About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

California State University, Fresno

Encyclopedia : C : CA : CAL : California State University, Fresno

The campus on a sunny day
Enlarge
The campus on a sunny day

California State University, Fresno, commonly referred to as Fresno State, is one of the campuses of California State University, located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, at the foot of the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range in the San Joaquin Valley. Fresno County is the sixth largest metropolitan area in California. The university is within an hour's drive of many mountain and lake resorts and within a three- or four-hour drive of both Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Fall semester runs from late August through December. The spring semester runs from mid-January through mid-May. Short sessions are offered throughout the summer.

Contents

Campus

California State University, Fresno is widely regarded as one of the premier campuses in California's public university system (University of California and California State University). Fresno State was officially designated as an arboretum in 1978 and now boasts more than 4,000 trees on campus. The 388-acre main campus features more than 46 traditional and modern buildings. An additional 34 structures are on the 1,022-acre University Farm, which is considered one of the most modern and best equipped agricultural facilities in the West. In February of 2006, the Student Recreation Center opened. A greatly anticipated complex that was/is fully funded by private donations and a semester student-use fee, the complex is among the finest on the west coast. The wellness center boasts 4 full-size basketball courts, a dance studio, 1/8 mile indoor running track, locker rooms, 2 sleek raquetball courts, aerobic equipment, and weight-lifting machines (various disciplines). The Student Recreation Center is directly west of the Save Mart Center arena.

Greater campus extends from Fraternity Row off of Millbrook and Bulldog Stadium in the west to the Save Mart Center and soon to be constructed Campus Pointe and Highway 168 in the east. Vineyards and orchards to the north designate the campus boundary, Shaw Ave. to the south

Fresno State purports to have the only commercial winery operating on a college campus in America.

The campus is one of the nation's most ethnically diverse (largely attributed to the great level of diversity seen in Fresno County and proximity to the bay area and Los Angeles.)

Under construction are a variety of projects that could likely elevate Fresno State into one of the finest regional public universities in the nation. A state-of-the-art library should serve as the new centerpiece. Despite the new gains, the campus still lacks a multi-story parking structure and getting from location to location can often be trying.

Academics

Smittcamp Family Honors College - Highly selective scholarship program

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)

Craig School of Business considered one of the top business schools in the west. According to the Princeton Review, Craig MBA is a top-45 business school in the nation based on annual rankings. "Best 282 Business Schools."

Air Force and Army ROTC

Graduation - Annual Commencement ceremony now takes place at the Save Mart Center arena (since 2004).

Accreditation

Fresno State is accredited by California Board of Education and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The university has 23 nationally accredited departmental programs, among the highest number within the CSU system.
The campus on a foggy morning
Enlarge
The campus on a foggy morning

Colleges

Athletics and traditions

Fresno State is a member of the NCAA's Division I. Fresno State has been a member of the Western Athletic Conference since 1992. Before that, it had been a member of the Big West Conference since 1988. Fresno State was also a member of the Big West's predecessor, the Pacific Coast Athletic Association since its inception in 1969 and was a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association from its beginning in 1939 (when Fresno State was in Division II).

Fresno State's football team, currently coached by Pat Hill, has garnered a reputation for being willing to play any top-ranked opponent, anytime, anywhere (usually on the opponent's field). Fresno State (as of December 2005) has achieved success with a 10-8 record against BCS teams, the most by any program not in a BCS conference. This has not only helped Fresno State gain revenue from top-ranked programs, it has also provided the Bulldogs a following among college football fans who admire its willingness to challenge the best teams (and has resulted in the Bulldogs being featured more regularly on college football TV programs than most non-BCS conference teams). However, their success in their non conference games hasn't translated to championships in conference play. The Bulldogs haven't won the WAC title since sharing it in 1999. Fresno State often travels between 10,000-20,000 miles during its football season, between its WAC conference games (the conference itself is spread from Ruston, Louisiana to Honolulu Hawaii) and its usually brutal non-conference schedule.

Bulldog basketball squads play at the crown jewel of the WAC, the Save Mart Center. Facility houses the ECHL's Fresno Falcons hockey team and is regularly on the Pollstar list of top 25 concert and entertainment venues by attendance.

Beiden Field was the former home of the Pacific Coast League (AAA) farm team of the San Francisco Giants (1998-2001). The Fresno Grizzlies moved to their current downtown stadium in May of 2002. Beiden Field is often listed by Baseball America as a top-25 NCAA baseball facility. Hosted the 2006 WAC baseball tournament.

Sports

Fresno State fields seven sports for men. They are: Fresno State fields nine sports for women. They are:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Fresno_State_Bulldog_StadiumNight.jpg

Sports facilities

Traditions

Fight song

Fight Varsity
On your toes dig in and hit that line!
We're all pulling hard for you
So fight and give the best there is in you
Fight Varsity
On your toes and hit that line!
We'll fight on to victory
We're always true to Fresno State!

Alma Mater

''Let us in song, our voices raise
In cloistered courts, to sound thy praise.
Each voice and heart that sings is true
To thee, oh, Cardinal and Blue.
For thee, our hopes and memories;
For thee, our hearts and loyalties.
Thy sons and daughters hail thee great,
Our Alma Mater, Fresno State!

Notable alumni

Notable athletes

Notable faculty and staff

Notable former faculty and staff

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: