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Former names | Humboldt State Normal College (1913–1935) Humboldt State College (1935–1972) California State University, Humboldt (1972–1974) Humboldt State University (1974–2022) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Φως Αλήθεια (Greek) |
Motto in English | "Truth and Light" |
| Type | Publicpolytechnic university |
| Established | June 16, 1913; 112 years ago (1913-06-16) |
Parent institution | California State University |
| Accreditation | WSCUC |
| Endowment | $44.1 million (2024)[1] |
| Budget | $303.6 million (2024-25)[2] |
| President | Michael E. Spagna |
| Provost | Jenn Capps |
Academic staff | 523 (fall 2024)[3] |
| Students | 6,045 (fall 2024)[3] |
| Undergraduates | 5,463 (fall 2024)[3] |
| Postgraduates | 582 (fall 2024)[3] |
| Location | ,, United States |
| Campus | Remote town[4], 144 acres (58 ha) main campus and nearly 591 acres (239 ha) of additional property.[3] Total: 733 acres. |
| Newspaper | The Lumberjack |
| Colors | Green and gold[5] |
| Nickname | Lumberjacks |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Lucky Logger[6] |
| Website | humboldt.edu |
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California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt orHumboldt[7]) is apublic university inArcata, California. It is one ofthree polytechnic universities in theCalifornia State University (CSU) system and the northernmost campus in the system.
The main campus, situated hillside at the edge of acoast redwood forest, overlooks Arcata, much ofHumboldt Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. Thecollege town setting on theCalifornia North Coast, 8 miles (13 km) north ofEureka, 279 miles (449 km) north ofSan Francisco, and 654 miles (1053 km) north ofLos Angeles, is notable for its natural beauty. It is the westernmost four-year university in the contiguous United States. Humboldt is aHispanic-serving institution (HSI).
The university is divided into three colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the College of Natural Resources and Sciences; and the College of Professional Studies.[6] It offers 58bachelor's degree programs, 14master's degree programs, 76minors, and 4credential programs.[3]
Humboldt State Normal School was established as ateacher's college on June 16, 1913, byCalifornia governorHiram Johnson.[8] It was one of about 180 institutions founded by state governments to train teachers for the rapidly growing public schools.[9] The cities ofArcata andEureka (and to a lesser extentFortuna[10]) competed with one another to host the new campus. Arcata was selected after William Preston and the Union Water Company donated 55 acres (22 hectares) to serve as the site of the new school's campus.[8] It opened on April 6, 1914, before construction at the location was complete, in the former Arcata Grammar School building, with 78 students enrolled and 5 faculty members teaching. The first class, comprising 15 women, graduated on May 26, 1915.[11]
The school was put under the jurisdiction of theCalifornia Department of Education, renamed Humboldt State Teacher's College and Junior College, and moved to its current location in 1921. In 1924, during the presidency ofRalph Waldo Swetman, the Associated Students and the Alumni Association were organized andThe Foghorn, the first student newspaper, was published.Bachelor's degrees began being offered in 1927. The school was renamed Humboldt State College in 1935, and the following year an official mascot was adopted: theLumberjack. In 1937, the students opened a cooperative bookstore and soda fountain, which would exist for the next 40 years as the center of student life.
DuringWorld War II,Arcata's city defense council suggested camouflaging Founder's Hall, which is visible from the Pacific Ocean, so it would not be a target forJapanese submarines. The council made its request in 1942, but Founder's Hall was not painted until the spring of 1944. The building remained camouflage green until 1948.[12] Over the course of the war, President Arthur Gist corresponded with hundreds of the students who had left Humboldt State to serve in the war. The "Arthur Gist Letters," an archive of more than 1,000 individual letters from 365 servicemen and women who wrote to Gist while serving in the military, were donated to the school after his death and are available for viewing at Cal Poly Humboldt Library's Special Collections & Archives.[13]
Graduate programs were first offered in 1947. Under President Cornelius H. Siemens in 1952, HSU continued expanding by accepting students from abroad, including some fromYugoslavia,Germany and theNear East, as well as U.S. territories such asAmerican Samoa,Guam andHawaii.KHSU began broadcasting from the school as a 10-wattcarrier current radio station in 1947 (using thecall sign KHSC until 1972), and on October 17, 1960, it became the first licensed, non-commercial station operated by a state college in California. Also in 1960, the college became a part of the newly-formedCalifornia State College system. The school's junior college program, terminated in 1962, was re-established in 1964 atCollege of the Redwoods (CR), located only 17 miles (27 km) to the south in Eureka. The two institutions maintain a close working relationship, with many students transferring to Humboldt after graduating from CR.
Student activism on campus rose through the 1960s and early 1970s, peaking in a protest of about 800 students (out of 3,600) against theVietnam War on October 15, 1969. This was followed by another protest with nearly 3,000 students who planned to boycott classes after theCambodian campaign. With similar events taking place across the state, GovernorRonald Reagan shut down the CSC system in May 1970 for five days. The 1970s also saw the rise offeminist,ethnocultural, andLGBT groups, and though the Women's Center was the only one to survive through the 1980s, most groups reappeared by the mid-1990s.[12]
Alumnus David Philips established the Humboldt Film Festival in 1967, now one of the oldest student-run festivals in the world.[12]
In 1972, the college was renamed California State University, Humboldt, however it still continued to be popularly referred to as "Humboldt State." Reflecting this, its name was simplified to Humboldt State University in 1974.[8] Enrollment first surpassed 7,500 in 1974, with a peak of 8,790 in 2015, making it one of the smallest in the CSU system throughout its existence.[14] Through the 1980s,adult learners became a large part of Humboldt State's student body, and in 1986, 40% of the students were over the age of 25.[12]: 135–144 That number has since decreased toapprox. 30%.[15]
In 1987, students and activists founded the optionalGraduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility, with the stated purpose of encouraging graduating students to be mindful of the social and environmental impacts of their employment as they enter the workforce or continue their education. Today, over one hundredpost-secondary educational institutions worldwide use the pledge in some capacity.[16]
On April 22, 2024, dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Siemens Hall as part of awider movement of occupation protests against theGaza war.[17] Protesters renamed the building to "Intifada Hall" and managed to repel an initial police incursion. At some point protesters occupied a second building, Nelson Hall. On April 30, a large law enforcement task force stormed both occupied buildings and arrested at least 35 people, bringing the occupation to an end.[18]
TheDepartment of Education'sOffice for Civil Rights announced on March 18, 2025 that Cal Poly Humboldt was one of 44 schools being scrutinized underTitle VI at the direction ofSecretaryLinda McMahon, in relation to a partnership with The Ph.D. Project, anonprofit organization that helps underrepresented individuals earndoctorates and securebusiness schoolfaculty positions.[19][20] The investigation also included two other public universities in California:Cal State San Bernardino andUC Berkeley.[21] In response, a spokesperson for CSU stated that the organization is reviewing the claim and intends to cooperate, but that it does not discriminate and complies with all relevant state and federal laws.[19][21]
The university, founded asHumboldt State Normal College in 1913, took the name of thecounty andnearby bay, which was originally named after the famous German scientistAlexander von Humboldt.[22]
On May 23, 1972, fourteen of the nineteen CSU campuses were renamed to "California State University," followed by a comma and then their geographic designation.[23] The five campuses exempted from renaming were the five newest state colleges created during the 1960s.[23] The new names were very unpopular at certain campuses. Over the objections of CSU ChancellorGlenn Dumke, state AssemblymanAl Alquist proposed a bill that would rename the San Jose campus back to San Jose State. A few years later, some other CSU campuses, the Humboldt campus among them, also secured passage of similar legislation,[23] andCalifornia State University, Humboldt was renamedHumboldt State University from 1974 until 2022.
On January 26, 2022, the university was officially renamed to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, becoming the third polytechnic university in the state. The change is backed by a $458 million investment from the state of California.[24][25]
The university is divided into three colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the College of Natural Resources and Sciences; and the College of Professional Studies. There are 48 undergraduate majors and 69 minors.[26] The two largest majors arebiology andart, both with over 20 faculty members and extensive facilities on- and off-campus. This CSU campus offers awildlife undergraduate degree. There are several credential programs and fourteenmaster's programs, of whichnatural resources andsocial work are the largest.[citation needed] The new Energy, Environment, and Society graduate program is unique to the CSU, and provides graduates with interdisciplinary training in engineering, economics, and climate policy.
The University Library supports students and faculty from all three academic colleges. Humboldt State University Press (now calledthe Press at Cal Poly Humboldt) was launched in 1991[27] to showcase research and scholarship across the campus.[28] The Forestry department building's walls are completely paneled with different species of wood. The building was rebuilt in October 1980 after the original building was burned down. The original building stood for 17 years before an arsonist, whose identity is still unknown today, set the building on fire in 1979.[29]
Cal Poly Humboldt is one of only two universities in California to offer a major inbotany; the other isCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Its botany program is the nation's largest undergraduate program. Cal Poly Humboldt is the only university in California to offer a degree in rangeland resources and wildland soil science.[30] TheNative American Studies major and theOceanography major are also unique to the California State University system. The university offers unique minors including multicultural queer studies, scientific diving, andappropriate technology.[26]
The university's location on theNorth Coast provides access to the Pacific Ocean, lagoons, marshes, estuaries, and the Fred Telonicher Marine Laboratory, which provides opportunities for "hands-on" experiences and research for the sciences. The Marine Lab was opened in 1966, the lab is open during the academic school year (mid August-mid May).[29]
Cal Poly Humboldt's fire science program teaches modern techniques for managing wildfire, and an advanced training program is offered for Forest Service employees and similar professionals.[31]
The college of eLearning & Extended Ed (CEEE) is a self-supporting outreach department of Cal Poly Humboldt that provides a variety of academic, professional development and personal enrichment opportunities. While the CEEE programs are open to almost everyone, there is an emphasis on providing access to those community members who are not matriculated students at the university. Non-matriculated students may take some regular university courses through the CEEE Open University program. High school students may take regular university courses through the CEEE High School Concurrent Enrollment Program. Also, those aged 60 and over may take regular classes through the Over 60 Program. There are also a variety of online degree programs offered through the college. The CEEE also offers a wide range of diverse and eclectic programs. Examples include music and art programs for children, theOsher Lifelong Learning Institute for those aged 50 and over, foreign language classes, travel-study programs, continuing education for teachers, MFT/LCSW, nurses, and law enforcement. In 1998 Humboldt State University opened theHSU First Street Gallery in Old Town Eureka, expanding community access to the university's cultural and fine arts programs. In 2007, the university further expanded its presence in Eureka with the opening of the HSU Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, a $4.5 million aquatic facility on the bay inOld Town Eureka. Future plans include a new HSU Bay and Estuarine Studies Center. This new facility will be closer to theCoral Sea (in 2012 docked at Woodley Island, Eureka), the only vessel in a U.S. educational institution solely dedicated to undergraduate research. The new facility would be considerably larger than the other existing facility, the Fred Telonicher Marine Laboratory in Trinidad, 20 miles (32 km) north.[32]
Cal Poly Humboldt Professor Steve Sillett has conducted groundbreaking research onredwood forest canopies and was featured in a 2009 cover story inNational Geographic. He holds theKenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology, the only endowed chair in the world dedicated to a single tree species.[31]
| Race and ethnicity[33] | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 50% | ||
| Hispanic | 31% | ||
| Two or more races[a] | 7% | ||
| Unknown | 4% | ||
| Asian | 3% | ||
| Black | 3% | ||
| Native American | 2% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[b] | 52% | ||
| Affluent[c] | 48% | ||
| 2024[34] | 2023[35] | 2022[36] | 2021[37] | 2020[38] | 2019[39] | 2018[40] | 2017[41] | 2016[42] | 2015[43] | 2014[44] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 16,698 | 16,556 | 9,236 | 7,025 | 10,244 | 16,335 | 10,957 | 11,562 | 12,967 | 13,017 | 11,912 |
| Admits | 15,358 | 13,712 | 8,302 | 6,398 | 8,675 | 14,847 | 8,230 | 6,720 | 9,895 | 9,765 | 9,119 |
| % Admitted | 92.0% | 82.8% | 89.9% | 91.1% | 84.7% | 90.1% | 75.1% | 58.1% | 76.3% | 75.0% | 76.6% |
| Enrolled | 909 | 955 | 961 | 628 | 543 | 822 | 1,051 | 943 | 1,295 | 1,420 | 1,386 |
| Avg GPA | 3.42 | 3.50 | 3.47 | 3.33 | 3.33 | 3.23 | 3.27 | 3.23 | 3.23 | 3.26 | 3.20 |
As of fall 2018 Cal Poly Humboldt had the largest enrollment percentage of Native Americans and the third largest enrollment percentage of multiracial individuals in the Cal State system.[45]
Number of enrolled students: 6,045 (fall 2024)[46]
Gender:[3]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| Master's | |
| Washington Monthly[48] | 59 |
| Regional | |
| U.S. News & World Report[49] | 32 |
| National | |
| Forbes[50] | 623 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[51] | 501–600 |
| TopPublic Schools | 17 |
| Best College forVeterans | 18 |
| Top Performers onSocial Mobility | 31 |
| Best Value Schools | 37 |
| BestUndergraduateEngineering Programs | 94 (of schools without doctorate programs) |
| Program | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Social Work | 172 |
The Humboldt Energy Independence Fund (HEIF) is unique to the CSU, and uses student fee money to fund renewable energy and energy efficiency projects on campus. HEIF provides a rare opportunity for students, faculty, and plant operations staff to work together collaboratively towards a goal of a lower-carbon and energy-independent future.Compost andrecycling bins are more common on campus than trash cans and many events are encouraged to bezero waste, all coordinated through the student-run Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP).[56] The Associated Students fund WRRAP, the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, and theSustainable Living Arts and Music Festival (SLAM fest).
Cal Poly Humboldt built the first building in the CSU system to be LEED-gold certified for its eco-friendly features. The Behavioral and Social Sciences Building has facilities for rainwater collection and sustainably harvested wood native-plant landscaping, among others.[31]
There are over 200 clubs on campus; these include a variety of options that range from social interests, academic, Greek life and sports.[57]
The university has multiple publications.The Lumberjack is the university's only student-run weekly newspaper.[58]
The university also has a monthly student-run newspaper,El Leñador, which is bilingual and produced by students with minority backgrounds.El Leñador received first place in competing against other monthly and bi-weekly papers from four- and two-year colleges and universities across California.[59]
Osprey is the university's student-run magazine, published twice annually. It has won first-place awards in major regional competitions, including the Society of Professional Journalists' "Mark of Excellence" Awards and the California Intercollegiate Press Association awards.[60]
Cal Poly Humboldt is also the only university in the CSU system to have a university press. The Press at Cal Poly Humboldt publishes high-quality scholarly, intellectual, and creative works by or in support of the campus community.[61]
The Lumberjacks program is affiliated with theNCAA on theDivision II level and is a member of theCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal Poly Humboldt currently sponsors 12intercollegiate sports programs — men's and women'ssoccer,basketball,cross country,track and field, women'svolleyball,softball,rowing, and, formerly,football (in which it competed in theGreat Northwest Athletic Conference).
In addition to NCAA sanctioned athletics, Cal Poly Humboldt also supports club sports including,archery,baseball,cheer,climbing,cycling,disc golf,fencing,logging sports, men's and women'slacrosse, men's and women'srugby, men's and women'sultimate Frisbee, men'screw, and men'svolleyball.
As of 2022, 2,069 beds were available on campus. As Cal Poly Humboldt enrolls nearly 6,000 students and as there is an acute housing shortage in Arcata, homelessness is prevalent among the student population. The university has sought to restrict and penalize students who are forced to live in cars, RVs or vans on campus.[62] A 2018 study concluded that almost 20% of Cal Poly Humboldt students had experienced recent homelessness,[63] double the rate of the CSU system as a whole.[63][64]
University housing consists of six living areas: The Hill, Cypress, and Canyon for first-year students, and the College Creek Apartments, Campus Apartments, Creekview, and Cypress for other students.[65] To address a housing shortage, Cal Poly Humboldt contracted with four local hotels—theMotel 6,Super 8,Ramada Inn, andComfort Inn—to provide approximately 350 beds of "bridge housing" to students.[66] By 2023, however, the university eliminated three of the four options, leaving only the Comfort Inn as the only motel option.[66] A new off-campus housing complex, Craftsman Mall, will house a thousand residents and is projected to open in fall 2025; new on-campus housing for an additional 600 to 700 students is projected to open in summer 2027.[63] Cal Poly Humboldt announced it was closing the Campus Apartments in late January 2025 on the recommendations of a consultant after mold tests conducted in a recently vacated room. The apartments are expected to be demolished after the new Hinarr Hu Moulik housing complex opens.[67] In April 2025, it was reported that Hinarr Hu Moulik would open for up to 600 students in the Fall 2025 semester.[68]
The Klamath River is the focus of the Klamath Connection, which is designed to help freshmen learn important skills for future science careers.[69]
The Y.E.S. House (Youth Educational Services) programs are created by students and led by student volunteer programs. There are currently 17 programs running.[70]
Centers and institutes at the university include:
He went to Humboldt State University in rural Arcata, Calif., where for a time he wanted to study forestry. He switched to economics, and after graduation went to work for his dad.
He bounced around U.C. Berkeley and Humboldt State College in Northern California before returning to Irvine to receive his mathematics degree in 1972.
Danny Herrera of Rowland Heights, Ca. passed away on April 25, 2008 of an apparent Heart attack at the age of 70. He was a graduate of Humboldt State University and a current High School teacher at Rosemead High School.
Later that year, Kiffmeyer moved away from the East Bay area to attend Humboldt State University in Arcata, California.
Levine majored in journalism at HSU and after graduating, worked as a reporter for seven years at various newspapers, including USA Today.
McKinnon continued to pursue an interest in music and enrolled at Humboldt State University at 18 studying a music major.
He studied music at Humboldt State and in 1977 graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Jaki Byard and Gunther Schuller, and was a classmate of Marty Ehrlich's.
Collecting that many of anything does not happen overnight, and Selva began gathering lichens — an organism in which an alga and a fungus live in a symbiotic relationship — more than 40 years ago when he was an undergraduate at Humboldt State University in California.
And the solitary nature of the job is continually reinforced: After Prescott closed, Spivak finished her undergraduate work at Humboldt State in California, before earning her PhD in entomology at Kansas University.
In addition to works by Nigel Westlake and others, the Ensemble also performs a cult classic by HSU alum and founding member of the Mr. Bungle group Trey Spruance, as featured on the hit album Disco Volante.
Suggs, who was a three-time all-California Collegiate Athletic Association selection during his four years at Humboldt State (2007–2010), was one of five non-contract players with the Quakes during their preseason camp.
He studied religion and history at Northern California's Humboldt State University before dropping out to become a boxer full time.
Accomplished artist, Martin Wong, a 1968 graduate of Humboldt State University, has left a legacy of art and scholarships to his alma mater.
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40°52′34″N124°04′44″W / 40.876°N 124.079°W /40.876; -124.079
