Intro
The University Libraries celebrate the 60th anniversary of Cal State East Bay.
1950s
Cal State East Bay was originally named the State College for Alameda County when it was officially established by the California State Assembly in 1957.
In January 1959, Dr. Fred Harcleroad became the first president of the college, and a number of key administrators were soon hired.
Initially, much of their work was conducted in a Studebaker Lark as they viewed yet-to-be-declared sites for the new campus.
By June 1959, they had offices on West Winton Avenue.
Many cities (including Fremont, Livermore, and San Leandro) competed to be the site of the new campus, but the Hauschildt Ranch site in Hayward was chosen in late 1959.
The first academic year began in 1959 at the new Sunset High School in Cherryland with 25 faculty and and 293 students.
1960s
Classes moved to the old Hayward Union High School on Foothill Boulevard in 1960.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the current Hayward Campus were held in February 1961 and the college moved to its permanent location in Fall 1963.
The college also changed its name in 1963 to the California State College at Hayward.
A pioneering spirit pervaded campus in the idealistic months before president John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, born of identification with Kennedy’s New Frontier programs.
Hence the student body chose to call themselves Pioneers, and the first Pioneer mascot was an astronaut from NASA's Pioneer Space Program.
Student life and concerns mirrored the social changes of the decade brought about by the Civil Rights Movement and Anti-War protests.
Students founded their own Anti-Establishment newspaper, The New Dialogue.
Building at the campus continued in 1966 with the PE, Music, and Meiklejohn buildings joining the Science and Fine Arts (AE) buildings in 1966.
Groundbreaking for the new Administration Building took place in 1969.
1970s
The campus expansions of the 1960s came to fruition in the early 1970s with several new buildings opening, including the Library and Administration buildings, the University Theatre and Robinson Hall in 1971, and the Student Health Center in 1973.
In 1972, the campus changed names for the third time, officially becoming California State University, Hayward.
Enrollment peaked in 1972 at 14,000 students, a level that the campus would not achieve again until 2010.
The BART system began service in 1972, making it easier for students to commute to campus from around the Bay Area, but many still faced frustrations with the lack of parking and student housing near campus.
Students also turned their attention to the many pressing social issues of the day, such as the Vietnam War.
This led to the development of new programs and services for the campus, including Women’s Studies, the Handicapped Student Service Center and an off-site Child Care Center that was established by the Associated Students in 1971.
1980s
The advent of personal computing spread new technologies on campus into the 1980s.
Early Apple computers and IBM PCs quickly replaced the old punched-card mainframes that were used in both classrooms and administrative offices.
In 1981, the University established the Contra Costa Center at the vacated Pleasant Hill High School, serving for the first time an expanded population in Contra Costa and Solano counties.
The remodeled University Union opened in 1985 on the site of the old cafeteria, providing offices for student government and a space for students eat and socialize between classes.
Students especially enjoyed the new game room in the Union and the Puzzle, where students could buy beer and wine.
Pioneer Heights, the first University-owned student housing on campus, opened its doors in 1987.
Accommodating 400 students, it would challenge the reputation of our university as a "commuter school" and provide a new nucleus of student life on campus.
1990s
Plans for a permanent campus in Contra Costa County were approved in 1986.
5 years later, in 1991, ground was broken on what would be the home of the Contra Costa Campus.
The new campus opened in 1992 and was dedicated on May 7, 1993 by President Norma Rees.
Development of distance learning technology allowed for a close-knit relationship between the two campuses.
With the establishment of distance learning classrooms, students at the Contra Costa Campus were able to access courses from the Hayward Ccampus.
In addition to the groundbreaking and opening of the Contra Costa Campus, student life activities at the Hayward Campus continued to expand.
The Asian/Pacific Islander Graduation Celebration was started in 1994.
In 1996, ASI brought the university's childcare center onto the campus.
2000s
The university changed its name to California State University, East Bay in 2005 to reflect its new regional orientation: the main campus site is now called the Hayward Campus.
At the same time, the Contra Costa Campus also changed its name to the Concord Campus.
With their new names, the Hayward Campus, the Concord Campus, and the Oakland Center, which became a third site, reinforced the regional influence of the university.
New construction blossomed on the Hayward Campus for the first time since the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Valley Business and Technology Center opened its doors in the 2006-07 academic year.
It met a long-recognized need for a building dedicated to Cal State East Bay's successful business and technology programs.
The campus Diversity Center was established in 2007.
At that time, it operated under ASI and was in many ways an extension of ASI special events.
The Diversity Center focused on the three pillars of Multiculturalism, Social Justice, and Community Service.
2010s
In 2013 the Diversity Center separated from ASI and became a university department.
It was supervised by the Director of Student Life and Leadership until the Coordinator for the Diversity Center was hired in Spring 2015.
In Fall 2015 the Diversity Center re-branded itself as the Diversity and Inclusion Student Center (DISC) and expanded its mission.
Due to seismic vulnerability, Warren Hall, which had been the university’s signature building, was demolished August 17, 2013.
Thousands of people watched the demolition from public locations through the East Bay.
The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Almanac designated the Cal State East Bay student body as the most diverse in the mainland United States in 2015.
Cal State East Bay was designated an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution in 2011 and a Hispanic-Serving Institution in 2014.
Future
The future is coming into view for Cal State East Bay.
Two things to look forward to are the change to semesters and the Campaign for Cal State East Bay.
As one of the few CSUs on the Quarter system, Cal State East Bay has elected to migrate to the semester system in Fall 2018 to be consistent with our sister campuses.
With a focus on People, Place and Purpose, the Campaign for Cal State East Bay will strengthen the university's ability to empower students of diverse backgrounds to reach their full potential and use the transformative power of knowledge to serve the public good.
A major goal for the Campaign is fundraising for a new Library Building on the Hayward Campus.
The new building would house improved technology and inspiring spaces for student collaboration and study.
