California State University Academic Program Improvement Office

History

The California State University System, formally established in 1960 by the Donahoe Higher Education Act. It is the nation’s largest university system, with 23 campuses and seven off-campus centers, more than 400,000 students and 42,000 faculty and staff. The CSU is one of three public higher education systems in the state of California (the others are the University of California and the California Community College System). Since 1961 more than 2 million alumni have received a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral (Ph.D. and Ed.D) degrees from the university system. It offers more than 1,800 degree programs in some 240-subject areas.

Today's California State University system is the direct descendant of the California State Normal School (now, San Jose State University) established by the California Legislature on May 2, 1862. By 1895 there were four State Normal schools. In 1921, the schools were re-named the State Teacher’s Schools. In 1935 the colleges were re-named the California State Colleges and were run by the State Department of Education. With the master plan created along with the Donohue Act, the California State Colleges were placed under control of the CSC Board of Trustees. In 1972 the system was renamed the California State Colleges and Universities. The term "Colleges" was dropped in 1982.

Responsibility for the California State University is vested in the Board of Trustees, whose members are appointed by the Governor of the State of California. The Trustees appoint the Chancellor, who is the chief executive officer of the system, and the Presidents, who are the chief executive officers of their respective campuses. The Academic Senate of the California State University, made up of elected representatives of the faculty from each campus, recommends academic policy to the Board of Trustees through the Chancellor. Chancellors of the system include Buell Gallagher (1961-1962); Glenn S. Dumke (1962-1982); W. Ann Reynolds (1982-1990); Ellis E. McCune [Acting] (1990-1991); Barry Munitz (1991-1998); Charles B. Reed (1998- ).