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Former names | South Bay State College (1960–1962) California State College at Palos Verdes (1962–1966) California State College, Dominguez Hills (1966–1977) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Vox Veritas Vita (Latin) |
Motto in English | "Voice, Truth, Life" |
| Type | Public university |
| Established | 1960; 65 years ago (1960) |
Parent institution | California State University |
| Accreditation | WSCUC |
Academic affiliations | CUMU |
| Endowment | $26.6 million (202324)[1] |
| Budget | $224.4 million (2024-25)[2] |
| President | Thomas A. Parham |
| Provost | Michael E. Spagna |
Academic staff | 678 |
| Students | 14,262 (fall 2024)[3] |
| Undergraduates | 12,473 (fall 2024)[3] |
| Postgraduates | 1,789 (fall 2024)[3] |
| Location | ,, United States 33°51′53″N118°15′22″W / 33.86472°N 118.25611°W /33.86472; -118.25611 |
| Campus | Small city[4], 346 acres (140 ha) |
| Newspaper | The Bulletin |
| Colors | Burgundy and gold |
| Nickname | Toros |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II –CCAA |
| Website | csudh.edu |
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California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH,CSU Dominguez Hills, orCal State Dominguez Hills) is apublic university inCarson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of theCalifornia State University (CSU) system.[5]
In 2020, the university had an enrollment of 17,763 students, comprising 15,873 undergraduates (89.4%) and 1,890 post baccalaureates (10.6%).[3] About half of all students identify as the first in their families to go to college.[6][7] CSUDH is one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the western United States.[8] It enrolls the largest number and percentage ofAfrican American students of any CSU campus.[9][10]
CSUDH offers 53bachelor's degree programs,[11] 26 Masters programs,[12] a variety of single, multi-subject and specializedteaching credentials,[11] and undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate certificate programs[11] within its six colleges: College of Arts and Humanities, College of Business Administration and Public Policy, College of Education, College of Extended and International Education, College of Health, Human Services and Nursing, and College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences.[13] The university isaccredited by theWASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). It is designated as aHispanic-Serving Institution.[14]
The campus is carved from the historicRancho San Pedro, the site of the First Spanish Land Grant in California.[15] The land remained in the continuous possession of theDominguez family through seven generations – from its concession to Juan Jose Domínguez in 1784 to its division and acquisition by the state of California for the university. The campus mascot is the Toro.[16]
The foundation for what would become CSU Dominguez Hills was built in 1960 when then Governor of CaliforniaPat Brown provided state funds to begin development of the campus. It was originally to be located inPalos Verdes,California, and known as South Bay State College. The tentative name was changed to California State College at Palos Verdes in 1962. In 1964, architectA. Quincy Jones designed a master plan for construction.[18][19] As the permanent campus had not yet been constructed, the first classes were held in 1965 at the California Federal Savings Bank inRolling Hills Estates,California.[20] The college began with an enrollment of approximately 40 students.[21]
In 1965 the designated location for the campus was moved to theDominguez Hills inCarson. The Palos Verdes site was abandoned due to high land prices in Palos Verdes, and theWatts Riots exposing a need for a campus to serve the populations ofSouth Los Angeles.[22]
The university was established, in large part, as a response to the African American outcry for higher education standards and opportunities.[23] In October and November 1969, demonstrations regarding the Vietnam War were held on the campus.[24] In 1977 theCalifornia Postsecondary Education Commission endorsed the college trustees' desire to change the name of the school from California State College, Dominguez Hills to California State University, Dominguez Hills.[25]
CSUDH was selected as the host venue for 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics cycling competition. Between 1981 and 1982, theOlympic Velodrome was constructed on the campus. The US cycling team won nine gold medals on the track during the Olympics.[26] The 333.3-meter-long track was demolished in 2003 and replaced by the ADT Event Center (now known as theVELO Sports Center) in 2004. It remains the only Olympic-standard velodrome in the United States.
In 1992, the university opened the Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Student Union. A major expansion was completed in 2007, adding the 800-seat Dominguez Ballroom.[26] The CSUDH Extended Education Building was opened in 2000, followed by the completion of James L. Welch Hall in 2002. It was named after a long-time CSUDH faculty member.[26]
In 2021, CSUDH opened three major new on-campus buildings, designed to expand the campus' academic capabilities and help transform the campus from a commuter school to a destination institution.[27] The new Student Resident Housing complex can accommodate over 500 students. The complex includes double, triple, and quadruple bedrooms, a laundry room, study rooms, several lounges, and other amenities. It features eight 47-foot-high murals by Los Angeles artist iris yirei hu.[28] The Science and Innovation Building houses the university's chemistry, biology, and physics programs. It is also the home of the Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education, which includes a fabrication lab, SMART classrooms, and labs for K-12 teacher demonstrations. The campus' Innovation and Instruction Building is the home of the university's College of Business Administration and Public Policy. The building includes a 250-seat auditorium, collaborative learning classrooms, distance learning spaces, event spaces, and faculty offices.[27]
Within contemporary history, in the year 2022 Cal State Dominguez Hills had the distinction of having five of its graduates simultaneously serving as mayors of cities in LA County.[29] They areLong Beach Mayor Rex Richardson,Compton, California Mayor Emma Sharif,Carson, California Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes,Hawthorne, California Mayor Alex Vargas andLos Angeles MayorKaren Bass.
Since its establishment in 1960,[30] the university has had eight permanent presidents.[31] While eleven people have served as president, four served interim terms: John A. Brownell from 1987 to 1989, Herbert Carter from 1998 to 1999, Boice Bowman in 2007, andWillie J. Hagan from 2012 to 2013. However, Hagan was appointed the seventh permanent president and served an additional five-year term as president from 2013 to 2018.[32][33] Thomas A. Parham is the current president of the university.[34]
By name and years of service, they are:
CSU Dominguez Hills is a major university for the Southern geographical region ofLos Angeles County andOrange County. It offers 53 undergraduate majors, 26 master's degrees, and a number of certificate and credential programs.[12] The campus is accredited by the following associations:Western Association of Schools and Colleges, theAssociation of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs,AACSB International, theNational Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, theNational Association of Schools of Music, and the National Association of Schools of Theatre. Dominguez Hills is also the administrative headquarters of the California State University's Statewide Nursing Program.
CSUDH has been designated aHispanic-Serving Institution[37] and is a member of the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions.[38][39] Its College of Education & College of Arts and Humanities offers training in Spanish for bilingual education teachers.[40] As of 2018, CSUDH had the third largest percentage ofLatino Americans that are not Mexican-American in the CSU system.[9] (Latino Americans with heritage from theCaribbean, Central America, South America). The university ranked first in California in 2021 for the number of bachelor's degrees conferred on Black students.[41]
The campus is home to the American Indian Institute, which has the goal of increasing the number of Indigenous students who enroll and graduate from the CSU system.[42] Starting in 2011, CSUDH and the AII began hosting the "Honoring the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas"Pow Wow.[43][44]
CSUDH students conduct research and present their findings at the campus' Annual Student Research Day. The annual event is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Outstanding research projects are selected for inclusion at the CSU Statewide Student Research Competition.[45]
CSUDH's McNair Scholars Program was established in 2004. It is named after NASA mission specialistRonald McNair, who died in the1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. The program's goal is to support and fund first-generation, low-income, and/or underrepresented students preparing for future doctoral studies. The program provides a variety of academic support and services. As of 2021[update], the program has achieved a 93% graduate school acceptance rate.[46]
In 2014, following its acquisition of 21 newSteinway-designed pianos, CSUDH was named an All-Steinway School, the first public four-year university in California to receive the designation.[47] These instruments are subject to periodic inspections by Steinway factory representatives.[48]
Sixty-five percent of CSUDH students engage in service learning, both through the formal curriculum and the university's service learning hub, the Center for Service Learning, Internships & Civic Engagement (SLICE). The university was Presidential Winner of the 2014 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.[49] The Presidential Award is the highest federal recognition an institution can receive for its commitment to community, service-learning, and civic engagement.[50]
The university focuses on theSTEM disciplines,[51] hosting the Annual STEM in Education Conference,[52] offering the First-Year Undergraduate STEM Experience (FUSE),[53] and in 2014 hosting the Women in STEM Conference.[54] Its Center for Innovation in STEM Education was established in 2014 by a donation from theAnnenberg Foundation[55] and aims to improve local education with various STEM initiatives. CSUDH offers aBachelor of Science in Computer Science,[56] aBachelor of Arts in Computer Technology[57] with an option to concentrate in Homeland Security,[58] and a Bachelor of Science inInformation Technology.[59] In 2017, it received a $4 million grant fromToyota to create an 87,000-square foot Science and Innovation Building to prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math.[60] The Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education, housed inside the building, includes a fabrication lab, high-tech classrooms, collaborative workspaces, and labs for K-12 teacher training.[61]
| Race and ethnicity[3] | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 68.2% | ||
| Black | 12.2% | ||
| Asian | 7.7% | ||
| White | 4.8% | ||
| Unknown | 2.5% | ||
| Two or more races | 2.4% | ||
| Foreign national | 2.0% | ||
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.2% | ||
| Economic diversity[62] | |||
| Low-income[a] | 62% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 38% | ||
Fall freshman statistics[63]
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman applicants | 16,860 | 16,741 | 18,101 | 20,351 |
| Admits | 14,947 | 14,999 | 15,752 | 16,066 |
| % Admitted | 88.7% | 89.6% | 87% | 78.9% |
| Enrolled | 1,874 | 2,048 | 2,254 | 2,533 |
| GPA | 3.22 | 3.22 | 3.16 | 3.17 |
Popular majors forundergraduates in 2018 includedBusiness Administration (Management and Operations) at 18.04%,Psychology (General) at 11.29%,Sociology at 8.01%. While popular majors forgraduates wereEducation, General at 24.22%,Public Administration at 11.18%, and RegisteredNursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at 10.31%[64]
In the 2024US News and World Report rankings of universities in the "Regional Universities West" category, CSUDH was tied for 36.[65]
The 2024 USNWR Graduate Schools Rankings ranked CSUDH:[66]
CSUDH opened its Library South Wing to the Leo F. Cain University Library in 2010.[67] The expansion was honored with a Best of 2010 Award for Architectural Design from theCalifornia Construction journal and a 2011 Project Achievement Award from theConstruction Management Association of America.[68]
The library houses the Donald R. and Beverly Gerth Archives and Special Collections,[69] home to the CSUDH archives, digital and special collections, rare books, and the official archives of the California State University system. Among the collections maintained at the Gerth Archives are:
CSUDH's athletic teams are known as the 'Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros', and the university's colors are burgundy and gold.[73] CSUDH competes against other universities in nine varsity sports, inDivision II of theNCAA in theCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association.
CSUDH fields teams in several varsity-level sports:
The men'ssoccer team plays at Toro Stadium. Other sports venues include the Torodome forbasketball andvolleyball; Toro Field forbaseball; and Toro Diamond forsoftball. Select home games are televised live via Internet TV.
The CSUDH men's soccer team has won two NCAA championships at the Division II level. In 2000, they defeatedBarry University in the final by a score of 2–1. CSUDH won their second men's soccer title in 2008, beatingDowling College 3–0 in the final.[74]Many CSUDH Toros have gone on to professional careers inMajor League Soccer and other leagues around the world:
The CSUDH women's soccer team won the 1991 NCAA Division II Championship, defeatingSonoma State 2–1 in the final.[74] The CSUDHsoftball team won the NCAA Division II in 2022.
The CSUDH men's golf team won the 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019 PGA Works Collegiate Golf Championship, a tournament open to Historically Minority Colleges.
The CSUDH baseball team is a member of theCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in NCAA Division II. Several Toro alumni have gone on to play inMajor League Baseball:
The CSUDH women's track and field 4X4 relay team won the NCAA Division II Championship in 2011. The CSUDH track and field team competes in theCCAA as well. Its most notable alumna isCarmelita Jeter, who won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Another notable alumna isGrace Ann Dinkins, a sprinter who competed for her native Liberia in the 1984, 1996, and 2000 Olympics.
The CSUDH Esports Association was established in 2017. They have won three titles at national events sponsored by the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC):Valorant (Challengers Division) in 2020 and 2021; andOverwatch (Challengers Division) in 2021.[75]
In 2021, it was announced that CSUDH would be constructing a new Esports Incubation Lab on the second floor of the Leo F. Cain Library on campus, to open in spring 2022. The facility will include a broadcasting booth, competition stage, and classroom with furnishings and technology provided through partnerships with electronics companiesViewSonic andHyperX.[76]
CSUDH is the home ofDignity Health Sports Park. Dignity Health Sports Park, formerly known as the Home Depot Center and StubHub Center, is a multiple-use sports complex on theWest Coast of the United States, located on the campus of CSUDH.[77] Its primary tenant is theLA Galaxy ofMajor League Soccer and its naming rights have been held since 2019 by health providerDignity Health. The $150 million complex opened in 2003 and was developed by theAnschutz Entertainment Group, which remains the facility's operator. With a seating capacity of 27,000, it is the second-largestsoccer-specific stadium in MLS, afterBMO Field. During its first decade, the stadium's sponsor was hardware retailerThe Home Depot, followed by six years of sponsorship by online ticket retailerStubHub. TheLos Angeles Chargers of theNational Football League used the stadium from2017 until the completion ofSoFi Stadium in 2020. TheSan Diego State Aztecs football team used the stadium as their home venue for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. TheLos Angeles Wildcats of theXFL also played at the stadium during their one season of existence.[citation needed]
Dignity Health Sports Park was the site of the2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final. The United Statesmen's andwomen's national soccer teams often use the facility for training camps and some home matches. During the2028 Summer Olympics, the venue will hostrugby,modern pentathlon,tennis, andfield hockey.[78]
CSU Dominguez Hills has over 110,000 alumni, of whom 60% live and work within 25 miles (40 km) of the campus.[79] The university plays a major role in the region's economy[80] — a recent economic impact study revealed CSU Dominguez Hills generates a total impact of $519 million annually in the South Bay. This impact sustains over 5,600 jobs in the region and statewide economy. Per year, the impact generates more than $45 million in statewide tax revenue. More than $2.1 billion of the earnings by alumni from CSU Dominguez Hills are attributable to their CSU degrees.[81] The average amount of debt its students accumulate is $14,585.[82]
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Alma Mater
O give us wings to fy, to spurn our night; Where, Earthbound, we aspired to don the wings of joyous fight Let friendships soar in human harmony! Chorus:With lifted voice, uplifted voice, we dedicate to thee, Dominguez Hills, Dominguez Hills, Our love and loyalty. Inspire the hearts of all who value truth, Let knowledge grow, let purpose bloom in lives of love and peace; Let ever human dignity increase! Chorus:Dominguez Hills, Dominguez Hills, our University. We sing your name for all to hear, Our alma mater dear.
Music by Richard Bunger Words by Richard Bunger, Gordon Burgett, Jose Irene Jack Callan, Robert Jones, Marvin Laser, Ephriam Sando
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