California State University, Channel Islands

California State University
Channel Islands

File:Csuci seal.jpg
Type	Public
Established	2002
Endowment	$13.3 million (2014)
President	Richard R. Rush
Provost	Gayle E. Hutchinson
Academic staff	312 (Fall 2012)
Students	5,140 (Fall 2013)
Undergraduates	4,963 (Fall 2013)
Postgraduates	177 (Fall 2013)
Location	Camarillo , California , U.S.
Campus	Rural, 1,187 acres (480 ha)
Colors	Red & Silver
Nickname	The Dolphins
Affiliations	California State University system
Mascot	Ekho the Dolphin
Website	www.csuci.edu

California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI, CSU Channel Islands, known informally as CI) is a four-year public comprehensive university located outside Camarillo, California in Ventura County. CI opened in 2002, as the 23rd campus in the California State University system, succeeding the Ventura County branch campus of CSU Northridge. The campus has been and continues to be the setting for numerous television, film, and music video productions, including productions such as Pearl Harbor, Say It Isn't So, The Ring, Jarhead, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the X-files. CI is located midway between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles in Camarillo, at the intersection of the Oxnard Plain and northern most edge of the Santa Monica Mountain range. The Channel Islands are nearby where the university operates a scientific research station on Santa Rosa Island. CSUCI has several notable and award-winning faculty, including one of the U.S.'s top economic forecasters, Sung Won Sohn, novelist Sofia Samatar, renowned artist Jack Reilly and the American conservation biologist Sean Anderson.

Channel Islands offers 53 types of Bachelor's degrees, 6 different graduate (Master's) degrees, 19 teaching credentials and a Ed.D degree. In the Fall of 2012, the university enrolled the largest number of students in its 10-year history with 4,920 students including undergraduate and postgraduate. Since its establishment, the university has awarded nearly 7,000 degrees. In Fall of 2013, the university had 349 faculty, of which 93 (or 27 percent) were on the tenure track.

History

Main article: Camarillo State Mental Hospital

The first buildings of the campus were built in 1934 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal during the Great Depression, a public works project to house the Camarillo State Mental Hospital and provide welfare for the unemployed. Construction teams utilized several thousand laborers over the course of three years in their endeavor to create everything from the hospital itself to a power plant, local utilities, and animal husbandry/farm facilities that would eventually support a vibrant complex of patients and staff numbering into the thousands during normal weekday operations. The hospital operated from 1936–1997, more than six decades.

Planning for the University began in 1965, when State Senator Robert J. Lagomarsino co-authored Senate Bill 288 calling for establishment of a four-year public college in Ventura County, and Governor Pat Brown signed a bill authorizing a study for a state college for the county. In 1974, Dr. Joyce Kennedy established the UC/CSU Ventura Learning Center. She went on to serve as director of the CSUN Ventura Campus for more than fifteen years.

CSU Channel Islands Entrance Sign

In 1996, J. Handel Evans began as Planning President charged with beginning development of a public, four-year university in the region. In September 1997, on the recommendation of the Chancellor and a community task force appointed by the Governor, the CSU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept the former Camarillo State Hospital site for the purpose of transforming it into the CSU's 23rd campus. In July 1996, the CSU Board of Trustees formally adopted the name California State University Channel Islands for the new University. In September 1997, Governor Wilson signed into law S.B. 623 (Jack O'Connell) providing for the financing and support of the transition of the site for use as a university campus. The state legislature and the CSU Board of Trustees provided funds to begin the conversion of the facility from a state hospital into a college campus. In 1997, the hospital closed and the patients were moved into the state-local system. In August 1999, The Ventura Learning Center moved to the Camarillo site as CSUN-CI, a satellite facility for CSU Northridge.

The school chose red and silver as their colors for the university. The red is consistent with the tradition of the region, and the silver is for the dolphin, the University mascot. The campus is situated on land inhabited by the historic Chumash.

The CSU Board of Trustees appointed Richard R. Rush as President of California State University Channel Islands and he started on June 18, 2001. Dr. Rush's formal inauguration was held on April 19, 2002. While establishing the University structures, Dr. Rush has overseen and participated in hiring of faculty and the university's senior staff. In addition, he has directed the development of the university's strategic, academic, and physical master plans. On August 16, 2002, CI opened to upper division transfer students and in the fall of 2003, accepted its first freshman class. As of January 2006, the first named school of the campus was the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics. On May 17, 2007, CI graduated its inaugural freshman class and received its initial accreditation for seven years, the maximum period allowed by the WASC. The campus is under continuing construction to accommodate the projected growth of the university. While there are about 5,300 registered students, projected enrollment for the year 2025 is 15,000 full-time students. Dr. Rush has announced his intention to retire at the end of the current academic year in June 2016, after15 years as the campus's first president.

Campus

Central Mall Fountain

The campus is located about two miles (3 km) south of the city of Camarillo, at the base of Long Grade Canyon. The school is set on rich agricultural land at the edge of the Oxnard Plain and nestled into the base of the Santa Monica Mountains. The flat site is bordered by farms and marked by a lone peak called Round Mountain. The state hospital was built in a remote area so roads were improved to provide for the campus traffic. The university developed a bus transit network to serve the campus with VISTA buses providing access to Gold Coast Transit in Oxnard and the Camarillo train station. Gaining official possession of the land in 1998 and then occupancy in 1999, California State University began classes on the 634-acre (257 ha) existing campus-style facility, primarily one to two-story buildings organized around three primary quads. In 2007, the campus acquired an additional 153 acres (62 ha). Many of the buildings are in the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architectural styles, although there are a few "modern" buildings. The campus is split into two primary sections: North Quad and South Quad. In 2012, del Norte and Madera Halls were opened in the North Quad; some of the buildings in the North Quad are still uninhabited and unsafe due to age.

North Quad

Development on the North Quad includes the 2012 del Norte classroom building and Madera Hall, which primarily houses faculty. Solano Hall and the Grand and Petit Salons received additional renovations in 2012, and house offices, classrooms, and a conference center. Manzanita Hall includes classrooms for the nursing program and other various classes. Placer Hall is home to the University Public Safety and Parking Services and is located next to the Business School. It dispenses permits to visitors. Napa Hall, which includes the Mike Curb Studios opened in 2010, has classrooms for art and design students. Finally, the University Hall is where the President's Office is located along with various other administrative departments.

Martin V. Smith Center for Integrative Decision-Making

Martin V. ("Bud") Smith donated eight million dollars to finance the construction of California State University Channel Islands. The first school on campus was named in his honor. Additionally, his name marks The Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics, the Martin V. Smith Professorship in Land Use Studies, and the Martin V. Smith Center for Integrative Decision Making. The 4,157-square-foot (386.2 m²) building opened in the Spring of 2009. It features a large lecture hall and adjoining classrooms. This building is one of the few classrooms in the north quad.

South Quad

Most of the campus' redeveloped buildings are located within the South Quad area. The Bell Tower houses most of the campus classrooms and professor offices. The Bell Tower can be seen from most areas on campus, because of it height and centrality.

In 2006, Channel Islands students passed a referendum to fund the design, construction and operation of the new Student Union. The 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m²) Student Union includes a large programmable area for student events and live entertainment; a dining center with a coffee shop, pizzeria, sandwich deli and salad bar; lounges for informal gatherings; a game room, pool tables and computer gaming systems; and ASI offices for Student Government, Student Programming Board, The Nautical Yearbook, and the Channel Islands View (CI View) student newspaper. The Student Union also includes a courtyard for outdoor events and gatherings for the entire campus community.

John Spoor Broome Library

The John Spoor Broome Library was designed by architect Lord Norman Foster and named after the first major donor to campus, John "Jack" Spoor Broome, an Oxnard rancher and philanthropist. The library opened on April 4, 2008. It is one of the few buildings on the campus that does not represent the Spanish mission style. This 13,700-square-foot (1,270 m²) complex, which is twelve times larger than the previous library, is home to 75,000 books, 180,000 electronic books, and 32,000 images of art. It also complements the campus sustainability plan by using recyclable carpeting, natural lighting and combining the new structure with the existing buildings surrounding it.

In the summer of 2002, former Congressman Robert J. Lagomarsino and his wife, Norma, established the Robert J. and Norma M. Lagomarsino Department of Archives and Special Collections, which is housed within the library. Lagomarsino, a native of Ventura County, served as mayor of Ojai in 1958, as a state senator from 1961–1974, and later, as a United States congressman from 1974 to 1992.

Academics

CI offers undergraduate majors in twenty-two areas of study. Additionally, CI plans to add majors in geography, kinesiology and social justice by Fall 2014 and nutrition and philosophy by Fall 2015.

The school also has various Academic Centers and Institutes. Four out of its five centers are mission specific centers and has two institutes, the Alzheimer's Institute and the Small Business Institute. All centers and institutes must support the CI mission. Mission specific centers are developed with the primary purpose of enabling the CI faculty to support the mission of the university. Centers cut across disciplines and have co-curricular implications. Institutes and other centers are created with the intent to provide a necessary service, program, or disciplinary or interdisciplinary focus for the university and/or community.

Statistics

Demographics of student body

	%
African American	2.6%
Asian American	6.5%
White American	45.8%
Hispanic American	37.7%
Native American	0.5%
International	0.4%
Ethnicity unreported/unknown	7.0%

• Average high school GPA of CI first-time freshmen: 3.15
• Average ACT Score: 21
• Average SAT Score: 1335-1665
• Average class size: 20.1 students

Student demographics

63% percent of the student population is female, while the remaining 37% percent is male.

Student life

Throughout the year students can participate in intramural sports, health and fitness activities; join various student organizations; utilize waterfront programs (sailing, rowing and kayaking); and participate in outdoor adventures, honor societies, leadership retreats and workshops, multicultural programs, sports clubs, block parties, and career and graduate fairs.

Housing

University Hall

There are two villages that make up student housing. They are both named after two of the Channel Islands: Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands.

Opened in the Fall of 2007, Santa Cruz village is home to freshmen students and students who have completed fewer than thirty units. Most suites are two bedroom, housing six students with three in each bedroom. Most single occupancy rooms are reserved for the Resident Assistants or "RAs," which are students employed by Housing and Residential Education. Santa Cruz has various amenities including a game room, a fitness room, a dance studio, television rooms, and study rooms. Santa Cruz village at capacity is home to 460 residents. Anacapa Village houses transfer students and sophomore level students. Each dorm has a small kitchen and living area, two bathrooms, and four bedrooms housing six roommates in a two-double, two-single format.

University Glen Corporation

The University Glen Community contains 658 apartments, town homes and single family residences available for rental or purchase. The Town Center is a multi-use building with apartments on the two upper floors and thirty thousand square feet of retail space on the first floor. Current tenants of the Town Center include The Cove Bookstore, Tortillas Grill and Cantina, Pizza 3.14, Sitar Indian Restaurant , and the University Glen Corporation offices. The University Glen Corporation also extends onto campus, managing the cafeteria, Freudian Sip, the Lighthouse Cafe, and catering services all over campus.

University Glen Housing Apartments, town homes, and houses are all options residents have to rent or buy (apartments available for rent only). Sizes range from 1400-2400 sq. ft and offer more living space than what you would find outside of the University. All landscape upkeep is paid for and done by the university, and all the existing buildings are updated when needed to maintain a pleasant looking environment. The area is well lit, and there are always police officers patrolling to keep University Glen safe. Student life on campus has never caused problems in the area, but you can still access campus resources such as “Town Center”, and the library.

Athletics

Currently there are no teams from the school on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level.

Arroyo Hall, which is the general student gym on campus, is located between the Bell Tower and Anacapa Village. It has Basketball and Volleyball courts and various gym equipment. The gyms hosts different intramural team tournaments for students and also host all sport teams activities. Channel Islands has various intramural teams and club teams.

• Cycling - This club features a bicycle kitchen (volunteer mechanics/repair advice), riding club and USAC mountain and road racing teams that compete against other colleges and clubs such as USC, UCLA, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis.
• Lacrosse - CSUCI Men's Lacrosse
• Volleyball The Volleyball team practices in Arroyo Hall.
• Sailing The sailing team practices in Channel Islands harbor in Ventura, California. They compete against teams around California and have had some success.

Notable faculty

• Jack Reilly, Professor of Art
• Sofia Samatar, Assistant Professor of English, author of A Stranger in Olondria, winner of the British Fantasy Award for best novel and World Fantasy Award for best novel
• Sung Won Sohn, Professor of Economics since 2008; one of the U.S.'s top economic forecasters
• Jacquelyn Kilpatrick, Co-founder and developer of the Performing Arts, English, and Communication programs
• Sean Anderson, Professor of Environmental Science and Resource Management; conservation biologist

External links

• Official website