Timeline Fills In Even More Little-Known Facts About Campus History

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For those wishing to fill in even more gaps in their knowledge about the development of the campus, the University Libraries offer this large horizontal timeline that traces hilltop history from 1957 to present. We invite you to come and browse your past while the exhibit installation remains (through March 2016).

You can also use the image gallery on this page (below), to view the panels individually.

Please note that the text on this page comprises that of the entire exhibit where available.

There may be additional information on other pages within this exhibit's Guide that expands on the production, as well.

Together, the text from these two sources comprise all the information covering this topic.

Poster #1:

How Much Do You Really Know About the Campus?

Come to the Library and Find Out!

An Exhibit in the CSUEB University Library
September 2015 - March 2016
Presented by the Library Exhibits Committee

 

Poster #2:

What Was the First Campus Mascot?

“Pioneer” Borrowed from the First U.S. Space Program

At the same time that the new state college in Hayward was coming into being, the United States was locked in the beginnings of a space race with the Soviet Union.  The Pioneer Space Program - America’s first space venture - had begun in 1958, and was the object of much public hope and optimism.  Thus, when it came time to choose a mascot to represent the new college, a Pioneer astronaut was voted by the student body as the best symbol to embody the new college’s hope for the future.  Early yearbooks and campus publications contain numerous references to this astronaut mascot.

Image caption:

To celebrate the first campus mascot, a Mercury spacesuit mockup was borrowed from NASA for Homecoming in 1962

 

Poster #3:

Why Is the Street Named Carlos Bee Boulevard?

Carlos Bee Was Key Player in Creating the Hayward Campus

Carlos Bee was a City Council Member, then Mayor of Hayward from 1948 to 1954.  As a state assemblyman, he lobbied hard to secure the current Hayward Hills location as the official site of the proposed State College for Alameda County.  Hayward was competing with over 15 other possible locations (including Pleasanton, San Leandro and Fremont), but it was Bee’s persistent effort that finally won Governor Knight’s signature of approval for our current campus in 1957.  The first dorms on campus were named after him and, upon his death in 1974, the street going up the hill to campus from Mission Boulevard (formerly Hillary Road) was also named in his honor.

Image caption:

State Assemblyman Carlos Bee helps wield shovel at campus groundbreaking in 1961.  Bee poses in front of the first dorms on campus, named in his honor and located on Carlos Bee Blvd.

 

Poster #4:

 Sea Lion Research on the Campus Hillside?

Ecological Field Station Was an Early Center for Animal Communication Research

By the mid-1980s, CSUH professor Ron Schusterman had gained national notoriety for his research into animal communication. Featured on a PBS Nova program, Schusterman’s work focused primarily on sea lions.  CSU built an ecological field station on the dry hillside just south of campus, complete with a large water tank, which eventually housed Rocky the Sea Lion, the prime test subject. The CSUH sea lion communication research program was funded by a grant from the Office of Naval Research.  After the program ended, the station fell into disuse, and was eventually bulldozed.

Image caption:

As the principal resident at CSUEB’s ecological field station during the 1980s, Rocky the Sea Lion had learned hand signals for objects, actions, and modifiers, and could respond to 270 of these combinations in short sentences.

 

Poster #5:

What Was on Our Hilltop Before the Campus?

Hilltop Ranch the Winning Site for the New Hayward College Campus

Over 15 properties were under consideration as the possible location of the new State College in Southern Alameda County.  The Hauschildt Ranch site atop the Hayward Hills won out after an intense competition.  The ranch buildings were located roughly where the campus Field House and track are today.  Groundbreaking for the new campus was celebrated on February 22, 1961, while the new college’s classes were being temporarily held at the old Hayward Union High School on Foothill Boulevard (on the site of the current Safeway store, across from the old Mervyn’s building).

Image caption:

The lower view of the ranch property on which the new campus was built looks west, in the direction of the future stadium and Field House; the top photo looks away from these ranch buildings toward the south and present-day Pioneer Heights.

 

Poster #6:

Where Did the Highland Players Get Their Name?

First Theatre on Campus Created from Relocated Highlands School Buildings

As construction proceeded on the new Hayward campus between 1961 and 1966, several new structures came online, including the Science, Fine Arts, Music, and PE buildings. Lacking a performance venue for its theatre classes, however, the Drama department had two old buildings from nearby Highlands School moved onto campus and put to use as The Highlands Playhouse.  The theatre’s tenure was cut short when Robinson Hall and the current Theatre Complex arrived in the early 1970s.  The Highlands Playhouse was eventually demolished, but each summer at CSUEB, the theatre company is called "The Highland Players" in honor of the campus’ original Playhouse.

Image caption:

Archival photos show the Highlands School buildings being moved onto campus, their siting in 1966, and their eventual demolition.

 

Poster #7:

Where Did Harder Road Get Its Name?

Harder Road Named for 19th Century Immigrant Family

Jacob Harder was a German immigrant farmer who came to the region in 1867 and eventually settled a large tract of land southwest of campus.  He married Theodora Jensen (the CSUEB Library owns a set of papers containing the history of the Jensen family, who were also early immigrant ranchers and farmers in the Castro Valley and Hayward area).  The Harders made important contributions to the City of Hayward, and Jacob Jr. became a prominent judge and member of the Hayward School Board for 30 years.  Harder descendants still live in the area today.  The road that bears their name cuts through much of their old farmstead as it approaches today’s campus.

Image caption:

Judge Jacob Harder Jr. served many years on the Hayward School Board. The Jacob Harder Theatre at Bret Harte School was named in his honor in 1941.  The judge’s father, Jacob Sr., had come to the Hayward area just after the Civil War.

 

Poster #8:

Hayward Campus Stars in Hollywood Film!

George Lucas Uses the Library Building to Shoot Movie Sequel in 1979

Following on his first big commercial movie success with American Graffiti in 1973, the young Bay-Area-based George Lucas chose the Cal-State Hayward Campus as one of two primary locations for More American Graffiti.  The story follows the first college-age Baby Boomers as they confront the war protests and social issues of the late 1960s.  Lucas’ film crew made over our own library courtyard to stand in for a typical American campus under siege by students protesting the Vietnam War.  To look the part, campus office windows were removed and replaced with broken “sugar glass” and protest banners were hung from the courtyard.

Image caption:

During a 3-4 day period in early 1979, a Lucasfilm production crew descended on the Hayward Campus.  The sequel to Lucas’ popular 1973 film starred Ron Howard and Cindy Williams.  The first film launched the careers of Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, and Harrison Ford, among others.

 

Poster #9:

Campus Name Changes

Names Have Changed 5 Times to Reflect Growth and Mission

Established in 1957 under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, our campus was intended to serve the educational needs of Alameda County.  Thus it was originally named State College for Alameda County (1956-1961) and was soon modified slightly to Alameda County State College (1961-1963).  After moving to its new, permanent location in the Hayward Hills, the small, but rapidly growing institution was known as California State College at Hayward (1963-1972).  By 1972, the name was changed to reflect its new university status, and became California State University, Hayward (1972-2005).  In 2005, the University sought to emphasize its regional mission by making the official name California State University, East Bay (2005-present).  

Image caption:

University logos and other branding have also changed in both style and content over the years.  The current seal of the University depicts a Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), native to the East Bay Hills.

 

Poster #10:

How Did the Biella Room Get Its Name?

The Library’s Biella Room Celebrates Outstanding Past Faculty

Professor Arnold Biella was an exuberant and energetic administrator who served the University from 1966-1972.  He headed the Division of Humanities and also served as a Professor of English and the Dean of Instruction.  The Biella Room is a special-events library venue named in his honor, but it also is officially "dedicated to the memory of [all] deceased faculty of the CSU Hayward Campus."  The Biella Room was dedicated after Dr. Biella’s death, shortly after the new Library Building opened.

Image caption:

Early campus yearbooks contain numerous images of Arnold Biella in his role as head of CSUH’s Humanities Division and, later, the School of Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences.

 

Poster #11:

How Did Robinson Hall Get Its Name?

Robinson Hall - Rare CSU Naming of a Campus Building to Honor a Professor

Karl Robinson was a well-known professor of Speech and Drama at Cal State Hayward during the mid-1960s.  Robinson was very active in the Speech Association of America, and also as an editor of the journal Speech Teacher, which later became Communication Education, and which the Library receives electronically even today.  His death at 63 from a heart attack obviously stunned the campus, and came just days before funding was finally approved to build a new Speech and Theatre complex.  Thanks to lobbying efforts by friends and colleagues, the building in which Drama and Dance are now studied and performed is named in his honor.

Image caption:

CSUH professor Karl Robinson, only on campus a few short years, nevertheless left a lasting impact on the University.

 

Poster #12:

Researching More Little-Known Facts About the Campus?

CSUEB University Archives Has Documents and Images of Campus for Researching

Did you know that your CSUEB University Archives collects, preserves, and makes accessible materials about the campus?  We also have files that trace the development of our university from its inception to the present day.  Would you like to research some aspect of campus history?  You can start your research at your computer, find help at the library Reference Desk, or make an appointment to visit the Archives.  We hope these display panels will spur you toward enjoying the beauty and history of your campus and, perhaps, doing research about the University and this region.  We are here to assist you - let us know how we can help.

Image caption:

The University Archives within the Library contains photographs, business documents, maps, site studies, and publications - such as school yearbooks - many dating back to the beginnings of the college in the mid-1950s. 

 

 

 

 

PANEL ONE:  1957 – 1959 – 1961

Building the College – Year-by-Year Chronology of the First 10 Years:

1957 - As the first postwar Baby Boomers approach high school, Assemblyman Carlos Bee, of Hayward, pushes a bill through the State Assembly to create a 4-year college in Southern Alameda County. Assembly Bill 4 establishes a “State College for Alameda County.”

1958 - Many cities promote locations for the new Alameda County State College campus to the State Board of Education. Hayward is prominent, with two possible sites, and has the backing of Carlos Bee. Other communities hoping to house the new college include San Leandro, Union City, Pleasanton, Livermore, Newark, and Fremont. After several false starts, in late 1959, the board finally chooses the Hauschildt Ranch site in the Hayward Hills as the new home for the Alameda County State College.

1959 - 1960 - In January 1959, Dr. Fred Harcleroad is appointed as the first president of the new college. From January through June 1959, he and other administrators make their home in offices on West Winton Avenue, and then move to the old Hayward Union High School on Foothill Boulevard.

Meanwhile, classes for the first academic year (1959-60) are held in the new Cherryland (later, Sunset) High School in Hayward. Bachelors degrees are offered in elementary education and business administration. The college boasts 25 faculty members, and the student population is 293.

1960 - 1961 - Classes are moved to the Hayward Union High School. The second year of instruction begins, with a faculty of 75 and a student body of 891. Five new bachelors degrees are offered: biological sciences, language arts, physical science, social science, and mathematics. On February 22, 1961, formal groundbreaking ceremonies take place at the new Hayward Hills campus site. In June, 24 graduates take part in the first commencement exercises in the old Hayward High auditorium.

The Donahoe Act of 1960 establishes the Trustees of the California State Colleges. Starting in the next academic year, the Alameda County State College, and other state colleges, begin to report to the trustees, rather than to the State Board of Education.

1961 - 1962 - Alameda County State College begins its third year of instruction with 92 faculty and 1,445 students. Seven new B.A. degrees are offered: art, business education, economics, English, history, music, and recreation.

 

PANEL ONE - IMAGE CAPTIONS

Central Overlay Image: Dr. Fred Harcleroad serves as the first president of the new Alameda County State College (later, California State College at Hayward) from 1959 to 1967.

Background Image: A view towards the Hauschildt Ranch, roughly from the campus’ future Carlos Bee Boulevard entrance. The barn and other ranch buildings are approximately where the PE and Library Buildings will be built.

Image #1:

Between fall 1960 and spring 1963, Alameda County State College’s classes are held at the condemned Hayward Union High School on Foothill Boulevard.

-       Photo courtesy of Hayward Historical Society.

Image #2:

Early Alameda County State College Admissions Office at the Foothill campus, before the move to the Hayward Hills site.

Image #3:

Earth movers begin to terrace the old ranch site for the new campus.

Image #4:

President Harcleroad and officials review the site plans on the Hauschildt Ranch mailbox, at the top of Hillary Road (now Carlos Bee Boulevard).

Image #5:

February 1961 - While classes are being held at the Hayward Union High campus, groundbreaking for the new hilltop campus is held below the old Hauschildt Ranch.

Image #6:

Spring 1961 - The first graduates of the new college line up at the old Hayward Union High campus on Foothill Boulevard.

 

PANEL TWO:  1962 – 1967 – 1972

First Years at the Hayward Hills Campus (1963-1966):

1962 - 1963 - The third and final year at the condemned Hayward Union High School begins with 118 faculty and 1,800 students. A 15th major is added: physical education. The new college gets a prestigious boost when famed author and philosopher Aldous Huxley speaks at the fall 1962 faculty convocation.

1963 - 1964 - Freshmen and sophomores are admitted for the first time, as the Alameda County State College occupies the just-completed Fine Arts and Science Buildings on the new hilltop site. Six more degrees are offered: political science, psychology, Spanish, chemistry, physics, and speech-drama. Faculty now number 136 and enrollment is just shy of 2,500 students. The campus also gets its first name change in 1963 - to The California State College at Hayward.

Dedication ceremonies are held on May 2, 1964, and are attended by Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, UC President Clark Kerr, and Assemblyman Carlos Bee.

1964 - 1965 - Now officially a four-year institution, California State College at Hayward has 3,995 students and 218 full- and part-time faculty. Masters degrees are offered in mathematics and English. One new undergraduate major is added: French. June 1965 marks the start of the first summer quarter in the new quarter system. All administrative offices, non-science academic department offices, the bookstore, and a temporary cafeteria (in the Art Gallery) are closely packed in the Fine Arts Building. The Science Buildings house science-related departments, and the campus Library occupies much of the first floor of North Science.

1965 - 1966 - The Music Building opens in Fall Quarter 1965, and quickly absorbs many of the academic departments that are crammed into the Fine Arts Building.  The campus is growing rapidly, with 4,800 students, two new masters programs (in education and music), and three new undergraduate degrees, which include anthropology, sociology, and geography. The faculty roster tops 300.  Landscaping of the recently bulldozed hilltop site begins in earnest.

1967 - A New President for the College - As Cal State begins its second decade, faculty members complain of President Harcleroad’s managerial style - despite his popularity with students - and he is reassigned to the Chancellor’s Office. Dr. Ellis McCune is appointed interim president of the college. McCune restructures campus administration into schools, rather than divisions, and helps create a campus master plan for minority education. The campus actively recruits minority students and establishes one of the first affirmative hiring programs in higher education.

1968 - New Construction on Campus Continues Unabated - Meiklejohn Hall opens in 1968. In addition to classrooms, Meiklejohn is intended to house many departments from the School of Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences that migrated initially from Fine Arts to the Music Building. Elsewhere on campus, the young college site gets a new cafeteria (1967), a Student Union-Bookstore complex (1969-70), the Speech-Drama and Theatre complex (1971), and a Student Health Center (1973).

1969-1971 - Groundbreaking for the Library and Administration Building takes place in 1969. The 9-story Administration Building is considered seismically advanced for its day and the adjacent 240,000 square foot Library Annex is large enough to finally accept the print collection and library services which have been shoe-horned in a temporary home on the first floor of the North Science Building since 1963. With the opening of the new Library Building in 1971, the library becomes the geographic, as well as the academic, center of the campus.

1972 - The Campus Reflects the Social Concerns of the Day - During a period of violent campus unrest nationwide due to the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, and other issues, CSCH remains relatively calm, with only a handful of demonstrations.

There is an influx of Vietnam veterans enrolling during this period. Students are selecting majors in Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the campus develops programs and services such as Black, Mexican-American, and Women’s Studies. The Student Disability Resource Center is created to ensure accessibility of services to all students.

1972 - Third Campus Name Change - The Trustees change the name of the college from California State College at Hayward, to the California State University, Hayward.

 

PANEL TWO - IMAGE CAPTIONS

Central Overlay Image: [ N/A – no central image ].

Background Image:

A 1965 view of campus looking north shows the South and North Science Buildings to the right of the Fines Arts Building.

Image #1:  

Aldous Huxley speaks at the 1962 Fall Convocation - the start of the last academic year at the old Hayward Union High School.

Image #2: 

The Fine Arts Building Courtyard is the only place to gather on campus in 1964-1965. Note the barren area between Fine Arts and the Science Buildings in the distance.

Image #3 :

Meiklejohn Hall sits amidst a sea of excavated dirt when it opens in 1968.

Image #4:

Looking south from the PE Building, the Administration Building gets the start of its concrete exterior, while the “Library Annex” (to its left) takes shape, as well.

Image #5 :

April 1964 - The campus entrance at the top of Hillary Street (now Carlos Bee Boulevard). View is west from the site of the future Music Building.

Image #6 :

The PE Building is under construction and is scheduled to open in fall 1966.

Image #7:

On July 8, 1969 Dean Vandenburgh, Library Director Erickson, and other officials break ground for the Administration/Library Complex.

Image #8:

In turbulent 1968, campus protests take place on the relatively quiet CSCH campus. Compared to larger institutions, however, the number of participants is small.

 

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PANEL THREE:  1973 – 1980 – 1988

1973 - 1974 - Transportation and Enrollment Woes – Campus planning, which is otherwise quite accurate in its predictions to about 1970, assumes direct freeway access to the college as a basis for projected growth.

Early models and plans of the campus show the “Foothill Freeway” running from north to south along the hills immediately to the west of CSCH/CSUH, with a state-authorized interchange and a direct campus exit near the top of Harder Road.

It is assumed that this freeway extension along Route 238 will run from the I-580 / 238 interchange, along the west side of the Hayward hills, and south to at least Industrial Boulevard. County voters authorize funding the project in 1986 by approving Measure B, and Hayward residents reaffirm the project by approving Measure L in 1992. However, the plan meets some local resistance in the 1990s and is halted by environmental politics. In the perception of many, the lack of direct access to campus is seen as an impediment to the university’s enrollment – which doesn’t grow beyond its 1970 projection.

1978 - 1986 – Spread of New Technologies on Campus – With the advent of the personal computer in the late 1970s, both classrooms and staff departments are changing in major ways. New technologies are incorporated into both offices and the curriculum. Throughout campus, videotape delivery systems drive down cost of classroom media, feeding increased media acquisitions, and the teaching of media literacy. Initially, the Apple computer, and then the first IBM PCs, become part of the faculty, staff, and student experience. By the mid-1980s, the beginnings of presentation and other software programs make a big impact on the teaching methods of many faculty members.

On the administrative end, the explosive growth of computer use, and databases in general, leads to major changes for traditional campus fixtures such as the library card catalog and the annually printed (hardcopy) University and Media catalogs. Also affected is the quarterly ritual of manual, paper registration in the gym. In time, the library’s holdings can be searched more quickly online, and the registration process becomes much easier for students.

1981 - A New Outreach – The discussion around shortfalls in numbers of students further bolsters positive efforts to reach out to a larger, more diverse student community in the East Bay. As part of this pro-active outreach, a Contra Costa Center opens at the site of the old Pleasant Hill High School in 1981, and the university also targets non-traditional students, international, re-entry, and adult learners.

1984 - 1985 - New Building Construction on Campus – On the Hayward campus, work begins on the new University Union at the site of the old cafeteria. The transformed building promises to be more attractive to students, and is intended to breathe new life into the center of campus, when it opens in 1985.

 

PANEL THREE - IMAGE CAPTIONS

Central Overlay Image:  Dr. Ellis McCune becomes the second president of the college in 1967. Initially an interim appointment, he becomes permanent by 1970.

Background Image:  The view towards the Bay is dominated by the Administration and Library Building complex, which is still under construction in 1970. The Science Buildings and east parking lots are in the foreground.

Image #1:

Early campus plans assume that there will be direct freeway access to the campus by 1970. Concept plans even show a future BART station at the campus entrance.

Image #2:

Pre-database research in the library. As computer use spreads throughout society, so does the use of online circulation systems in libraries, replacing the card catalog.

Image #3:

The lightpen and barcode are becoming common features of everyday life on campus. They replace pencils and checkout slips in the library.

Image #4 :

Centrally distributed audio labs are among the new instructional technologies of the 1970s and ‘80s.  A new Language Lab opens in 1974, and the Music Library (pictured) also gets a distributed audio lab.

Image #5:

The old cafeteria building is slated for remodeling in the early 1980s. In addition to housing a new University Union, it will get outdoor seating and a seismic retrofit.

Image #6:

The Contra Costa Center opens in the old Pleasant Hill High School in 1981.

 

PANEL FOUR:  1989 – 1999 – 2005

1987 - 1996 - Technology Growth Continues – LCD panels and digital projection devices are adopted in the classroom, and new media delivery formats are reflected in library holdings, including CDs and VHS tapes. Computers sustain virtually every university office, and typewriters — which, a decade back, were common—cannot be found anywhere. Email becomes common at CSUH in the early 1990s, and most everyone is using the Internet by the end of 1996, which has major ramifications for information sharing and delivery throughout the campus.

1988 - New Student Housing – At the Hayward Campus, the first new student housing construction in 25 years gets underway - it is scheduled to open in 1989. The on-campus housing complex, named Pioneer Heights, is located on the south side of campus, and will house just over 400 student residents.

1989 - 1999 - Diversity and Inclusion – The pro-active campus promotion of the concepts of diversity and multiculturalism as university policy is one of the major hallmarks of CSUH’s fourth decade. Faculty publications on racial bias in popular media, and the topic of multiculturalism in general, place CSUH in the national spotlight.

Large public events, such as the 1991 Multicultural Awareness Conference in Oakland, further publicize the university’s commitment to the concepts of diversity and inclusion. The Student Disability Resource Center (founded in the early 1970s) reaches new professional levels as state-of-the-art assistive technologies are implemented.

1990 - New Construction – Groundbreaking ceremonies are to be held in the Concord hills in spring 1990, as construction begins for the Contra Costa Campus. The new hilltop site is slated to replace the temporary quarters of the Contra Costa Center, still housed at an abandoned high school in Pleasant Hill. The university’s commitment to building an entirely new satellite campus is seen as a way to service more student populations.

1990 - A New President for the University – In 1990, Norma Rees becomes the third president of the university. She emphasizes the importance of communication between the campus and the community. Dr. Rees demonstrates the pioneering spirit of CSUH through the many changes she oversees during her tenure, including the development of the Concord Campus, the Oakland Professional Development and Conference Center, and fundraising for the Valley Business and Technology Center.

 

PANEL FOUR - IMAGE CAPTIONS

Central Overlay Image:  Dr. Norma S. Rees serves as the third president of the university from 1990 to her retirement in 2006.

Background Image:  Construction of the new Concord Campus in the early 1990s. Previously called “CCC” for “Contra Costa Center,” the name change to “Concord Campus” takes some getting used to by campus personnel.

Image #1:

Deans Rebman, Towner, and Smith participate in the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Contra Costa Campus on May 5, 1990.

Image #2:

Construction at the new Concord site shows the facade of the campus library, central to the projected courtyard area in the foreground.

Image #3:

By 1994, the university is designing and building the first of several Distance Learning classrooms, at both the Hayward and the Concord campuses.

Image #4:

By the mid-1990s, Distance Learning classes are popular - especially with students at the Concord campus - who can now “sit in” classes offered from Hayward.

Image #5:

Commitment to diversity and inclusion - as well as to economic opportunity for all students - is basic to university policy in this period.

Image #6:

Construction on the first new on-campus housing since 1963 - dubbed Pioneer Heights - begins on the south side of campus in 1988.

 

PANEL FIVE:  2006 – 2008 – 2010

2005 - CSUEB Defines Its Regional Identity and Changes Its Name – Enrollment continues to be a concern at the turn of the 21st century. Having developed numerous outreach programs in the first 50 years that have focused on regional demographics, the university decides to look at the big picture and fully embrace the larger potential – always implicit from the beginning – of its regional role in the East Bay Area.

As a result, the university changes its name to California State University, East Bay in 2005 to reflect its new regional orientation: the main campus site is now referred to as the Hayward Campus. At the same time, the Contra Costa Campus also changes its name – to the Concord Campus. With its new name, the Concord Campus achieves nominal parity with the Hayward Campus (and with the Oakland Center, which becomes a third site), thereby reinforcing the regional influence of the university as a whole.

2005 - 2008 - New Buildings on Campus – Construction seems to be everywhere on campus for the first time since the early 1970s. The Valley Business and Technology Center is the first new academic building in over 25 years. The VBTC opens its doors in the 2006-07 academic year. It meets a long-recognized need for a building dedicated to CSUEB’s successful business and technology programs.

The same 2006-07 academic year also sees the New University Union opening its doors. About the same time, new housing units also are being constructed at Pioneer Heights to accommodate over 400 students.

2006 - A New University President – Mohammed Qayoumi succeeds Norma Rees, becoming the university’s fourth president. Mo, as he prefers to be called, seeks to reinvent CSUEB “…as a dynamic, innovative, and truly responsive communiveristy.”

With an engineering background, and strong administrative experience, Mo identifies his top priorities: enrollment growth; improved financial stability and transparency; tenure track faculty increases; and facilities enhancement and campus physical maintenance. He oversees development of a new physical master plan for CSUEB’s Hayward campus.

2007 - CSUEB Celebrates 50 Years – Having hit the half-century mark, the campus embarks on a series of events to celebrate. In September of 2007, the University Libraries develop a series of posters outlining campus history (many items of which are now found in this Campus Timeline). The 50th Anniversary Exhibit also marks the first of a series of large wall exhibits, which the University Libraries regularly produce in succeeding years.

2008 - STEM Initiative – Under Mo’s leadership, the university adopts new long-range academic and strategic plans, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and on modeling and teaching sustainability.

 

PANEL FIVE - IMAGE CAPTIONS

Central Overlay Image: 

Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi becomes the university’s fourth president in 2006.

Background Image:

A view towards the Bay from the new housing units at the south end of campus seems to underscore CSUEB’s new regional orientation.

Image #1:

The Valley Business and Technology Center opens in the 2006-07 academic year.

Image #2:

The New University Union is one of many new campus buildings that come online between 2005 and 2008.

 

PANEL SIX:  2011 – 2015 – 2019

2013 - Death of an Icon – The 40-year-old Warren Hall is rated the least earthquake-safe building in the California State University system by the CSU Seismic Review Board. The building is vacated in 2011 and imploded on August 17, 2013. Contractors spend over 7 months preparing the building for destruction, and another 4 to 5 months removing the rubble.

The demolition is an emotional event for many in the campus and nearby communities, since “The Tower” came to symbolize the campus - in 40 years of its existence it was used both as a graphic representation of the university and as a local landmark visible for miles around.

2011 - New University President – With the departure of Mo Qayoumi, Dr. Leroy Morishita is appointed interim president of the university in 2011. After several months on the job, he is formally invested in October 2012.

2012 - 2015 - The University’s Commitment to STEM Education – The campus’ Institute for STEM Education is approved in 2012. In 2015, President Morishita commits the university to not only educating students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, but also to educating those who will teach STEM subjects and concepts to students in grades K-12. Under discussion for many years on campus, the importance of graduating students proficient in STEM subjects - and to increase the representation of students from traditionally underserved backgrounds in STEM - becomes a CSUEB priority.

2011 - 2015 - New Campus Construction Continues – With the impending demolition of Warren Hall in 2013, a new Student Services Administration (SA) building must be completed to house the administrative offices soon to be displaced. The SA comes online in 2011. Meanwhile, the recently built Recreation and Wellness Building (RAW) gets a series of improvements, and a new five-story building is completed in 2015, immediately to the north of the SA Building. Parking shortage is addressed by combining the old A and B lots with the Warren Hall building’s footprint in 2015.

 

PANEL SIX - IMAGE CAPTIONS

Central Overlay Image: 

Dr. Leroy M. Morishita is appointed interim president in spring 2011 and is invested in fall 2012.

Background Image:

A view towards the Bay from roughly the same vantage point as the background photo in another Campus Timeline panel.

Image #1:

CSUEB’s E. Guy Warren Hall - aka “The Tower”- is reduced to rubble in August 2013.

Image #2:

During the summer of 2015, two outdated parking lots are combined with Warren Hall’s old footprint to provide much-needed parking relief for the campus.

Credits for Panel Six:

Warren Hall photos by Terry Smith.

STEM Program image from Cal State East Bay Magazine, Spring 2015, courtesy University Advancement.

Background and parking lot photos by Richard Apple.