Sonoma State University is a public, coeducational
business and
liberal arts college
affiliated with the
California State University
system.
The main campus is located in Rohnert Park,
California
, United
States
and lies approximately south of Santa
Rosa
and forty five minutes north of San Francisco
. Commonly referred to as
SSU,
Sonoma State, and
Sonoma, the university is one of the smallest of
the 23 state university campuses in California. The university
offers over 65 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and
boasts of being the most requested campus of the CSU system.
History
Founding
Sonoma State College was established by the state legislature in
1960 to be part of the California State College system, later to
become the
California State
University system. Classes offered by the university first
opened to 250 students in June 1961 in leased buildings in Rohnert
Park where the college offered its first four year
Bachelor of Arts degree in
Elementary Education. With the completion
of its two main classroom halls, Stevenson Hall, named for
politician
Adlai E.
Stevenson, and
Darwin Hall, named for
Charles
Darwin, developer of the theory of
Natural Selection, the college moved to
its permanent campus of in 1966 where the first graduating class
received their degrees.
Early development
Sign at the main entrance to the
Sonoma State University Campus.
As enrollment increased, the school built more on campus facilities
including Ives Hall for performing arts, The University Commons for
dining, a small library, and a gymnasium. These buildings followed
the physical master plan of the school which stated that the
facilities would be urban in character, defining the use of smooth
concrete building
façades with
landscaped courtyards. Among the landscaping features added with
these facilities were the “Campus Lakes”, two small
reservoirs located behind the Commons next to
Commencement lawn, the site of the university’s annual commencement
ceremonies, and one lake near the housing facility, Beaujolais
Village. The lakes are home to local
waterfowl and have since become an important
aesthetic feature of the campus.
In 1969, the academic master plan underwent a major revision as the
first
master’s degrees in
biology and psychology were offered. The new cluster school
concept, coupled with an even more heightened appreciation of the
rural environment, influenced the new physical master plan. First
to exemplify this new plan was the residence facility of 1972 named
Zinfandel, a “village” of inviting
stucco and
redwood structures. The new Student Health Center used a primarily
redwood façade with a landscaped ground cover of wild roses and
poppies. In 1975 Nichols Hall, was built as the newest classroom
hall and named in honor of Sonoma's founding president Ambrose R.
Nichols.
Early development of the modern campus came to a close in 1976 when
the Student Union was constructed between the main quad and the
lakes. This building continued the use of the physical master plan,
using primarily redwood and preceding the similarly built Carson
Hall, Art building, a childcare center, additional parking, and a
computer center which was added on to the library.
The modern university
In 1978 Sonoma State College became Sonoma State University when
the school officially gained
university
status. In response to this achievement, the surrounding community
provided funds for the new university to build a large swimming
pool which was completed in 1982 and the 500-seat Evert Person
Theatre which was completed in 1989 and dominates the view when
entering campus through the main drive. Further enrollment
increases and a new goal of movement toward a residential campus as
opposed to a commuter campus facilitated the building of Verdot
Village in 1995.
Recent and future expansion
The front of Darwin Hall after its
2005 renovation.
In May 2000, the Board of Trustees approved a new master plan,
which added to the campus. Rapidly accelerated growth of the
residential student body was alleviated by the construction of the
third phase of on-campus housing named Sauvignon Village, offering
housing to non-freshmen students. In the same year, the Jean and
Charles Schulz Information center was completed to accommodate the
expanded needs of the library and computing services. The
state-of-the-art, high technology facility was built as a prototype
library and information complex for the 21st century, housing more
than 400,000 volumes in its stacks. The center also houses an
advanced
Automated Retrieval
System (ARS) which houses an additional 750,000 volumes in a
computer managed shelving system in the library wing. A large
portion of the funding to build the information center was donated
by
Charles Schulz, cartoonist and
author of the popular
Peanuts comic series,
and his wife Jean.
In October 2003, Beaujolais, the youngest of the residential
villages was completed, offering another 655 beds to the rapidly
expanding student body. The addition of this new village had made
Sonoma State the most residential campus in the CSU system housing
more students then any of its affiliates. It is anticipated that a
new phase of student housing, Tuscany Village, expected sometime
before 2010, will bring nearly 700 more beds to the campus This
project was approved at the May 2007 meeting of the board of
trustees and will bring Sonoma’s number of residential students to
3,100.
To support the current residential population of the campus, a
student-financed Recreation Center was completed in fall 2004 and
now acts as a social center and meeting place for a large portion
of the Student body. Because of the new and innovative recreation
center, the university was awarded an Outstanding Sports Facilities
Award by the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association in
2005.
In January 2005, the university began the renovation of Darwin
Hall, the now 40-year-old science building. The new 21st century
building was designed to provide efficient academic classrooms and
study areas for faculty and their students. The renovated building
was completed and re-opened in fall 2006 and provides new
laboratories and classrooms to support the needs of modern science
curriculum. Like all new and renovated buildings at Sonoma State,
Darwin Hall is a model of energy efficiency.
The Green Music Center under
construction in 2008.
The new property approved by the board of trustees in 2000 is the
site of the Donald and Maureen Green Music Center, funded by
private donors currently under construction to be completed in 2010
based on fundraising. A component of the Green Music Center, Music
Education Hall, was state-funded. Students began taking classes and
occupying the building in Fall 2008. The Center has been planned as
an architectural ensemble of the finest acoustical quality designed
to enhance and emulate the groves, vineyards, and rolling foothills
of Sonoma County. It's the new home of the Santa Rosa Symphony
Orchestra.
A new social center for the university has been approved with
construction to begin in the near future adjacent to the Recreation
Center. The University Center will be a new home for the campus
bookstore, dining hall, administrative space, a conference center,
and a movie cinema.
Presidents
The office of the president began with the university’s founding in
1960 when Ambrose R. Nichols, Jr. acted as the founding president
of the university. There have been a total of six presidents of
Sonoma State University:
Campus
Sonoma State occupies approximately on the east side of the main
suburban area of Rohnert Park. Directly adjacent to the main campus
is the popular, Wolf’s Den plaza, a popular hang out and eating
area of SSU students. One of the most requested campuses in the CSU
system and regularly named a “Best Value” College by Princeton
Review, SSU has also been named one of the “most wired” campuses in
the nation by Forbes magazine.
The original buildings of the university and those built in the
same style, namely, The Student Union, The University Commons,
Evert Person Theatre, and Stevenson, Darwin, Ives, Nichols, and
Carson Halls, were all designed to accentuate an appreciation for
urban architecture. As such, the buildings are all constructed
using mainly smoothed or exposed aggregate concrete with some
buildings preferring primarily redwood siding. The residential
villages, though they were meant to continue in this tradition,
show the first movements away from this plan as they employ stucco
siding with terra cotta tile roofs.
Moving further from the original plan are Salazar Hall, the Schulz
Information Center, and the Campus Recreation Center. These
buildings mark a notable movement toward
sustainability and modernized architectural
aesthetics as opposed to the smooth concrete buildings of the past
that were allegedly designed by an architect known for the designs
of several women’s prisons.
Campus Recreation Center
Part of the Sonoma State Campus
Recreation Center.
The Recreation Center has become a model for sustainability. The
center was recognized for a state-of-the-art design that maximizes
functional space and demonstrates numerous efforts incorporating
sustainable building techniques while using a selection of
materials which reflect the surrounding rural county. Sustainable
materials include the use of heat and UV ray reflective roofing,
recycled rubber indoor track, recycled glass reinforced structural
brick, recycled seat belts to upholster seating, and
reclaimed water plumbing non-potable water
systems. This reclaimed water plumbing makes this the first and
largest building in Sonoma county to use such a system.
The Rec Center houses a large gym with fixed weight machines and
free weights, a wide selection of aerobic and cardiovascular
training equipment, an indoor track, climbing wall, exercise and
dance studios, multiple basketball courts an indoor soccer court,
billiards tables, locker rooms, massage studio and a spa.
University Library
The Schulz Information Center.
The Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center is one of the
largest libraries in the CSU system and the state of California
with a 400,000 volume general collection and with a 750,000 volume
automated retrieval system capacity. The library opened in 2000 and
now stands as one of the largest buildings in the university.
The three story, library is separated into two wings housing
different areas on each floor. The building has a total of of
indoor floor space and of shelving. There are over 1,000 seats for
students to study and an outdoor study patio on the third floor,
which is also the "quiet floor" where absolutely no talking is
allowed for those who prefer to study in complete silence. The
library also houses a valued collection of writings and original
letters from
Jack London, as well as
memorabilia relating to his works.
The $41.5 million building is named after Charles M. Schulz, the
famed creator of the Peanuts comic cartoon, and his wife Jean who
donated $5 million to help build and furnish the structure. An
additional $2.3 million went into furniture and equipment. The
library is also well known for its mural honoring
Cesar Chavez that can be found in the first
floor.
The Green Music Center
The $110 million Donald and Maureen Green Music Center remains
under construction. Music Education Hall (one of 4 components)
opened its doors in 2008 to students who take classes in the two
60-person classrooms. The focal point of the Green Music Center is
a 1,400-seat concert hall featuring precision engineered,
world-class acoustics. The entire rear wall of the hall will open
to lawn seating for a total of 10,000 additional guests. The
Concert Hall and Schroeder's Recital Hall are anticipated to open
in late 2010 at the earliest, pending continued fundraising. The
Hospitality Center, which will include a restaurant/executive
conference center, retail space and practice rooms is anticipated
to open in 2009.
Campus Bookstore
The Sonoma State Bookstore was operated by Sonoma State
Enterprises, Inc. until the spring of 2006 when the operation was
outsourced to
Barnes & Noble
College Booksellers despite some opposition from faculty
members. The Seawolf Shops will be moved into the new University
center upon its projected completion in the fall of 2010.
Natural features
The Sonoma State campus blends man-made buildings with the natural
plant life of the area. Large redwood trees are visible from nearly
all vantage points on campus. Through the middle of the the campus
flows Copeland creek which runs in and along the west side of
Sauvignon Village, through the schools butterfly gardens, exiting
campus near the site of the Green Music Center. The University
Lakes occupy part of the north side of campus near the creek and
are home to the Grand Willow (sometimes written as
Grandwillow). The Grand Willow is one of the oldest trees
on the Sonoma State University campus, planted during the original
landscaping and development. For many of those in the SSU
community, the Grand Willow represents the beginning of Sonoma
State's growth from a small and relatively unknown college to the
reputable university that it is today. It is for this reason that
the tree was given its name, a play on the word
Grandfather/Grandmother and befitting of its long life on the
campus.
Off-Campus Sites
In addition to the main campus, the university also owns and
operates two off campus study sites for students of the natural
sciences.
The first site is the Fairfield Osborn
Preserve
located on nearby Sonoma Mountain
. The second site is the Galbreath Wildlands
Preserve in Mendocino County
. Both offer opportunities for research and
hands-on education to students of the university.
The University also
offers students the opportunity to obtain their Bachelor's degree
in liberal arts through classes offered at Napa Valley
College
.
Academics
Sonoma State is thought of as a liberal arts university though it
is known also for its strong schools of business & economics
and nursing. The most popular schools of study by enrollment are
business, liberal arts, and psychology. The school operates on the
semester system with fall, spring,
summer semesters and a short winter term, and short August term
called “intersession”.
Schools and special programs
The more than 65 departments and academic programs are divided into
seven distinct schools, all offering undergraduate and graduate
degrees and courses and nearly all offering minors and
doctorates.
- School of Arts & Humanities
- School of Business & Economics
- School of Education
- School of Science & Technology
- School of Extended Education
- Certificate Programs
- Contract Credit Programs
- EXCEL for Youth
- Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute
- Liberal Studies BA Degree Completion Program
- MA in Interdisciplinary Studies: Action for a Viable
Future
- Art Therapy
- Depth Psychology
- Organization Development Program
- MS in Computer and Engineering Science
- Open University
- Sonoma State American Language Institute
- MA in Spanish
- Summer Session
- School of Social Sciences
- Other Majors
- California Cultural Studies
- Interdisciplinary Studies Special Major
- Special Major in Global Studies
- Planning
- Other Minors
- Career Minor in Women's Health
- Interdisciplinary Studies Special Minor
- Women's and Gender Studies
- Wondolleck
Accreditations and honors
Sonoma State is
accredited by the
Western
Association of Schools and Colleges. Several of the schools
within Sonoma State also have additional accreditations such as the
School of Business and Economics which is accredited by the
Association
to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, one of the world's
most prestigious accreditors of business school programs.
In addition to Accreditation the school is also the only California
university that is a member of the
Council of Public
Liberal Arts Colleges, the prestigious group of 19 universities
and colleges across the nation that are often described as the
“Public Ivies.”
Hutchins School of Liberal Studies
The Hutchins School of Liberal Studies is a nationally known
interdisciplinary learning community within the larger institution
of Sonoma State University. It emphasizes small classes, seminar
process, and student empowerment. For lower division students,
Hutchins offers an integrated General Education Program which
provides a basic foundation for most majors at SSU. This program
consists of one class taken each semester counting for 12 units and
satisfying the students' General Education requirements in two
years. Upper division students are able to use the Hutchins program
in order to complete an inter-disciplinary B.A. in Art in Liberal
Studies, a B.A. in elementary education, or an accelerated program
offering students to complete both a B.A. in elementary education
and a teaching credential program in four years. The faculty of the
Hutchins School come from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds
including Psychololgy, Anthropology, Physics, American Studies,
History, Engineering, History of Science, Art History, Film
Studies, and Comparative Literature. The current Director of the
Hutchins School is Professor Eric McGuckin. The associated Hutchins
Institute for Public Policy Studies (HIPPS) oversees the
Interdisciplinary Master's program "Action for a Viable Future," as
well as serving as an institutional home for various groups working
toward social justice and environomental sustainability. HIPPS is
currently under direction of
professor
Francisco Vazquez.
Wine Business Program
Sonoma State’s location in the
California Wine Country allows the
school to offer unique courses in the study of Wine Business and
viticulture. While other universities have programs that emphasize
grape growing and wine making, Sonoma State's program offers a
specialized curriculum targeted on the business challenges of the
wine industry. Courses are offered in Wine Marketing, Wine Finance
and Accounting, Human Resources Management, Wine Business
Strategies and Wine Production, Operations &
Distribution.
Engineering Science
In response to the needs of the North Bay high tech industry,
Sonoma State University has established a new Department of
Engineering Science. The new department includes graduate and
undergraduate programs with emphasis in electronics, computer
hardware and software systems, photonics, and telecommunications.
With the support of the local industries and community, the
department's new laboratories located in the Cerent Engineering
Science Complex are equipped with state-of-the-art instruments to
conduct study and research.
Controversies
In the spring of 2005, the Learning Disability program at SSU was
under investigation by the
Department of
Education,
Office of Civil
Rights Case # 09-05-2100, for failing to meet
Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, Title II. The Office of Civil Rights
found Disable Student Services accommodations policy in violation
of Title II.
In May 2007, SSU faculty voted no confidence in President Armiñana
based upon financial issues surrounding the building of the Green
Music Center, and faculty charges that the building of the center
took money away from academic programs. The center, originally
intended to be a $10 million project, grew into a $110 million
complex as additional venues and features were added to the
original plan. In fact, the construction of the Center was
initially funded by bond measures, loans and private donations as
the use of academic funds for other uses is illegal. The Board of
Trustees continues to support Armiñana despite the vote.
Student life
Athletics
Sonoma State’s teams compete in intercollegiate athletics as the
Sonoma State Seawolves. The school's traditional colors are Navy,
Columbia, and White. SSU athletic teams participate in the
California Collegiate
Athletic Association, an association within the
NCAA’s
Division II. The
official colors of the university are
Navy
Blue and
Columbia Blue.Sonoma
State is best known in intercollegiate athletics for strong
baseball and soccer programs while winning national, state and
individual athletic titles in nearly all sports at the school.
Sonoma State’s Baseball team is particularly noteworthy with
repeated conference championships, 28 players drafted to
major league teams since the year 2000
and 68 players drafted since records began in 1975. Three NCAA
national championships won by women’s soccer in 1990, men’s soccer
in 2002, and men's golf in 2009 also highlight SSU’s athletic
achievements. In 2008 the athletics department created the Seawolf
Sports Network, allowing home basketball games to be broadcast via
streaming video over the internet in an effort to further increase
interest in its sports programs. Sonoma State also has a strong
club sport program led by lacrosse, 2002 USLIA National champions,
and rowing. The Men's Volleyball Club team recently placed second
in the nation for Men's Division II and four of it players received
All-American honors.
Mascots and the Cossack controversy of 2000
Former Logo of the Sonoma State
University Cossacks.
The Sonoma State mascot is Lobo the Seawolf, lobo being Spanish for
‘wolf’. The mascot is derived from the
Jack
London novel entitled
The Sea-Wolf
in which the protagonist is pressed into service aboard a boat
captained by a man named “Wolf”.
The mascot was taken from the book for
London’s ties with Sonoma County, specifically the nearby town of
Glen
Ellen
. Some resent the fact that the mascot is not
a representation of a real animal and sometimes choose to equate it
more readily to the
Seawolf
class attack submarine in the
United States Navy.
The previous mascot of Sonoma State University was the
Cossack, an
eastern
European community of
fur traders
known for superior horsemanship and ferocity in battle.
The
Cossacks held ties to the area through the 1812 fur trading posts
at Fort
Ross
. This mascot was to be removed in the fall
of 2002 by a vote of the academic senate after the mascot was
deemed offensive to Jewish and women’s groups on campus. This being
due to the fact that Cossacks were reportedly notorious for
historically oppressing Jewish people and women.
Various groups and individuals proposed new mascots such as the
Rain Devils,
Killer Bee,
Trailblazers, Blue Wave, Blue Storm, and
Condors as well as the
Beagles in a nod to local legend and
Peanuts creator
Charles
M. Schulz. Ultimately
non-binding surveys and the final decision by then president Ruben
Arminana favored the Seawolf as the new representation of the
university.
Student housing
Student housing at SSU has been applauded as some of the most
comfortable dormitories in the state and even the country.
Dormitories abandon the traditional use of high rise buildings and
instead divide housing into distinct "villages" to promote a more
comfortable and intimate residential experience. There are
currently six residential villages on campus: Zinfandel, Cabernet,
Verdot, Sauvignon, Beaujolais, and Tuscany.
Zinfandel and Cabernet Villages are the oldest of the five
villages. These dormitories as well as the Verdot Village are
intended solely for the housing of freshmen with social buildings
such as the cafeteria, Zinfandel Market, and pool centrally located
within the Zinfandel Courtyard.Each village is divided into 5 to 7
buildings each of which are divided into suites with rooms and
common areas.
Sauvignon, Beaujolais, and Tuscany Villages are the three newest
dorm villages. Each offers the same suite style dormitories as the
older villages with the addition of kitchens in each suite.
Student groups
Associated Students, Inc.
Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) is a student-run and student-owned
organization that represents the goals and interests of the student
population. The ASI Senate is the student government and board of
directors of the corporation. ASI also encompasses two smaller
divisions, Associated Students Productions (ASP) which plans and
produces on-campus
concerts and student
events and Join Us Making Progress (JUMP) which organizes community
service programs.
Associated Students, Inc. held a
protest in
March 2006 when the Academic Senate refused to allow them a vote on
academic senate agenda items, many of which directly affect the
education of SSU students. The academic senate never officially
recognized the protest and continue to deny an official vote to ASI
though their unofficial opinions and positions are taken into loose
consideration in the decision making process. This is considered an
oddity in the California State University as the remaining 22 other
campuses allow student governments a vote in respective faculty
senates and committees on educational issues.
Clubs and organizations
- Asian and Pacific Islander Organization (APIO)
- Black Scholars United (BSU)
- Computer Science Club
- Filipino-American Association of Sonoma State University
(FAASSU)
- Film Club
- Flag Football Club
- Indian Cultural Club (ICC)
- InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF)
- Mathematics Club
- Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA)
- Multicultural Greek Council
- Queer Straight Alliance (QSA)
- Raza Native American Council
- Sonoma Snow Club
- THE Sonoma State Accounting Forum
- The Sonoma State Star: Student Newspaper
- Women's Ultimate Frisbee
- Men's Ultimate Frisbee
Fraternities and sororities
Alumni
Notes
- "Looking Back: 40 Years at Sonoma State University, 1961-2001,"
University Affairs Office, Sonoma State University, 2001.
- Bob Norberg, "$29.5 million evolution of SSU's Darwin Hall
Complete," Santa Rosa Press Democrat, June 3, 2006, pp. B1-2.
- Bob Norberg, "SSU previews library: $41 million center to open
in August," Santa Rosa Press Democrat, March 10, 2000, pp. B1-2.
- Tanya Schevitz, "Costly Musical Dream," San
Francisco Chronicle, July 19, 2007,
pp. C1, 7.
- Kathy Hillenmeyer, "SSU, Barnes & Noble to sign deal,"
Santa Rosa Press Democrat, July 6, 2006,
pp. B1, 3.
- George Lauer, "Nature's Haven," Santa Rosa Press
Democrat, February 3, 2000, pp. D1, back.
- Guy Kovner, "'A Piece of Heaven,'" Santa Rosa Press
Democrat, March
28, 2004, pp. B1, 3.
- Anthro
Studies Center
- The
Hutchins School of Liberal Studies
- Kevin McCallum, "SSU to offer wine industry M.B.A.," Santa Rosa
Press Democrat, May
30, 2007, pp.
E1-back.
- Steve Hart, "Engineering for the Future," Santa Rosa Press
Democrat, October
11, 2005, pp. E1, 5.
- George Lauer, "SSU Faculty Approves 'No Confidence' in
President," Santa Rosa Press Democrat, May 19, 2007, pp. A1, 8.
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