doctorate awarded to alumnus Jaime Escalante '73, '77, '82 at 43rd Commencement.

1991

  • Phoebe Dea, professor of chemistry, named 1990-91 CSU Trustees' Outstanding Professor.

1992

  • Phoebe Dea, professor of chemistry, named California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

Mar. 1992

  • Salazar Hall reopened after seismic repair.
  • Rosemarie Marshall, professor of microbiology, named 1992-93 CSU Trustees' Outstanding Professor.

1993

  • CSU Chancellor and Trustees approved the development of Cal State LA’s Charter School of Education, creating the first such school of higher education in the nation.

June 1993

  • The Cal State LA Solar Eagle II placed third nationally in Sunrayce 93.

Sept. 1993

  • Dedication of newly designed Edward R. Roybal Institute for Applied Gerontology in Salazar Hall site. (The Roybal Institute was chartered in 1988.)
  • Dedication of the south wing of Cal State LA’s John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, which was named the John A. Palmer wing in honor of John Palmer, former vice president for Academic Affairs. Palmer also served as chair of the English Department and dean of the School of Letters and Sciences.

1994

  • Thomas Onak, chemistry professor, named 1993-94 CSU Trustees' Outstanding Professor.

Oct. 1994

  • Cal State LA’s Metrolink Station, first and only commuter rail station on a college campus, opened.

Nov. 1994

  • Official opening of Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex -- a 1,100-seat theater, fine arts gallery and Street of the Arts -- forming the new dynamic northern gateway to the campus.

Mar. 1995

  • Alumnus Samuel T. Durrance '72, '74, astrogeophysicist and two-time payload specialist on NASA spacecraft missions, participated in the longest space shuttle flight to date aboard Endeavour, carrying with him the Cal State LA President’s Medallion.

Apr. 1995

  • The second-floor open space of the University-Student Union (U-SU) was dedicated as the Lester Hirsch Program Area at a campuswide party celebrating the 80th birthday of retired Cal State LA physics professor and former U-SU board member, Lester Hirsch.

June 1995

  • CSU/CSLA honorary doctorate awarded to actor and alumnus Billy Barty (att. '49 & '75) and, posthumously, to CSU Trustee Claudia Hampton at Cal State LA’s 48th Commencement.

Fall 1995

  • Thomas Onak, chemistry professor, named California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
  • William A. Cohen, professor of marketing, named the University’s 1994-95 CSU Outstanding Professor.

Spring 1996

  • Cal State LA’s Mini Baja vehicle (car #6) finished first place overall and also captured first place in the endurance challenge at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International 1996 Mini Baja West competition.

July 1996

  • Alumnus George Cotliar '61 promoted to the position of senior vice president of the Los Angeles Times.
  • CSU Board of Trustees designated 1996 as the "Year of the Alumni" and selected Cal State LA alumnus Larry Adamson '74 as the first "Alumnus of the Year."

Sept. 1996

  • Chemistry professor Carlos G. Gutiérrez was among the first honorees named by President Clinton to receive the newly-established annual Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, at a White House ceremony.

May 1997

  • Chemistry professor Donald Paulson received the University’s President’s Distinguished Professor Award.

June 14, 1997

  • 50th graduating class.
  • CSU/CSLA honorary doctorates awarded to tennis great Billie Jean King (alumna) and pianist/vocalist Michael Feinstein.
  • Year-long celebration of 50th anniversary of the University’s founding begun.

June 28, 1997

  • Solar Eagle III took 1st place in the national Sunrayce 97 solar car competition.

Sept. 1997

  • Stanley M. Burstein, professor of history, was named President’s Distinguished Professor.

Jan. 3, 1998

  • Cal State LA head baseball coach John Herbold was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame during the ABCA’s national convention in San Diego, CA.

Apr. 1998

  • Philip C. Chinn, professor of education, was one of only ten individuals in the nation to be presented with the first Advocates for Justice Award by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s Committee on Multicultural Education.
  • Harold Goldwhite becomes the second faculty member from Cal State LA to serve as faculty trustee of the California State University, appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson.
  • Cal State LA’s Mini Baja vehicle (car #7) won first place overall at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International 1998 Mini Baja West competition.

May 1998

  • Cal State LA unveiled new Mattel Hot Wheels version of its national first-place solar car, Solar Eagle III, at its 50th anniversary celebration, "Festival 50."

June 13, 1998

  • The Honorable Edward R. Roybal, former Congressman of 25th district, who has made significant contributions to the University and the greater Los Angeles community, was presented a CSU/Cal State LA Honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Cal State LA’s 51st Commencement exercises.

Sept. 1998

  • Timothy Steele, professor of English, named President’sDistinguished Professor.
  • Time capsule was buried officially ending the University’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Oct. 1998

  • The Center for Environmental Analysis (CEA-CREST), first of its kind funded by the National Science Foundation on the West Coast, opened on campus.
  • Alumna Billie Jean King, 20-time Wimbledon champion and Cal State LA’s honorary doctorate recipient, hosted the inaugural tennis fundraiser for the University’s Division of intercollegiate Athletics.

April 17, 1999

  • Cal State LA’s Mini Baja vehicle (car #38) finished first place overall at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International 1999 Mini Baja West competition, winning first place awards in the endurance and acceleration challenges as well.

May 1999

  • Raymond B. Landis, dean of the School of the Engineering andTechnology, was the first California State University administrator to receive the $20,000 systemwide CSU Wang FamilyExcellence Award for administrative leadership.

Sept. 1999

  • Cal State LA inaugurated its President’s Scholars program. Eight exceptional students from southern California high schools are the first beneficiaries of the University’s most prestigious scholarship.
  • Ann Garry, professor of philosophy, named President’s Distinguished Professor.

Dec. 1999

  • Raymond Landis, Dean of Engineering and Technology, was honored by the White House for Outstanding Student Mentoring. The recognition earned the University its second Presidential Award.

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Jan. 2000

  • The Luckman Gallery at Cal State LA’s Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex was named as one of 29 arts institutions in the United States and abroad to receive gifts of contemporary artwork from the well-known collection of Peter and Eileen Norton.

Mar. 2000

  • Chemistry Professor Harold Goldwhite was reappointed to the Board of Trustees of the California State University (CSU) by Governor Gray Davis. Goldwhite is the second Cal State LA faculty member from Cal State LA to be appointed as CSU Trustee. (See 1983, Robert D. Kully)
  • A mural-scale painting by renowned Mexican artist Reyna Castano, titled Por Un Lenguaje Universal, was unveiled and installed in the Luckman Theatre.

May 2000

  • The Division of Continuing Education opened the Pasadena Training Center as home to the Center on Child Welfare--established in 1999 by the University’s School of Health and Human Services.
  • Carlos Gutiérrez, professor of chemistry, was one of four CSU faculty selected for the $20,000 systemwide CSU Wang Family Excellence Award, under the category of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering. This is the second year of the Wang award, and the second time a member of the Cal State LA community has received the award.
  • Cal State LA head coach Dave Yanai, one of the premier educators in Division II collegiate basketball, received outstanding coach recognition as the John R. Wooden Award recipient.

June 2000

  • BalletFest 2000, Southern California’s first summer ballet festival, is inaugurated on the Cal State LA campus.
  • A $31 million renovation of the Engineering and Technology Building creates a state-of-the-art learning facility with sophisticated labs and computer-linked classrooms.

July 2000

  • The University’s Model United Nations chapter places in the top 30, out of 190 teams in the New York City competition, brought home its first national conference win since the chapter’s inception more than 30 years previous.

Sept. 2000

  • Cal State LA’s six Schools officially renamed as Colleges. Continuing Education changes name to Division of Extended Education.
  • California Governor Gray Davis chose the Cal State LA campus to hold a press conference at which he signs the historic bills expanding the Cal Grant program.

Oct. 2000

  • Demetrius Margaziotis, professor of physics, named President’s Distinguished Professor.

Dec. 4, 2000

  • Alumnus Steve Cooley '70 elected to have his oath of office ceremony as Los Angeles County District Attorney in the Luckman Theatre on the campus of his alma mater.

June 2001

  • The College of Engineering and Technology added the Department of Computer Science and officially became the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology.

July 2001

  • Jeanette C. Takamura, the immediate past U.S. Assistant Secretary of Aging, was appointed Edward R. Roybal Endowed Chair in Gerontology and Aging.

July 23, 2001

  • Groundbreaking for the new University Auxiliary Services building, a "one-stop shop" for the campus community. (This new UAS building replaced the former Eagles’ Landing cafeteria).

Aug. 2001

  • Cal State LA alumna Rosario Marin ’83 confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 3, 2001, and sworn in as the 41st Treasurer of the United States on August 16, 2001.

Sept. 2001

  • Carlos Gutiérrez, professor of chemistry, named President’s Distinguished Professor.

Winter 2002

  • Cal State LA departments of Social Work and Nursing, located within the University’s College of Health and Human Services, were granted the status of School.

Feb. 2002

  • Coach John Herbold was honored by Cal State LA Intercollegiate Athletics for becoming baseball coach with the most wins in University history. Cal State LA has won 398 baseball games since he became head coach in 1984. The previous record of 397 wins was held by Jim Reeder, for whom the baseball field is named.

June 2002

  • 41st U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin ’83 was awarded a CSU/Cal State LA Honorary Doctor of Laws at Cal State LA’s 55th Commencement exercises.

Sept. 2002

  • Martin Roden, professor of electrical engineering, presented the President’s Distinguished Professor Award.

Fall 2002

  • The Department of Music introduced a Master of Music degree option in Afro-Latin Music.
  • The University’s first Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese was approved and implemented by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.
  • NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) awarded Cal State LA’s College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology a $6 million, five-year grant to establish a major center for the study of aerospace technology and space science enterprises. This NASA University Research Center is the first and only one of its kind established on a CSU campus.

Jan. 2003

  • California State University, Los Angeles was one of 19 CSU campuses listed on The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education’s seventh annual Publisher’s Picks, a national list of colleges and universities that the publication regards as offering strong educational opportunities for Hispanic students.

Mar. 2003

  • Groundbreaking of Intimate Theatre at the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex.

June 3, 2003

  • Golden Eagle--a building located at the very heart of campus, housing the campus’ new international food court, University Club restaurant, meeting, banquet and event spaces, a showcase bookstore unique to the community, and various University offices--celebrated its grand opening.

July 2003

  • A leader in educating teachers, Cal State LA is ranked as California’s top public university in the number of students awarded a teacher credential, according to a California Commission on Teacher Credentialing report.

Fall 2003

  • Yehudi Webster, associate professor of sociology, was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture at Lodz University, Poland, during the 2003-2004 academic year.

Sept. 2003

  • Judith Hamera, professor of communication studies/theatre arts and dance, named President’s Distinguished Professor.

Oct. 30, 2003

  • The College of Arts and Letters and the College of Natural and Social Sciences inaugurated the University’s new Integrated Humanities Center. A prestigious $325,000 Rockefeller Humanities grant supports two visiting and two Cal State LA humanities scholars at the Center.
  • Visiting distinguished professor Victor Valle inaugurated the Joseph A. Bailey II, M.D. Endowed Chair for the University’s new American Communities Program. Major funding for the American Communities program resulted from a National Endowment for the Humanities challenge grant that raised nearly $1 million to build the College of Arts and Letters’ first major endowment.

Spring 2004

  • Cal State LA’s technology student team garnered first place in the University Category at the highly regarded WESTEC 2004 Manufacturing Challenge, a creative annual manufacturing competition where college students engineer and manufacture products for judging by manufacturing professionals.

Apr. 17-18, 2004

  • The first-ever Luckman U.S. Latino Film/Video Festival: Reel Rasquache showcased over 20 recent independent U.S. Latino-produced films and videos at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex.

Apr. 22-24, 2004

  • Placing seventh overall, Cal State LA’s Mini Baja vehicle (car #23) was California’s first-place winner at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International 2004 Mini Baja West competition.

May 18, 2004

  • Cal State LA’s education professor Martin G. Brodwin and history professor Stanley M. Burstein were selected as two of only four CSU faculty members honored with the $20,000 systemwide CSU Wang Family Excellence Award. Brodwin’s award is in the category of Education and Professional and Applied Sciences, whereas Burstein’s award is in the category of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Service.

June 2004

  • Carrying on the Cal State LA tradition of national #1 award-winning student-built environmentally-responsible vehicles, the Super Eagle--Cal State LA’s newest competitive supermileage car--beat 39 entries from the U.S. and Canada in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) international Supermileage® competition in Michigan.
  • Harry P. Pachon, one of the country’s top Hispanic political thought leaders, was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters at Cal State LA’s 57th Commencement exercises.

Fall 2004

  • The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute was established through a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation in collaboration with the Edward R. Roybal Institute of Applied Gerontology at Cal State LA.

Sept. 2004

  • J. Theodore Anagnoson, professor of political science, named President’s Distinguished Professor.

Oct. 2004

  • For the first time, Cal State LA was the academic host for the Annual HENAAC (Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Corporation) Conference.

Nov. 2004

  • The Intimate Theatre, the final component of the Luckman Fine Arts Complex, opened its first season with Culture Clash in AmeriCCA.
  • The critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra was established as an official unit of the University.

Winter 2005

  • Jewish Studies Program (JSP) inaugurated. A component program of the National Endowment for the Humanities-sponsored American Communities Program at Cal State LA, the JSP promotes an understanding of the nature and continuing evolution of American Identity.

Jan. 14, 2005

  • Groundbreaking for the future Los Angeles Regional Crime Laboratory (formally named as the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center in 2006) serving the entire Los Angeles community. The new Crime Lab will jointly house LAPD’s Scientific Investigation Division, the Sheriff’s Department Scientific Services Bureau, Cal State LA’s School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics, and the California Forensic Science Institute at Cal State LA.

April 2005

  • Newly-designed Transit Center, at the south end of campus on Circle Drive, reopened with a celebration.
  • British Afro-Caribbean poet and novelist Anthony Joseph was the first British Council-USA writer-in-residence at Cal State LA.

Summer 2005

  • Parking Structure 3 was completed with a pedestrian bridge from the top level to Greenlee Plaza.
  • The Confucius Statue moved to a new campus location. Its home is now on the grassy area, south of the State Playhouse.

July 25, 2005

  • Construction work begun on Wing A of the Integrated Sciences Complex.

Fall 2005

  • Timothy C. Lim, associate professor of political science, was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholar grant to teach at Korea University in Seoul, Korea, during the 2005-2006 academic year.

Sept. 2005

  • Martin Brodwin, professor of education, in the Division of Special Education and Counseling, named President’s Distinguished Professor.

Nov. 17, 2005

  • The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education have named Carlos Gutiérrez as the 2005 U.S. Professor of the Year in the Master’s University and College category. Gutiérrez, one of only four in the nation honored, was selected from nominations of more than 300 top U.S. professors.
  • Cal State LA's 30th anniversary celebration of its Japanese Studies Center.

Winter 2006

  • Cal State LA received a new 600-megahertz NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectrometer, funded jointly by the University, W.M. Keck Foundation and National Institutes of Health. It is the most powerful machine of its kind within the CSU, enabling researchers to analyze the three-dimensional structure of molecules and image small animals in vivo.

Feb. 2006

  • Groundbreaking for new $30 million University-Student Union.
  • Unveiling of the sculpture of Cal State LA’s Golden Eagle mascot as part of the University’s Homecoming Week festivities.

Spring 2006

  • Ann Garry, professor and chair of Cal State LA’s Department of Philosophy, was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture at Tokyo University, Japan, during the 2006-2007 academic year.
  • Antony John Kunnan, education professor and chair of Cal State LA’s Division of Applied and Advanced Studies in Education, was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture at Tunghai University, Taiwan, during the 2006-2007 academic year.

June 2006

  • CSU/Cal State LA honorary doctorate awarded to David C. Lizarraga, chairman and chief executive officer of The East Los Angeles Community Union (TELACU), at 59th Commencement.
  • The University Welcome Center, a focal point for the entrance of campus, opened for service.

July 2006

  • Cal State LA’s 600-megahertz high-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) laboratory, located at Physical Sciences 32, was named for Anthony Fratiello, an emeritus professor of chemistry at Cal State LA.
  • Dance faculty Ardie Bryant was designated a "Cultural Treasure" by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Aug. 2006

  • Cal State LA was the first university west of the Mississippi and second overall to achieve successful flight powered by fuel cells. The unmanned aerial vehicle was developed by a team of mechanical engineering students working in Cal State LA’s Multidisciplinary Flight Dynamics and Control Laboratory.

Fall 2006

  • The Division of Information Technology Service, in collaboration with Associated Students, Inc., implemented a campuswide wireless program.

Sept. 2006

  • Marguerite Ann Snow, professor of education in the Division of Applied and Advanced Studies, named President’s Distinguished Professor.

Oct. 12, 2006

  • Salazar Hall rededicated with the unveiling of a portrait of Rubén Salazar by John Martin.

Nov. 2006

  • Center for Contemporary Poetry and Poetics opened with support by a bequest from Virginia E. Smith.

May 11, 2007

  • The Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center--a five-story $102 million facility--was dedicated in a formal ceremony, joined by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

June 2007

  • CSU honorary doctorate awarded to former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher at Cal State LA’s 60th Commencement.
  • EPIC (Educational Participation in Communities) celebrated 40 years of service to the community, boasting approximately 80,000 student-volunteers since its inception.

July 2007

  • Parking designations have been changed in coordination with new vehicular signage. Parking lots are now identified by numbers and parking structures are identified by letters.

Sept. 10, 2007

  • Groundbreaking for the Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science School (Stern MASS), a charter high school that will be housed on the Cal State LA campus.

Fall 2007

  • Domnita Dumitrescu, professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, named President’s Distinguished Professor.

Nov. 2007

  • ABET, Inc., the national accreditation organization for engineering education, bestowed upon Cal State LA its President’s Award for Diversity, citing the University’s decades of success in increasing diversity among engineering students and in the ranks of technology professionals.

June 6, 2008

  • Dionicio Morales, founder of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF), was conferred an honorary doctorate by the California State University Board of Trustees at Cal State LA’s 61st Commencement.

Fall 2008

  • Gerald Beer, professor of mathematics, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.
  • Cal State LA Professors Mohammad Auwal, Susan Mason, Elliot L. Oring, Hassan M. Rezaie Boroon and Marguerite Ann Snow were selected to conduct research and teach through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in such countries as Togo, Qatar, Japan, Iceland and Cyprus. Cal State LA’s five-scholar Fulbright contingent is one of the largest in the country.
  • The Department of Chicano Studies celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Jan. 9, 2009

  • The University-Student Union (U-SU) celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, guided tours, free food and giveaways, and entertainment.

Mar. 26, 2009

  • Alliance College-Ready Public Schools held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science School (Stern MASS). Stern MASS is the first charter high school on a CSU campus in Southern California.

Apr. 5-9, 2009

  • Cal State LA’s Model United Nations (MUN) received national distinction, garnering top awards in all three categories at the annual National MUN conference in New York.

Apr. 7, 2009

  • La Kretz Hall, the first wing of the Wallis Annenberg Integrated Sciences Complex, celebrated its grand opening with a formal dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The three-story, 65,000-square-foot facility accommodates instruction and research activities in fields ranging from biochemistry to zoology.

Apr. 15, 2009

  • With its “choccoli” creation, Cal State LA’s nutritional science team received first place at the 2009 SCIFTS (Southern California Institute of Food Technologists Section) Student Product Development Competition.

June 4-5, 2009

  • Achieving 1,092 miles per gallon, Cal State LA’s student-built supermileage vehicle, Super Eagle, placed third at the 2009 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Supermileage® competition in Marshall, Michigan.

Summer 2009

  • A bronze plaque, honoring the University’s fifth president, John A. Greenlee, was installed on the Greenlee Plaza.

Fall 2009

  • Roberto Cantu, professor of Chicano Studies and English, named President’s Distinguished Professor.
  • Cal State LA Professors Mohammad Auwal and Wai Kit Choi selected to conduct research and teach through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in such countries as Qatar and Hong Kong. Terry Allison, dean of Cal State LA’s College of Arts and Letters, was in South Korea during the summer as a Fulbright scholar with the U.S.-Korea International Education Administrators Program.

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March 2010

  • Cal State LA students received the grand prize for its grandfather clock, made of brass, aluminum and steel, at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) WESTEC Manufacturing Challenge in Los Angeles.

April 2010

  • Representing the Republic of Turkey, Cal State LA’s student delegation brought home two major awards from this year’s National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York: the “Outstanding Position Papers” and “Distinguished Delegation” awards.
  • Cal State LA celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

June 12, 2010

  • Bishop Charles E. Blake, pastor of the West Angeles Church, was conferred an honorary doctorate by the California State University Board of Trustees at Cal State LA’s 63rd Commencement.

Fall 2010

  • Robert Desharnais, professor of biology, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.
  • Cal State LA was awarded a three-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create a core facility to boost research activities for the University’s Center for Energy and Sustainability (CEaS).

Sept. 21, 2010

  • Cal State LA’s 11+ acres of athletic facilities were named the Billie Jean King Sports Complex in acknowledgement of King’s legacy as an alumna and University ambassador, and as a champion both in tennis and for student athletes.

Jan. 8, 2011

  • Howard Xu, professor of microbiology, received the CSU Anthony Andreoli Faculty Service Award during the California State University’s 23rd Annual Biotechnology Symposium in Anaheim.

Feb. 18, 2011

  • Ferguson Courtyard--the quad located in between La Kretz Hall and Wing B of the Wallis Annenberg Integrated Sciences Complex--was officially dedicated in honor of Cal State LA’s emeritus professor of chemistry, Lloyd N. Ferguson.

Feb. 23, 2011

  • The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts broke ground on its new $25 million facility, to be constructed on the southern end of Lot 5.

March 25, 2011

  • The Public Safety building--located at the northern end of Lot 1 and adjacent to the Welcome Center on Paseo Rancho Castillo--celebrated its grand opening with a formal ceremony and open house.

Spring 2011

  • Wing B of the Wallis Annenberg Integrated Sciences Complex opened for classes, while the construction of the labs were completed by Jan. 2012.

April 2011

  • Cal State LA’s Golden Eagle Pinball Machine won first place in the university division at the 2011 AeroDef Manufacturing Exhibition and Conference Manufacturing Challenge, an exciting hands-on competition to engage future generations in technology and manufacturing.
  • Representing the Kingdom of Spain, Cal State LA’s student delegation once again won two top awards at the annual National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York. This year, the Cal State LA student garnered the “Outstanding Position Papers” and “Distinguished Delegation” awards.

June 11, 2011

  • L.A. Police Commission President John W. Mack, who served as president of the Los Angeles Urban League from August of 1969 until his retirement in 2005, was conferred an honorary doctorate by the California State University Board of Trustees at Cal State LA’s 64th Commencement.

Fall 2011

  • Kylie Hsu, professor of Chinese in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.
  • With a total of 89 students, including the first cohort of 39 freshmen, the newly-established Honors College is an academically enriched and socially supportive community for high-achieving scholars.

Nov. 17, 2011

  • For the collaborative San Nicolas Island Archaeological Field School Program, Cal State LA and the U.S. Navy were honored with the 2011 Governor’s Historic Preservation Award by the California State Parks and the State Office of Historic Preservation.

January 2012

  • Cal State LA was among the top 50 baccalaureate institutions in the nation producing Hispanic doctorates in the fields of science and engineering, according to compilations in the National Science Foundation on Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering.
  • David Blekhman, associate professor of technology at Cal State LA, was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach and conduct research in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Feb. 1, 2012

  • The American Society of Engineering Education Corporate Member Council (CMC) presented Cal State LA’s Professional Practice Program (also known as the Senior Design Program) with the 2012 CMC Excellence in Engineering Education Collaboration Award.

March 2012

  • Ping Yao, professor of history and director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Program at Cal State LA, was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to travel to China.
  • The Corporation Yard, which replaces the bungalows constructed 50 years ago, opened for occupancy on March 1, 2012.

April 2012

  • Representing the Kingdom of Belgium, Cal State LA’s student delegation received Honorable Mention and five “Outstanding Position Papers” awards at the annual National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York.

June 2012

  • The School of Nursing at Cal State LA celebrated its 60th anniversary, and the 20th anniversary of the NU MU Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, with a gala luncheon at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City.
  • The first graduates of Cal State LA’s new Ed.D. program in educational leadership, the first-ever independent doctoral-level program offered at the University, were conferred during the 65th Commencement.
  • Taylor Dark, a professor of political science at Cal State LA, was awarded a 2012-13 Fulbright Scholar grant to travel to Germany.

July 2012

  • William L. Belan, an emeritus professor of music at Cal State LA, was awarded a 2012-13 Fulbright Scholar grant to travel to Costa Rica.
  • Theater Insomnia--a new professional theatre company created as part of the Cal State LA's Master of Fine Arts program in Television, Film, and Theatre--presented its first repertory performance.

Fall 2012

  • Carlos Robles, professor of biological sciences in the College of Natural and Social Sciences, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.
  • The School of Nursing launched its independent Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) pilot program, which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
  • New 26-unit Golden Eagle Apartments opened for upper-division students.

Spring 2013

  • Serving as ambassadors for the Republic of El Salvador, a team of Cal State LA political science students was awarded Outstanding Delegation at the National Model United Nations conference. Additionally, four of the 11 Cal State LA committees were each awarded Outstanding Position Paper, and two students were presented Outstanding Delegate in Committee.

May 2013

  • Cal State LA's EcoCAR 2 team came home 2nd place overall in Year Two of the EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future collegiate engineering competition.

May 18, 2013

  • The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts celebrated the grand opening of its new building with a festival of the arts.

June 2013

  • The first Lipton/Modarres Fellowship was awarded to Professor Martin Adamian of Political Science. The fellowship was established by two Cal State LA alumni who were inspired by the teaching and mentoring of CSULA Professors Ethan Lipton and Ali Modarres.

June 14-15, 2013

  • Cal State LA conferred baccalaureate degrees upon its first class of Honors College graduates during the University’s 66th Commencement exercise.

Aug. 2013

  • Msia Clark, a professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA, was awarded a 2013-14 Fulbright Scholar grant to travel to Tanzania.

Fall 2013

  • Enrique Ochoa, professor of Latin American studies and history, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.

Sept. 1, 2013

  • William A. Covino became the University’s seventh president. He was appointed May 22, 2013, and began serving September 1, 2013.

Sept. 2013

  • Anny Garry, a professor of philosophy at Cal State LA, was awarded a 2013-14 Fulbright Scholar grant to travel to Hungary.

May 5, 2014

  • Official opening of the Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good.

May 7, 2014

  • Grand opening of new Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility. The facility is the largest university-operated hydrogen plant of its kind in the U.S.

  • Student Affairs building officially named the Charon D’Aiello Sandoval and David Sandoval Student Services Center.

June 2014

  • María Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees at Cal State LA’s Commencement ceremony.

Fall 2014

  • James Brady, professor of anthropology in the College of Natural and Social Sciences, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.

Sept. 2014

  • David Pitt, a professor of philosophy at Cal State LA, awarded a 2014-15 Fulbright Scholar grant to travel to Hungary.

Nov. 18, 2014

  • The Nongshim Innovation Lab officially opened. The lab, which is located in Simpson Tower, is underwritten by a $300,000 gift from Nongshim USA, the global noodle giant that started in Korea.

Fall 2015

  • Andrea Zetlin, professor of special education and counseling in the Charter College of Education, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.

June 2015

  • The CSU Board of Trustees presented an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters posthumously to Natividad “Nati” Cano, a pioneer of mariachi music in the United States, during Cal State LA’s Commencement ceremony.

Nov. 9, 2015

  • Japanese Studies Center celebrated its 40th anniversary.

Nov. 18, 2015

  • The CSU Board of Trustees approves the naming of the Rosie Casals and Pancho Gonzalez Tennis Center at the Billie Jean King Sports Complex.

2016

  • Cal State LA’s Prison B.A. Graduation Initiative is the first in-person bachelor’s degree completion program to be offered to incarcerated students in California.

Jan. 2016

  • First set of classes offered in the 21,000-square-feet, state-of-the-art Cal State LA Downtown facility, located at West 8th Street and South Grand Ave.

May 4, 2016

  • Criminalistics Graduate Program celebrated its 50th anniversary.

June 2016

  • Renowned artists and Cal State LA alumni Ofelia Esparza and Kent Twitchell received honorary doctorates during the Cal State LA Commencement. George H. Takei, the highly accomplished actor and tireless champion for the arts and social justice, and Maria Contreras-Sweet, a Cal State LA alumna who serves in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet as the administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, also received an honorary doctorate.

June 11, 2016

  • Naming of the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services during the University's 69th Commencement. The naming recognized the largest gift in the University's history and named in honor of the late Dr. Rongxiang Xu, who was a surgeon and expert in regenerative medicine.

Fall 2016

  • José Cruz González, professor of theatre arts in the College of Arts and Letters, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.

Sept. 19, 2016

  • Cal State LA Downtown grand opening was celebrated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Nov. 18, 2016

  • Groundbreaking of the Rongxiang Xu Bioscience Innovation Center, which will house the LA BioSpace incubator and serve as a hub for entrepreneurship and job creation on Los Angeles’ Eastside.

Dec. 2016

  • Cal State LA received a $7 million gift that will name the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing and establish the Chin Family Institute for Nursing.

Feb. 2017

  • John M. Kennedy, a professor of music at Cal State LA, was awarded a 2016-17 Fulbright Scholar grant to travel to Malta.

April 3, 2017

  • Dedication of the Erika J. Glazer Family Dreamers Resource Center. The facility is the only endowed Dreamers Center in the CSU, the nation’s largest public university system.

April 10, 2017

  • Dedication of the James M. Rosser Hall, formerly Wing B of the Wallis Annenberg Integrated Sciences Complex, at a moving ceremony where hundreds of people paid tribute to the University's legendary former president.

April 14, 2017

  • Dedication of the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services at a ceremony attended by students, faculty, staff, elected officials and community leaders.

May 2017

  • Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel for (MALDEF) Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, received an honorary doctorate during the 2017 Cal State LA Commencement.
  • The Los Angeles Football Club selected Cal State LA as the home of its new training facility, soccer operations headquarters, and youth academy.

May 12, 2017

  • The Educational Participation in Communities Program celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Fall 2017

  • Sharon H. Olanoff, professor of education in the Division of Curriculum and Instruction, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.

Sept. 9, 2017

  • Cal State LA celebrated its seventy years of distinction with the "Legacies" exhibition curated by renowned artist and Cal State LA alumnus Mark Steven Greenfield.

May 2018

  • Social justice champion Stewart Kwoh received an honorary doctorate during the 2018 Cal State LA Commencement. Kwoh helped found Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles, the nation’s largest Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander legal and civil rights organization.

Fall 2018

  • Daphne Liu, professor of mathematics in the College of Natural and Social Sciences, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.

Sept. 6, 2018

  • Cal State LA commemorated 50 years of Chicano studies with a tribute to civil rights pioneer Dolores Huerta.

Oct. 29, 2018

  • Pan-African Studies commemorated 50 years at Cal State LA with a ceremony honoring Black leaders and community members.

Spring 2019

  • The Department of Communication Disorders launched a Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program.

May 8, 2019

  • Cal State LA celebrated the naming of the Ronald H. Silverman Fine Arts Gallery, honoring the legacy of a distinguished alumnus and professor.

May 20, 2019

  • Antonia Hernández, a social justice champion, civil rights attorney and philanthropist, received an honorary doctorate during the 2019 Commencement at Cal State LA.

Fall 2019

  • Sachiko Matsunaga, professor of Japanese in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.
  • Cal State LA Professor David Blekhman was selected as a Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Alternative Energy Technology. He taught specialized courses in alternative energy technology at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, starting in the fall of 2019 and continuing into spring of 2020.

Oct. 24, 2019

  • The Sikand Center for Sustainable and Intelligent Infrastructure (Sikand SITI Center) was established through a five-year, $1.25 million gift from The Sikand Foundation to the university’s College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology.

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Fall 2020

  • The College of Ethnic Studies is the first such college to be established at a university in the U.S. in 50 years.
July 2021
  • Christine Devine, the award-winning evening news anchor at KTTV FOX 11 in Los Angeles and nationally recognized advocate for children, and José Quetzal Flores, musical artist, activist and founder of the Grammy-winning Los Angeles band Quetzal, both received honorary doctorates during Commencement at Cal State LA.
Aug. 2021
  • Cal State LA’s new residence hall on the north side of campus officially opened for freshmen and sophomores. The South Village residence hall features a learning center and a wellness center.
  • Cal State LA Music Professor James Ford III was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach and share his expertise at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, South Africa, from August 2021 to January 2022.

Fall 2021

  • Choi Chatterjee, professor of history in the College of Natural and Social Sciences, and John M. Kennedy, professor of music in the College of Arts and Letters, were both named Cal State LA President's Distinguished Professors.
  • A new state-of-the-art Student Services Building, formerly the Physical Sciences Building, officially opened for student support services and other administrative offices.

Spring 2022

  • Construction of two new recreational fields, located in front of the South Village residence hall, was completed. 
  • A statue of Cal State LA alumna and world champion tennis legend Billie Jean King was installed on the grassy area in front of the Physical Education building.
  • A transformative gift from Cal State LA alumna Mary Levin Cutler established the Mary Levin School of the Arts, the first named school in the University’s College of Arts and Letters. The school will house the departments of Art; Music; Television, Film, and Media Studies; and Theatre and Dance, as well as the Ronald H. Silverman Fine Arts Gallery.

April 21, 2022

  • Dedication of the Janice Cordova Garden of Well-Being, which honors the memory of Janice Cordova, the late wife of Cal State LA alumnus Richard Cordova, '72 . 

May 2022

  • Preeminent Asian American playwright David Henry Hwang and Los Angeles Dodgers Spanish-language announcer Jaime Jarrín received honorary doctorates during Commencement 2022 at Cal State LA. The late Sal Castro, a renowned teacher, education reformer and social justice activist, was awarded a posthumous honorary doctorate.

July 2022

  • Louis Esparza, a professor of sociology at Cal State LA, was awarded a 2022-23 Fulbright Scholar grant to travel to Brazil.

Fall 2022

  • Cal State LA kicked off the university's 75th anniversary celebration with the University Convocation.
  • Stephen McGuirre, professor of management in the College of Business and Economics, named Cal State LA President’s Distinguished Professor.

 

 

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