California State University, Dominguez Hills (also known as CSUDH, Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university located in the city of Carson, California in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County and was founded in 1960. The university is part of the 23-school California State University system. It offers 46 majors for a Bachelor's degrees, 22 different Master's degrees, and 17 types of teaching credentials. The university does not confer doctoral degrees. It is one of the most ethnically-diverse universities in the United States with the largest percentage of black students of any Cal State campus and has a large population of first-generation college students.
In Fall 2016 the university had a total enrollment of 14,731 students comprising 12,632 undergraduates (85.8%) and 2,099 post baccalaureates (14.2%). The campus offers small class sizes for its students. As of Fall 2014, the university had 767 faculty, of which 303 were full-time and tenure track. California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) is not an impacted campus; this is the designation for CSU campuses which are oversubscribed and have elevated admission standards either for the whole campus or for certain majors.
Dominguez Hills ranked #2 in a list of "The 100 Most Affordable Universities in America 2015" by Best Value Schools. It also ranked #29 in the list of "50 Best Value Colleges and Universities in California 2015." In 2015, Cal State Dominguez Hills ranked #11 in Washington Monthly's list of Master's University Rankings. This same year CSUDH was ranked 88th nationally by The Brookings Institution for the value-add to students who graduate from there. Using a similar methodology, The Economist ranked CSUDH 63rd in its 2015 college rankings.
The campus sits on the historic Rancho San Pedro, the oldest land grant in the Los Angeles area. The land was in the continuous possession of the Dominguez family through seven generations - from its concession to Juan Jose Dominguez in 1784 to its acquisition by the people of the state of California for the university. The campus mascot is the Toro, Spanish for bull.
History
The foundation for what would become CSU Dominguez Hills was built in 1960 when then Governor of California Pat Brown provided state funds to begin development of the campus. It was originally to be located in Palos 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, architect A. Quincy Jones successfully designed a master plan for construction. As the permanent campus had not yet been constructed, the first classes began to be taught in 1965 at the California Federal Savings Bank in Rolling Hills Estates, California. The college began with an enrollment of approximately 40 students.
In 1965 the designated location for the campus was moved to an area known as Dominguez Hills in Carson. John Muns, president of the Dominguez Hills Homeowners Association in 1965, recognized that for a community to be selected as the site for a state college was a mark of status and prestige. He quickly headed up the campaign in support of Dominguez Hills, which at the time was still unincorporated ranch and farming land in the soon-to-be city of Carson.
During 1968 the population of the student body of CSUDH exceeded 1,000 enrolled for the first time. As a result, the campus needed a vice-president; this vacancy would be filled by Dr. Lyle Gibson of whom CSUDH's "Lyle E. Gibson Distinguished Teacher Award" is named for.
The university was established, in large part, as a response to the African American outcry for higher education standards and opportunities. Additionally, from the months of October to November in 1969, demonstrations regarding the Vietnam War were held on the campus. In 1977 the California 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.
The university today
Today, CSU Dominguez Hills is a major university for the Southern geographical region of Los Angeles County and Orange County. It offers 46 undergraduate majors, 22 master's degrees, and a number of certificate and credential programs. The campus is accredited by the following associations: Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, the National 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.
CSU Dominguez Hills is also the home of the StubHub Center, a 27,000 seat multiple-sports and entertainment complex, which also houses the LA Galaxy Soccer Team, and Calvary Chapel's Easter Service each year among other community organizations. The Velodrome seats 2,450, and the Track and Field facilities are world-class.
Since 2009 CSUDH has hosted the Educación: Feria Es El Momento (The Moment is Now: Education Fair) in partnership with Univision's Los Angeles stations KMEX 34 and KFTR 46 formerly known as Feria Deja Huella (Leave Your Mark Fair) designed to guide predominantly Spanish-speaking parents through the U.S. educational system. In 2012 over 35,000 attended the fair. California State University, Dominguez Hills has been designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is a member of the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
Starting in 2011 Cal State Dominguez Hills began hosting the "Honoring the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas" pow wow. The campus is also home to the American Indian Institute which has the goal of increasing the number of students from Native American peoples who enroll and graduate from the CSU.
The university was ranked 35th in the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to Latinos, 86th for African-Americans and 100th for Asian-Americans by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. CSUDH was ranked 47th nationally in the total number of bachelor's degrees and 88th in total number of master's degrees awarded to minority students during the 2012-13 academic year, based on data reported to the U.S. Department of Education. For master's degrees, Cal State Dominguez Hills was 57th for Latinos and 92nd for Asian-Americans. CSUDH has developed the Male Success Alliance to attract minority men to the campus, starting with middle- and high school students.
Every year Dominguez Hills hosts the Connecting Women to Power Business Conference. Its goal is to, "Provide women entrepreneurs with an opportunity to hear from and dialogue with experts on technology, new media, marketing/branding, acquiring capital, securing investors, global expansion, and strategic management." The conference is sponsored by the State Board of Equalization. The campus has an unusually high percentage of female students with one the highest female-to-male ratios of a U.S. university.
CSU Dominguez Hills students have conducted research with "Toros" presenting their findings in the Annual Student Research Day (SRD). CSUDH also offers the McNair Scholars Program. Established in the name of Ronald E. McNair, the late NASA mission specialist who perished in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the McNair program has become a national model for how low-income and first-generation college students from traditionally under served communities who aspire to pursue advanced degrees can stand out from the substantial crowd applying for graduate school each year. The program has an impressive 93 percent graduate school acceptance rate.
In 2014 following its acquisition of 21 new Steinway-designed pianos, California State University, Dominguez Hills was named an All-Steinway School, the first public four-year university in California to receive the designation. At an All-Steinway School each student is guaranteed to perform and rehearse on instruments from Steinway and the school must follow certain maintenance guidelines. These instruments are subject to periodic inspections by Steinway factory representatives.
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) and the university has been a Presidential Winner of the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Presidential Award is the highest federal recognition an institution can receive for its commitment to community, service-learning, and civic engagement. Additionally, CSU Dominguez Hills placed 10th in the nation for its "contribution to public good" in a college-rankings guide compiled by Washington Monthly magazine. The magazine evaluated 650 universities offering degrees up to master’s level on success in helping low-income students earn degrees, produce research and foster civic engagement and community service.
Recent years have seen the university focusing more on the STEMs hosting the Annual STEM in Education Conference, offering the First-Year Undergraduate STEM Experience (FUSE) and in 2014 hosting the Women in STEM Conference. Its Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) was established in 2014 by a donation from the Annenberg Foundation and aims to improve local education with various STEM initiatives. CSUDH also offers a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Technology with an option to concentrate in Homeland Security, and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Dominguez Hills is preparing to launch its Master of Science in Cyber Security program in January 2016.
Library
California State University, Dominguez Hills opened the new Library South wing to the Leo F. Cain University Library in 2010 adding to a campus already widely regarded as beautiful. Funded by the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006, which provided the university with $50 million for the project, as well as a successful fundraising campaign, the 140,000-square-foot (13,000 m2) facility doubles the size of the original library and affords much-needed room for the library’s entire collection of books and research materials (currently at over half a million volumes), comfortable study areas, grand reading rooms, technologically advanced archival storage and research areas, 1,600 reader stations, 250 computer workstations, two dedicated computer labs, an events center and multi-cultural art gallery and learning center. Composed primarily of glass and metal, the Library South Wing is a five-story, state-of-the-art library facility which provides outstanding educational and cultural resources for the growing campus and surrounding community.
Athletics
CSU Dominguez Hills' athletic teams are known as the 'Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros', and the university's colors are Toro cardinal and gold. Dominguez Hills competes against other universities in Division II of the NCAA in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The men's soccer team plays at Toro Stadium (capacity 3,000). Other sports venues for the university are the Torodome (capacity 3,602) for basketball and volleyball; Toro Field (capacity 300) for baseball; and Toro Diamond (capacity 300) for softball. Select home games are nationally televised live via Internet TV.
Economic impact
CSU Dominguez Hills has over 81,555 alumni, of whom 67% live and work within 25 miles (40 km) of the campus, establishing a strong CSUDH presence throughout the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. The University plays a major role in the region’s economy â€" a recent economic impact study revealed CSU Dominguez Hills generates a total impact of $328.4 million annually in the South Bay, and nearly $335.3 million on the statewide economy. This impact sustains nearly 3,000 jobs in the region and statewide economy. Per year, the impact generates more than $18.5 million in local and nearly $20 million in statewide tax revenue. Even greaterâ€"more than $1 billion of the earnings by alumni from CSU Dominguez Hills are attributable to their CSU degrees, which creates an additional $1.7 billion of industry activity throughout the state.
Nursing
California State University, Dominguez Hill's School of Nursing is particularly prestigious. It offers three nursing degree programs: The Bachelor of Science (B.S. degree) in Nursing (RN-BSN), the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Nursing (MSN) for registered nurses who wish to specialize in an area of advanced practice; and the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Nursing - Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) role option. The programs are fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). CSU Dominguez Hills was recognized by NurseJournal.org as the #1 nursing school of 2015 in the Western Region in their list of America’s Best Nursing Schools. The rankings were based on: quality, affordability, convenience, satisfaction, and value.
In 2015, Terri Ares, a lecturer and CNS program advisor at Cal State, Dominguez Hills, was named "Educator of the Year" by the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS).
Notable people
Alumni
- Karen Bass â€" politician, Speaker of the California Assembly (2008â€"2010), U.S. Congresswoman
- Joe Buscaino â€" politician, member of the Los Angeles City Council
- Jeff Coopwood â€" Emmy nominated actor, broadcaster, educator
- Grace-Ann Dinkins â€" Olympic 100m track runner
- Jason Farol - Singer - Duets (tv series)
- Clarence Gilyard â€" actor, Matlock and Walker, Texas Ranger
- Dan Guerrero â€" athletic director for the University of California, Los Angeles
- Michael Happoldt â€" musician/DJ, Sublime
- Sweet Alice Harris - community activist
- Kevin Hartman â€" Major League Soccer goalkeeper
- Jerome Horton â€" California State Assemblyman for the 51st District
- Carmelita Jeter â€" American sprinter; gold, silver and bronze medalist at 2012 Summer Olympics
- Brian Kehew â€" musician, The Moog Cookbook
- John Langley â€" producer, COPS
- Bob Mann - journalist and head of the Department of Journalism at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Niecy Nash â€" actress, Reno 911!, dancer on Dancing with the Stars
- Josh Oppenheimer, Israeli-American professional basketball coach, and former professional basketball player
- Kevin Pillarâ€"outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays in Major League Baseball
- Lela Rochon â€" actress, Harlem Nights, Why Do Fools Fall in Love
- Scott Shaw â€" author, actor, fimmaker
- Louis Silas â€" record executive, Silas Records
- Gabriel Stauring - Founder and Executive Director at i-ACT, a California-based non-profit
- Ariana Stein - Co-creator and publisher of Lil' Libros
- Ben Swann - journalist, Emmy awards and Edward R. Murrow awards
- Steffan Tubbs â€" journalist, two-time winner of the Edward R. Murrow award
- La Rue Washington, outfielder for the Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball
- Zareh Zargaryan - basketball player for the Armenian National Team
Faculty
- Nancy D. Erbe, professor of NCRP was awarded the first (and only to date) Fulbright distinguished chair for CSUDH, in February 2014. She has received four Fulbright honors to date, including two Fulbrights in 2014 alone. She has published over thirty five books, articles or book chapters, including in the Harvard Negotiation Law Review. Her law article on human trafficking has been translated by the United Nations into several languages. She is the recipient of the presidential outstanding professor award in 2015.
- Anthony H. Normore is a professor of educational leadership, special education & teacher education educational leadership. He is a prolific writer and is author/editor of more than twenty books and numerous scholarly book chapters, book reviews, and peer-reviewed articles.
- Jerry Moore is a professor of anthropology. He is the recipient of the 2014 Book Award from the Society of American Archaeology, for his book, "The Prehistory of Home."
- Larry Rosen is a professor of psychology. He has authored and co-authored seven books: "The Mental Health Technology Bible" (Wiley, 1997), "TechnoStress: Coping With Technology @Work @Home @Play" (Wiley, 1997), "Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation" (Palgrave Macmillan Trade, 2007), "Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn" (Palgrave Macmillan Trade, 2010), "iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession With Technology and Overcoming its Hold on Us" and "The Distracted Mind." (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) Rosen's work has been published in several scholarly journals and he is a frequent contributor to Psychology Today and The Huffington Post in addition to Harvard Business Review. His research has been featured on 60 Minutes.
References
External links
- Official website
- CSUDH Library website
- Official Athletics website