San Francisco State University - History

History

• 1899 – Founded as San Francisco State Normal School.
• 1901 – First graduating class
• 1906 – The 1906 earthquake and fire forces the school to relocate from Nob Hill to a new campus at Buchanan and Haight Streets.
• 1921 – Renamed San Francisco State Teachers College
• 1923 – First bachelor of arts degree awarded
• 1935 – Renamed San Francisco State College
• 1953 – Current campus near Lake Merced opens; it is formally dedicated in October, 1954.
• 1966 – Beginning of the era of campus protests led by student organizations including the Black Students Union, Third World Liberation Front, and Students for a Democratic Society. The protests against college policies and off-campus issues such as the Vietnam War included sit-ins, rallies, marches, teach-ins, and on several occasions violent conflicts with police. The protests were marked by counter-protests and widespread charges of corruption and election fraud in the student newspaper.
• 1968 – A lengthy student strike erupted that developed into an important event in the history of the U.S. in the late 1960s. The strike was led by the Black Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front, and it demanded an Ethnic Studies program as well as an end to the Vietnam War. This became a major news event for weeks in the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. At one point, University president S.I. Hayakawa famously pulled the wires out of the speakers on top of a van at a student rally. During the course of the strike, large numbers of police drawn from many jurisdictions occupied the campus and over 700 people were arrested on various protest-related charges.
• 1969 – On March 20, an agreement was reached, and the strike officially comes to an end with the administration retaining control of hiring and admissions and the creation of the School (now College) of Ethnic Studies.
• 1972 – Received university status as California State University, San Francisco
• 1974 – Renamed San Francisco State University
• 1975 - Cesar Chavez Student Center opened its doors to students
• 1993 – Downtown campus opened
• 1999 – Celebrated 100th birthday
• 2007 – New Downtown Campus opened at 835 Market Street
• 2009 – Non-student protesters, joined by some San Francisco State University students, occupied the business building before dawn Wednesday, December 9 for 24 hours to protest administrative salaries and state budget cuts that led to increased student fees, staff layoffs, and classes cut from the schedule. Hundreds of students linked arms at various points throughout the day in support.