San José State University
Encyclopedia
San Jose State University (often abbreviated San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university
located in San Jose, California
, United States
. It is the founding campus of the California State University
(CSU) system, and holds the distinction of being the oldest public institution of higher education on the West Coast of the United States
.
Located in downtown San Jose
, the SJSU main campus is situated on 154 acres (62.3 ha), or roughly 19 square blocks. SJSU enrolls approximately 31,000 students in over 130 different bachelor's and master's degree programs.
SJSU's student population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation, with large Asian and Latino enrollments, as well as the highest foreign student enrollment of all master's institutions in the United States.
Popular undergraduate
majors at SJSU include business, engineering, visual and performing arts, nursing, psychology, justice studies, biology, kinesiology, journalism and computer science. Popular fields of study among graduate
students include engineering, library and information science, education and social work.
San Jose State University claims to provide Silicon Valley
firms with more engineering, computer science and business graduates than any other college or university, and philanthropic support of SJSU is among the highest in the CSU system.
SJSU sports teams are known as the Spartans
, and compete in the Western Athletic Conference
(WAC) in NCAA
Division I.
.
In 1862, by act of the California legislature, Minns' Evening Normal School became the California State Normal School
and graduated 54 women from a three-year program.
The school eventually moved to San Jose in 1871 and was given Washington Square Park at Fourth and San Carlos Streets, where the campus remains to this day.
In 1881, the first branch campus of the California State Normal School was announced, which later became the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA). A large bell was forged that year to commemorate the original California State Normal School location in San Jose. The bell was inscribed with the words "California State Normal School, A.D. 1881," and was rung on special occasions until 1946 when the college obtained new chimes. The original bell appears on the SJSU campus to this day, and is still associated with various student traditions and rituals.
In 1921, the school's name changed to the State Teachers College at San Jose. In 1935, the State Teachers Colleges became the California State Colleges, and the school's name was changed again, this time to San Jose State College. In 1972, upon meeting criteria established by the Board of Trustees and the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, SJSC was granted university status, and the name was changed to California State University, San Jose.
Finally, in 1974, the California legislature voted to change the school's name to San Jose State University.
comprises approximately 55 buildings situated on a rectangular, 154 acres (62.3 ha) area in downtown San Jose. The campus is bordered by San Fernando Street to the north, San Salvador Street to the south, South 4th Street to the west, and South 10th Street to the east. The South Campus, which is home to many of the school's athletics facilities, is located approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) south of the main campus on South 7th Street.
California State Normal School did not receive a permanent home until it moved from San Francisco to San Jose in 1871. The original California State Normal School campus in San Jose consisted of several rectangular, wooden buildings with a central grass quadrangle. The wooden buildings were destroyed by fire in 1880 and were replaced by interconnected stone and masonry structures of roughly the same configuration in 1881. These buildings were declared unsafe following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
and were being torn down when an aftershock
of the magnitude that was predicted to destroy the buildings occurred and no damage was observed. Accordingly, demolition was stopped, and the portions of the buildings still standing were made into four halls: Tower Hall, Morris Dailey Auditorium, Washington Square Hall, and Dwight Bentel Hall. These four structures remain standing to this day, and are the oldest buildings on campus.
Beginning in the fall of 1994, the on-campus segments of San Carlos Street, Seventh Street and Ninth Street were closed to automobile traffic and converted to pedestrian walkways and green belts within the campus. San Carlos Street was renamed Paseo San Carlos, Seventh Street became El Paseo de César Chávez
, and Ninth Street is now called the Ninth Street Plaza. The project was completed in 1996.
Completed in 1999, the Business Classroom Project was a US$16 million renovation of the James F. Boccardo Business Education Center.
Completed in 1999, the US$1.5 million Heritage Gateway project was unveiled. The privately-funded project featured construction of eight oversized gateways around the main campus perimeter.
In the Fall of 2000, the SJSU Police Department, which is part of the larger California State University Police Department
, opened a new on-campus, multi-level facility on 7th Street.
The new US$177 million Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
, which opened its doors on August 1, 2003, won the Library Journal's
prestigious 2004 Library of the Year award, the publication’s highest honor. The King Library represents the first collaboration of its kind between a university and a major U.S. city. The library is eight stories high, has 475000 square feet (44,128.9 m²) of floor space, and houses approximately 1.6 million volumes. San Jose's first public library occupied the same site from 1901 to 1936, and SJSU's Wahlquist Library occupied the site from 1961 to 2000, at which point it was torn down to begin construction of the King Library.
In 2002, three of SJSU's six red brick residence halls were demolished and replaced with the new Campus Village residence complex. The US$200 million housing facility comprises three buildings ranging from seven to 15 stories tall. The project increased student capacity for on-campus housing to roughly 3,500, and provides housing options for first-year students, upper-class students, graduate students and faculty, staff and guests of the university. Campus Village officially opened in 2005.
In 2006, a US$2 million renovation of Tower Hall was completed. Tower Hall is the oldest and most recognizable building on campus.
in Second Life
, complete with faculty offices, classrooms, student lounge and library e-resources. The project was supported by grants from a number of sources including the Soros Foundation
.
SJSU is home to the 10000 square feet (929 m²), three-story Nuclear Science Facility. It is the only nuclear science facility of its kind in the California State University system.
Located on the main campus, the SJSU Aquatic Center features an outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool. The pool is open year-round and is believed to be among the largest outdoor pools in California.
Located on the main campus, The Event Center Arena
seats approximately 5,000 people for athletic events and over 6,000 for concerts, and features an attached recreation center that includes a basketball practice gym, racquetball courts, a weight room and a climbing wall.
The SJSU Student Union is a four-story, stand alone facility that features a food court, the Spartan Bookstore, a multi-level study area, ballrooms, a bowling alley, music room, and a large game room. In June 2010, a US$91 million renovation and expansion project of the SJSU Student Union commenced. The project is expected to take about 30 months to complete, with the new facility opening its doors sometime in 2013.
In May 2011, construction of a new student health and counseling facility is scheduled to commence. The project will cost an estimated US$33 million, and is scheduled to be completed in May 2013.
The chief executive of San Jose State University is the university president. The current president is Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi. Qayoumi was named president of SJSU March 23, 2011. Qayoumi previously served as president of California State University, East Bay
.
San Jose State offers 69 bachelors degrees with 81 concentrations, and 65 masters degrees with 29 concentrations.
The university is home to seven colleges and six schools (listed below):
SJSU also is home to a burgeoning eCampus community called International and Extended Studies (IES), which coordinates continuing education and professional development programs.
program in library science through Queensland University of Technology
and a joint Ph.D. program in engineering through Mississippi State University
. SJSU's School of Nursing will begin offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program in the fall of 2011, and SJSU's College of Education is scheduled to launch an Ed.D. program in educational leadership in 2011-12. These two programs represent SJSU's first independent doctoral degree offerings.
As of fall 2009, the fields of study in highest demand at SJSU were (in descending order of popularity): business, engineering, visual and performing arts, nursing, education, psychology, justice studies, library and information science, biology, kinesiology, journalism, and computer science. Programs somewhat unique to SJSU include aviation science, transportation management, meteorology, software engineering, and sustainable and green manufacturing technology.
Business-related programs account for the single most popular field of study at SJSU. As of fall 2009, roughly 23% of all undergraduates at SJSU were business majors. The university's College of Business, with almost 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students, is the second largest college at SJSU and among the largest business schools in the country. It is accredited by the AACSB International at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, a distinction held by less than 5% of business programs worldwide.
Engineering-related programs make up the second most popular field of study at SJSU. As of fall 2009, the university's seven engineering disciplines accounted for roughly 12% of all undergraduate majors. The university's Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering, with over 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students and approximately 350 faculty and staff members, is the third largest college on campus behind the College of Applied Sciences and Arts and the College of Business.
As of fall 2009, visual and performing arts programs accounted for roughly 8% of all undergraduate majors at SJSU, and amounted to the third most popular field of study at SJSU behind business and engineering. The university's School of Art and Design enrolls over 1,900 students and employs nearly 100 faculty and staff members. SJSU's School of Music and Dance comprises approximately 300 students and 60 faculty and staff members.
As of fall 2009, pre-nursing and nursing students comprised roughly 6% of undergraduate enrollment, followed by psychology at 5%, justice studies at 4%, biology, kinesiology, and journalism all weighing in at 3%, and computer science rounding out SJSU's top-ten most popular undergraduate fields of study at 2%.
As of fall 2009, engineering-related programs accounted for approximately 30% of graduate student enrollment, followed by library and information science at approximately 15%, education at 12%, social work at 5%, and visual and performing arts at 4%.
or ACT. As of 2008, the average SAT score for incoming freshmen was 1,004, and the average high school GPA for incoming freshmen was 3.21.
SJSU currently requires a minimum eligibility index of 2900-3200 using the SAT or 694-760 using the ACT depending on the selected major (3502 and 842 respectively for non-residents of California), which is slightly above the CSU minimum of 2900 and 694 respectively.
The CSU eligibility index is calculated by using either the SAT or ACT as follows:
The university recently formed a cross-enrollment agreement with National Hispanic University
. Students enrolled at one institution are able to enroll in up to 6 credits per semester at the other institution. Additionally, students may transfer between institutions with up to 60 credits.
San Jose State University has participated in athletics since it first fielded a baseball
team in 1890. SJSU sports teams are known as the Spartans
, and compete in the Western Athletic Conference
(WAC) in NCAA
Division I.
San Jose State University sports teams have won NCAA titles in track and field
, golf
, and boxing
. As of 2010, SJSU has won 10 NCAA team championships and produced 50 NCAA Division 1 individual champions. SJSU also has achieved an international reputation for its judo program, winning 43 out of 46 national collegiate championships in the sport (as of 2008).
SJSU alumni have won 18 Olympic medals (including seven gold medals) dating back to the first gold medal won by Willie Steel
in track and field in the 1948 Olympics. Alumni also have won medals in swimming
, judo and boxing.
The legendary track team coached by "Bud" Winter
earned San Jose the nickname "Speed City," and produced Olympic medalists and social activists Lee Evans
, John Carlos
and Tommie Smith
. Smith and Carlos are perhaps best remembered for giving the raised fist
salute from the medalist's podium during the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City
.
As of 2010, current head coaches from the baseball, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, men's soccer, and women's soccer programs had all received conference “Coach of the Year” honors.
According to the National Science Foundation's
latest survey data (2007), San Jose State's research expenditures totaled just over US$34 million, placing it second only to San Diego State University
in total R&D expenditures out of all 23 California State University (CSU) campuses, and 196th out of 662 colleges and universities nationwide.
According to the 2007 National Science Foundation survey, SJSU placed second out of all 23 CSU campuses and 211th out of 1,216 institutions nationwide for total federal support of science and engineering.
SJSU placed first out of all 23 CSU campuses and 64th out of 566 institutions nationwide for total number of full-time graduate students in science, engineering and health fields, according to the NSF
.
Research collections located at SJSU include the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
and the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies.
SJSU research partnerships include the SJSU Metropolitan Technology Center at NASA Ames Research Center
, Moffett Field, the Cisco Networking
Laboratory, and the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.
SJSU also is home to the Mineta Transportation Institute
.
Since 2001, the university has operated the Survey and Policy Research Institute (SPRI), which conducts the quarterly, high-profile California Consumer Confidence Survey and many other research projects.
In spring 2007, an SJSU engineering professor and his students made headlines with their development of the ZEM (Zero EMissions) Car, a Human Hybrid Powered Vehicle (HHPV). The vehicle won the National I2P (Idea-to-Product) Competition for EPICS and Social Entrepreneurship at Princeton University
. The ZEM car is the first of its kind to be powered by human, solar, and electric energy.
As the oldest and one of the largest universities in the CSU system, SJSU attracts students from throughout California, the United States and 100 countries around the world. According to the Institute of International Education
, San Jose State has the highest foreign student enrollment of all master's institutions in the United States (2008–2009).
As of the fall semester 2009, approximately 31,000 students were enrolled at SJSU. There are approximately 24,000 undergraduate students enrolled at SJSU, and 6,500 graduate students. As of 2009, undergraduate enrollment comprised approximately 11,500 men and 12,500 women, and graduate enrollment comprised approximately 2,500 men and 4,000 women. The average age of full-time undergraduates at SJSU is 23. As of fall 2009, approximately 92% of all graduate and undergraduate students were from the state of California, 93% were U.S. residents, and approximately 7% were international (non-resident) students.
SJSU's student population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation, with large Asian
(including Japanese, Taiwanese, Indian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese, and Hmong
) and Hispanic enrollments.
Although the university is widely viewed as a commuter school, approximately 3,500 students live in campus housing, and community impact studies show an estimated 5,000 more students live within easy walking or biking distance of the campus. Additionally, approximately 45% of all first-year (freshman) students live in campus residence facilities.
As of June 2011, there are over 300 registered student organizations at SJSU. These include academic organizations, cultural and religious organizations, special interest groups, and a wide variety of intramural
and club sports.
and sorority chapters managed by Fraternity and Sorority Life. Sixteen of them maintain chapter homes in the residential community east of campus along South 10th and 11th streets in downtown San Jose. At least seven or more fraternites are co-ed and are either major related, honor related, or community service related. Approximately 5% of male students join fraternities, and 5% of female students join sororities.
Update News is a weekly, student-produced television newscast that airs every weekend on KICU, Channel 36 in San Jose. The newscast is produced by San Jose State broadcast journalism students, and has aired in the Bay Area
in one form or another since the 1960s. Update News also features a daily live webcast.
KSJS
, 90.5 FM, is the university's radio station, and features five different types of music (electronic, urban, jazz, subversive rock, and rock en espanol), as well as a variety of news and information programming.
SJSU claims to provide more engineering, computer science and business graduates to the Silicon Valley than any other university in the world.
Nearly 200 SJSU graduates have founded, co-founded, served or serve as senior executives or officers of public and private companies reporting annual sales between US$40 million and US$26 billion.
Notable companies founded by SJSU students and alumni include Specialized Bicycle Components
(1974), Oracle Corporation
(1977), and Seagate Technology
(1979).
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
located in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the founding campus of the California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
(CSU) system, and holds the distinction of being the oldest public institution of higher education on the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
.
Located in downtown San Jose
Downtown San Jose
Downtown San Jose is the central business district of San Jose, California, United States. The area is generally located north of Interstate 280 and east of Guadalupe Parkway, which roughly parallels the Guadalupe River. The region is bound to the north by U.S...
, the SJSU main campus is situated on 154 acres (62.3 ha), or roughly 19 square blocks. SJSU enrolls approximately 31,000 students in over 130 different bachelor's and master's degree programs.
SJSU's student population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation, with large Asian and Latino enrollments, as well as the highest foreign student enrollment of all master's institutions in the United States.
Popular undergraduate
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
majors at SJSU include business, engineering, visual and performing arts, nursing, psychology, justice studies, biology, kinesiology, journalism and computer science. Popular fields of study among graduate
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
students include engineering, library and information science, education and social work.
San Jose State University claims to provide Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
firms with more engineering, computer science and business graduates than any other college or university, and philanthropic support of SJSU is among the highest in the CSU system.
SJSU sports teams are known as the Spartans
San José State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans is the name of the athletic teams representing San Jose State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Western Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division I level...
, and compete in the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
(WAC) in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I.
Establishment
What is now San Jose State University was originally established in 1857 as the Minns' Evening Normal School in San Francisco. The school was founded by George W. MinnsGeorge W. Minns
George Washington Minns was an American teacher, notable for running the Minns Evening Normal School, which was established in San Francisco, California, in 1857 in order to train teachers for the city's public school system...
.
California State Normal School
The California State Normal School was a teaching college founded on May 2, 1862, whose original campus later became both the California State University and its San Jose State University campus....
and graduated 54 women from a three-year program.
The school eventually moved to San Jose in 1871 and was given Washington Square Park at Fourth and San Carlos Streets, where the campus remains to this day.
In 1881, the first branch campus of the California State Normal School was announced, which later became the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
(UCLA). A large bell was forged that year to commemorate the original California State Normal School location in San Jose. The bell was inscribed with the words "California State Normal School, A.D. 1881," and was rung on special occasions until 1946 when the college obtained new chimes. The original bell appears on the SJSU campus to this day, and is still associated with various student traditions and rituals.
In 1921, the school's name changed to the State Teachers College at San Jose. In 1935, the State Teachers Colleges became the California State Colleges, and the school's name was changed again, this time to San Jose State College. In 1972, upon meeting criteria established by the Board of Trustees and the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, SJSC was granted university status, and the name was changed to California State University, San Jose.
Finally, in 1974, the California legislature voted to change the school's name to San Jose State University.
Historical Milestones
- In 1930, the Justice Studies Department was founded as a two-year police science degree program. It holds the distinction of offering the first policing degree in the United States. A stone monument and plaque are displayed close to the site of the original Police School near Tower Hall.
- In 1942, the old gym (now named Yoshihiro Uchida Hall, after SJSU judo coach Yosh UchidaYosh UchidaYoshihiro "Yosh" Uchida is an American businessman, entrepreneur, and educator who is best known for his contributions to judo...
) was used to register and collect Japanese Americans before sending them to internment camps. Coincidentally, Uchida's parents and siblings were among those processed in the building.
- In 1963, in an effort to save Tower Hall from demolition, SJSU students and alumni organized testimonials before the State College Board of Trustees, sent telegrams, and provided signed petitions. As a result of those efforts, the Tower, a prime campus landmark and SJSU icon, was refurbished and reopened in 1966. The Tower was again renovated and restored in 2007. Tower Hall is registered with the California Office of Historic Preservation.
- During the 1960s and early 1970s, San Jose State College witnessed a rise in political activism and civic awareness among its student body, including major student protests against the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. One of the largest campus protests took place in 1967 when Dow Chemical CompanyDow Chemical CompanyThe Dow Chemical Company is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. As of 2007, it is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization .Dow...
- a major manufacturer of napalmNapalmNapalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
used in the war - came to campus to conduct job recruiting. An estimated 3,000 students and bystanders surrounded the Seventh Street Administration building, and more than 200 students and teachers lay down on the ground in front of the recruiters.
- In 1972–1973, the economics department experienced political turmoil as the administration conducted a purge of left-leaning professors. For several years thereafter, the economics department was under censor by the American Association of University Professors.
- Since 1982, the English department has sponsored the annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction ContestBulwer-Lytton Fiction ContestThe Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is a tongue-in-cheek contest that takes place annually and is sponsored by the English Department of San Jose State University in San Jose, California. Entrants are invited "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels" – that is,...
.
- In 1999, San Jose State and the City of San Jose agreed to combine their main libraries to form a joint city/university library located on campus, the first known collaboration of this type in the United States. The combined library faced opposition, with critics stating the two libraries have very different objectives and that the project would be too expensive. Despite opposition, the project proceeded, and the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Library opened on-time and on-budget in 2003. The new library has won several national awards since its initial opening.
- During its 2006-2007 fiscal year, SJSU received a record US$50+ million in private gifts and US$84 million in capital campaign contributions.
- In March 2007, a group of San Jose State students sponsored an official student initiative to restore the words "California State University" to the school's official public identity while preserving the "SJSU" city-state name. Although the measure was defeated, it garnered substantial Bay Area media coverage. Some 600 students voted in favor of the measure, amounting to roughly 25% of the students casting ballots in the election.
- In 2008, SJSU received a CASECouncil for Advancement and Support of EducationThe Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a nonprofit association of educational institutions. It serves professionals in the field of educational advancement...
WealthEngine Award in recognition of raising over US$100 million. SJSU was one of approximately 50 institutions nationwide honored by CASE in 2008 for overall performance in educational fundraising.
- In 2010, SJSU President Don Kassing officially launched the public phase of SJSU's first-ever comprehensive capital fundraising campaign dubbed "Acceleration: the Campaign for San Jose State University." The goal of the campaign is to raise US$200 million by 2014. By the time the public phase was officially launched in October 2010, the campaign had already raised over US$128 million.
Campus
The SJSU main campusCampus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
comprises approximately 55 buildings situated on a rectangular, 154 acres (62.3 ha) area in downtown San Jose. The campus is bordered by San Fernando Street to the north, San Salvador Street to the south, South 4th Street to the west, and South 10th Street to the east. The South Campus, which is home to many of the school's athletics facilities, is located approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) south of the main campus on South 7th Street.
California State Normal School did not receive a permanent home until it moved from San Francisco to San Jose in 1871. The original California State Normal School campus in San Jose consisted of several rectangular, wooden buildings with a central grass quadrangle. The wooden buildings were destroyed by fire in 1880 and were replaced by interconnected stone and masonry structures of roughly the same configuration in 1881. These buildings were declared unsafe following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
and were being torn down when an aftershock
Aftershock
An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...
of the magnitude that was predicted to destroy the buildings occurred and no damage was observed. Accordingly, demolition was stopped, and the portions of the buildings still standing were made into four halls: Tower Hall, Morris Dailey Auditorium, Washington Square Hall, and Dwight Bentel Hall. These four structures remain standing to this day, and are the oldest buildings on campus.
Beginning in the fall of 1994, the on-campus segments of San Carlos Street, Seventh Street and Ninth Street were closed to automobile traffic and converted to pedestrian walkways and green belts within the campus. San Carlos Street was renamed Paseo San Carlos, Seventh Street became El Paseo de César Chávez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
, and Ninth Street is now called the Ninth Street Plaza. The project was completed in 1996.
Completed in 1999, the Business Classroom Project was a US$16 million renovation of the James F. Boccardo Business Education Center.
In the Fall of 2000, the SJSU Police Department, which is part of the larger California State University Police Department
California State University Police Department
The California State University Police Department is the police department for the California State University. Although referred to as campus police, or university police, the police officers are duly sworn peace officers of the State of California, as established by section 830.2 of the...
, opened a new on-campus, multi-level facility on 7th Street.
The new US$177 million Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is a 136 foot tall public library in Downtown San Jose, California, United States that opened on August 1, 2003. As of 2007, it is the largest library building in the western United States built in a single construction project with over 475,000 square feet ...
, which opened its doors on August 1, 2003, won the Library Journal's
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
prestigious 2004 Library of the Year award, the publication’s highest honor. The King Library represents the first collaboration of its kind between a university and a major U.S. city. The library is eight stories high, has 475000 square feet (44,128.9 m²) of floor space, and houses approximately 1.6 million volumes. San Jose's first public library occupied the same site from 1901 to 1936, and SJSU's Wahlquist Library occupied the site from 1961 to 2000, at which point it was torn down to begin construction of the King Library.
In 2002, three of SJSU's six red brick residence halls were demolished and replaced with the new Campus Village residence complex. The US$200 million housing facility comprises three buildings ranging from seven to 15 stories tall. The project increased student capacity for on-campus housing to roughly 3,500, and provides housing options for first-year students, upper-class students, graduate students and faculty, staff and guests of the university. Campus Village officially opened in 2005.
In 2006, a US$2 million renovation of Tower Hall was completed. Tower Hall is the oldest and most recognizable building on campus.
Additional on-campus facilities
In 2007, the School of Library and Information Science opened a virtual campusVirtual Campus
A virtual campus refers to the online offerings of a college or university where college work is completed either partially or wholly online, often with the assistance of the teacher, professor, or teaching assistant....
in Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
, complete with faculty offices, classrooms, student lounge and library e-resources. The project was supported by grants from a number of sources including the Soros Foundation
Soros Foundation
A Soros Foundation is one of a network of national foundations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, which fund volunteer socio-political activity, created by George Soros, international financier and self-proclaimed philanthropist, and coordinated since early 1994 by a management team called the...
.
SJSU is home to the 10000 square feet (929 m²), three-story Nuclear Science Facility. It is the only nuclear science facility of its kind in the California State University system.
Located on the main campus, the SJSU Aquatic Center features an outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool. The pool is open year-round and is believed to be among the largest outdoor pools in California.
Located on the main campus, The Event Center Arena
The Event Center Arena
The Event Center Arena is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena, on the main campus of San José State University, in downtown San Jose, California. The Event Center was built in 1989 and is home to the SJSU Spartans men's and women's basketball teams....
seats approximately 5,000 people for athletic events and over 6,000 for concerts, and features an attached recreation center that includes a basketball practice gym, racquetball courts, a weight room and a climbing wall.
The SJSU Student Union is a four-story, stand alone facility that features a food court, the Spartan Bookstore, a multi-level study area, ballrooms, a bowling alley, music room, and a large game room. In June 2010, a US$91 million renovation and expansion project of the SJSU Student Union commenced. The project is expected to take about 30 months to complete, with the new facility opening its doors sometime in 2013.
In May 2011, construction of a new student health and counseling facility is scheduled to commence. The project will cost an estimated US$33 million, and is scheduled to be completed in May 2013.
South Campus
Many of SJSU's athletics facilities, including Spartan Stadium and Blethen Field (baseball), along with the athletics department administrative offices and multiple training and practice facilities, are located on the 62 acres (25.1 ha) South Campus approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) south of the main campus near 7th Street. The south campus also is home to student overflow parking. Shuttle buses run between the main campus and south campus every 10 to 15 minutes Monday through Friday.Off-campus facilities
- SJSU Simpkins International House (360 South 11th Street, San Jose) provides housing for domestic as well as international students of the university. International House (also known as I-House) accommodates 70 residents from approximately 35 countries worldwide each semester.
- SJSU Department of Aviation and Technology maintains a 6000 square feet (557.4 m²) academic facility at the Reid-Hillview Airport as part of the Aviation Program.
- SJSU manages the Moss Landing Marine LaboratoriesMoss Landing Marine LaboratoriesThe Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is a multi-campus marine research consortium headquartered at Moss Landing, California.-Organization:...
in Moss Landing, CaliforniaMoss Landing, CaliforniaMoss Landing is a census-designated place in Monterey County, California, United States. Moss Landing is located on the Pajaro Valley Consolidated Railroad north-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 10 feet . As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 204, down from 300 at the 2000...
, on the Monterey BayMonterey BayMonterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....
. MLML is a cooperative research facility of seven CSU campuses.
- Art and Metal Foundry (1036 South 5th Street, San Jose)
- Associated Students Child Development Center (460 South 8th Street, San Jose)
- SJSU International and Extended Studies facility (384 South 2nd Street, San Jose). This off-campus classroom building houses SJSU's International Gateway Programs, a collection of classes geared toward introducing international students to English language and American culture.
- University Club (408 South 8th Street, San Jose), is a 16-room, multi-level dining, special events, and bed-and-breakfast style residence facility for faculty, staff, visiting scholars and graduate students of the university. This building is currently occupied by Alpha Omicron PiAlpha Omicron PiAlpha Omicron Pi is an international women's fraternity promoting friendship for a lifetime, inspiring academic excellence and lifelong learning, and developing leadership skills through service to the Fraternity and community. ΑΟΠ was founded on January 2, 1897 at Barnard College on the campus...
sorority in agreement with the university.
- Known simply as North Fourth Street (210 North 4th Street, San Jose), this four-story facility houses the Global Studies Institute, Governmental & External Affairs, International and Extended Studies, the Mineta Transportation Institute, the Processed Foods Institute, and the SJSU Research Foundation.
Organization
As a member institution of the California State University System, San Jose State falls under the jurisdiction of the California State University Board of Trustees and the Chancellor of the California State University.The chief executive of San Jose State University is the university president. The current president is Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi. Qayoumi was named president of SJSU March 23, 2011. Qayoumi previously served as president of California State University, East Bay
California State University, East Bay
California State University, East Bay is a public university located in the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The university, as part of the 23-campus California State University system, offers over 100 areas of study...
.
San Jose State offers 69 bachelors degrees with 81 concentrations, and 65 masters degrees with 29 concentrations.
The university is home to seven colleges and six schools (listed below):
- College of Applied Sciences & Arts
- College of Business
- Connie L. Lurie College of Education
- The Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering
- College of Humanities & the Arts
- College of Science
- College of Social Sciences
- School of Art & Design
- School of Journalism & Mass Communications
- School of Library & Information Science
- School of Music & Dance
- The Valley Foundation School of Nursing
- School of Social Work
SJSU also is home to a burgeoning eCampus community called International and Extended Studies (IES), which coordinates continuing education and professional development programs.
Programs
San Jose State enrolls approximately 31,000 students in over 130 different bachelor's and master's degree programs. There are approximately 24,000 undergraduate students enrolled at SJSU, and 6,500 graduate students. The university generally does not offer doctoral degrees, however, it does offer a joint Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
program in library science through Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
and a joint Ph.D. program in engineering through Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
. SJSU's School of Nursing will begin offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program in the fall of 2011, and SJSU's College of Education is scheduled to launch an Ed.D. program in educational leadership in 2011-12. These two programs represent SJSU's first independent doctoral degree offerings.
As of fall 2009, the fields of study in highest demand at SJSU were (in descending order of popularity): business, engineering, visual and performing arts, nursing, education, psychology, justice studies, library and information science, biology, kinesiology, journalism, and computer science. Programs somewhat unique to SJSU include aviation science, transportation management, meteorology, software engineering, and sustainable and green manufacturing technology.
Business-related programs account for the single most popular field of study at SJSU. As of fall 2009, roughly 23% of all undergraduates at SJSU were business majors. The university's College of Business, with almost 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students, is the second largest college at SJSU and among the largest business schools in the country. It is accredited by the AACSB International at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, a distinction held by less than 5% of business programs worldwide.
Engineering-related programs make up the second most popular field of study at SJSU. As of fall 2009, the university's seven engineering disciplines accounted for roughly 12% of all undergraduate majors. The university's Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering, with over 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students and approximately 350 faculty and staff members, is the third largest college on campus behind the College of Applied Sciences and Arts and the College of Business.
As of fall 2009, visual and performing arts programs accounted for roughly 8% of all undergraduate majors at SJSU, and amounted to the third most popular field of study at SJSU behind business and engineering. The university's School of Art and Design enrolls over 1,900 students and employs nearly 100 faculty and staff members. SJSU's School of Music and Dance comprises approximately 300 students and 60 faculty and staff members.
As of fall 2009, pre-nursing and nursing students comprised roughly 6% of undergraduate enrollment, followed by psychology at 5%, justice studies at 4%, biology, kinesiology, and journalism all weighing in at 3%, and computer science rounding out SJSU's top-ten most popular undergraduate fields of study at 2%.
As of fall 2009, engineering-related programs accounted for approximately 30% of graduate student enrollment, followed by library and information science at approximately 15%, education at 12%, social work at 5%, and visual and performing arts at 4%.
Rankings
- According to U.S. News and World Report's college rankings (2012), San Jose State ranks 39th among all master's-level institutions in the Western region of the United States, 10th among public master's-level institutions in the Western region, and receives a Tier One academic ranking overall among master's-level institutions in the west. The Western region comprises 15 states and is home to approximately 125 master's-level colleges and universities. The 2012 rankings represent a slight improvement since 2011, in which SJSU ranked 44th overall and 14th among public master's-level institutions in the west. U.S. News and World Report has consistently ranked SJSU among the top 20 regional universities in the west for many years, with SJSU achieving its highest overall ranking to date in 2008, when the university placed 8th among public master's-level schools in the west.
- SJSU’s Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering ranks 7th in the nation among public engineering programs offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees (excluding service academies), and 27th overall among all 193 engineering schools on the list, according to U.S. News and World Report (2012).
- SJSU's graduate school of Library and Information Science ranks 22nd in the nation, and its School Library Media specialty ranks 4th nationally, according to U.S. News and World Report (Best Graduate Schools 2012).
- SJSU's graduate program in occupational therapyOccupational therapyOccupational therapy is a discipline that aims to promote health by enabling people to perform meaningful and purposeful activities. Occupational therapists work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally disabling condition by utilizing treatments...
ranks 24th in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report (Best Graduate Schools 2012).
- SJSU's graduate program in social workSocial workSocial Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
ranks 71st in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report (Best Graduate Schools 2012).
- SJSU's graduate program in fine arts ranks 81st in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report (Best Graduate Schools 2012).
- SJSU's graduate program in speech language pathologySpeech and language pathologySpeech-Language Pathology specializes in communication disorders.The main components of speech production include: phonation, the process of sound production; resonance, opening and closing of the vocal folds; intonation, the variation of pitch; and voice, including aeromechanical components of...
ranks 87th in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report (Best Graduate Schools 2012).
- SJSU's graduate program in public affairsPublic relationsPublic relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
ranks 100th in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report (Best Graduate Schools 2012).
- SJSU's graduate program in nursingNursingNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
ranks 193rd, in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report (Best Graduate Schools 2012).
- SJSU ranks 3rd among regional universities in the West for least amount of student debt at graduation, according to U.S. News and World Report (2012).
- The Princeton ReviewThe Princeton ReviewThe Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
lists San Jose State's Lucas Graduate School of Business among the best 300 business programs in the nation (2011).
- SJSU made the ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
list of "America's Best Colleges" in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
- SJSU was ranked among the top 265 universities in the world out of over 12,000 institutions according to the July 2010 Webometrics Ranking of World UniversitiesWebometrics Ranking of World UniversitiesThe Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, also known as Ranking Web of World Universities, is ranking system for the world's universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web contents and the visibility and impact of these web publications...
.
- SJSU ranks 15th nationally by salary potential among all state schools in the nation, according to the PayScale, Inc. annual salary survey (2010–2011). According to the survey, the median annual starting salary for SJSU alumni is $51,700. The median annual mid-career salary for SJSU alumni is $92,900.
- In 2009, the city of San Jose was named the nation's top mid-size metro college destination, according to the American Institute for Economic ResearchAmerican Institute for Economic ResearchAmerican Institute for Economic Research , located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest economic research organizations in the United States. Founded in 1933, AIER is an independent 501 organization that, according to its website, represents no fund, concentration of wealth, or...
College Destinations Index for 2009-2010. The index analyzes the academic environment, quality of life, and professional opportunity in more than 360 cities across the U.S.
- ComputerworldComputerworldComputerworld is an IT magazine that provides information for senior IT leaders. It is published in many countries around the world under the same or similar names. Its publisher is International Data Group. Computerworld serves the needs of IT management via print and online...
magazine named SJSU's computer engineering program an "IT School to Watch" in 2008.
- As of 2007, SJSU's School of Art and Design appears on BusinessWeek'sBusinessWeekBloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
list of the "60 Best Design Schools in the World."
Admissions
Admission to SJSU is based on a combination of the applicant's high school cumulative grade point average (GPA) and standardized test scores. These factors are used to determine the applicant's California State University (CSU) eligibility index. More specifically, the eligibility index is a weighted combination of high school grade point average during the final three years of high school and a score on either the SATSAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
or ACT. As of 2008, the average SAT score for incoming freshmen was 1,004, and the average high school GPA for incoming freshmen was 3.21.
SJSU currently requires a minimum eligibility index of 2900-3200 using the SAT or 694-760 using the ACT depending on the selected major (3502 and 842 respectively for non-residents of California), which is slightly above the CSU minimum of 2900 and 694 respectively.
The CSU eligibility index is calculated by using either the SAT or ACT as follows:
-
- (SAT scores in mathematics and critical reading) + (800 x GPA) or (10 x ACT composite score without the writing score) + (200 x GPA)
The university recently formed a cross-enrollment agreement with National Hispanic University
National Hispanic University
The National Hispanic University is a small, private university located in East San Jose, California. The university is nonsectarian and coeducational with 700 undergraduate students...
. Students enrolled at one institution are able to enroll in up to 6 credits per semester at the other institution. Additionally, students may transfer between institutions with up to 60 credits.
Athletics
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team in 1890. SJSU sports teams are known as the Spartans
San José State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans is the name of the athletic teams representing San Jose State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Western Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division I level...
, and compete in the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
(WAC) in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I.
San Jose State University sports teams have won NCAA titles in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, and boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. As of 2010, SJSU has won 10 NCAA team championships and produced 50 NCAA Division 1 individual champions. SJSU also has achieved an international reputation for its judo program, winning 43 out of 46 national collegiate championships in the sport (as of 2008).
SJSU alumni have won 18 Olympic medals (including seven gold medals) dating back to the first gold medal won by Willie Steel
Willie Steel
William 'Willie' Steel was a Scottish footballer who played for Liverpool.-Life and playing career:...
in track and field in the 1948 Olympics. Alumni also have won medals in swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, judo and boxing.
The legendary track team coached by "Bud" Winter
Lloyd (Bud) Winter
Lloyd C. Winter, better known as "Bud" was the USATF Hall of Fame Track Coach. He was regarded as one of the greatest sprint coaches in the world. Over a 39-year coaching career at the then San Jose State College, he produced 102 All-Americans, 27 who went on to become Olympians...
earned San Jose the nickname "Speed City," and produced Olympic medalists and social activists Lee Evans
Lee Evans (athlete)
Lee Edward Evans is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics....
, John Carlos
John Carlos
John Wesley Carlos is a Cuban American former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics and his black power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy...
and Tommie Smith
Tommie Smith
Tommie Smith is an African American former track & field athlete and wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith won the 200-meter dash finals in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20 second barrier was broken...
. Smith and Carlos are perhaps best remembered for giving the raised fist
Raised fist
The raised fist is a symbol of solidarity and support. It is also used as a salute to express unity, strength, defiance, or resistance. The salute dates back to ancient Assyria as a symbol of resistance in the face of violence.-History:Assyrian depictions of the goddess Ishtar show her raising a...
salute from the medalist's podium during the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
As of 2010, current head coaches from the baseball, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, men's soccer, and women's soccer programs had all received conference “Coach of the Year” honors.
Faculty and research
San Jose State University employs approximately 1,600 faculty members, 87 percent of whom hold doctorate degrees.According to the National Science Foundation's
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
latest survey data (2007), San Jose State's research expenditures totaled just over US$34 million, placing it second only to San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
in total R&D expenditures out of all 23 California State University (CSU) campuses, and 196th out of 662 colleges and universities nationwide.
According to the 2007 National Science Foundation survey, SJSU placed second out of all 23 CSU campuses and 211th out of 1,216 institutions nationwide for total federal support of science and engineering.
SJSU placed first out of all 23 CSU campuses and 64th out of 566 institutions nationwide for total number of full-time graduate students in science, engineering and health fields, according to the NSF
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
.
Research collections located at SJSU include the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies serves as a museum, research center, and host of lectures and performances devoted solely to the life and works of Ludwig van Beethoven. It is the only institution of its kind in North America and holds the largest collection of Beethoven works and...
and the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies.
SJSU research partnerships include the SJSU Metropolitan Technology Center at NASA Ames Research Center
NASA Ames Research Center
The Ames Research Center , is one of the United States of America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration 10 major field centers.The centre is located in Moffett Field in California's Silicon Valley, near the high-tech companies, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and other...
, Moffett Field, the Cisco Networking
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
Laboratory, and the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.
SJSU also is home to the Mineta Transportation Institute
Mineta Transportation Institute
The Mineta Transportation Institute is a research institute focusing on issues related to intermodal surface transportation in the United States. It is headquartered at San Jose State University in San Jose, California and is currently directed by former Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon....
.
Since 2001, the university has operated the Survey and Policy Research Institute (SPRI), which conducts the quarterly, high-profile California Consumer Confidence Survey and many other research projects.
In spring 2007, an SJSU engineering professor and his students made headlines with their development of the ZEM (Zero EMissions) Car, a Human Hybrid Powered Vehicle (HHPV). The vehicle won the National I2P (Idea-to-Product) Competition for EPICS and Social Entrepreneurship at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. The ZEM car is the first of its kind to be powered by human, solar, and electric energy.
Students
| African American | 4.8% |
|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaskan | 0.5% |
| Asian | 23.4% |
| Filipino | 7.0% |
| Hispanic | 15.5% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.9% |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 27.4% |
| Foreign Nationals | 8.5% |
| Not Stated | 12.0% |
As the oldest and one of the largest universities in the CSU system, SJSU attracts students from throughout California, the United States and 100 countries around the world. According to the Institute of International Education
Institute of International Education
Institute of International Education - is a non-profit organization promoting international exchange of education and training. It was established in 1919 and is based in the USA....
, San Jose State has the highest foreign student enrollment of all master's institutions in the United States (2008–2009).
As of the fall semester 2009, approximately 31,000 students were enrolled at SJSU. There are approximately 24,000 undergraduate students enrolled at SJSU, and 6,500 graduate students. As of 2009, undergraduate enrollment comprised approximately 11,500 men and 12,500 women, and graduate enrollment comprised approximately 2,500 men and 4,000 women. The average age of full-time undergraduates at SJSU is 23. As of fall 2009, approximately 92% of all graduate and undergraduate students were from the state of California, 93% were U.S. residents, and approximately 7% were international (non-resident) students.
SJSU's student population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation, with large Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
(including Japanese, Taiwanese, Indian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese, and Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
) and Hispanic enrollments.
Although the university is widely viewed as a commuter school, approximately 3,500 students live in campus housing, and community impact studies show an estimated 5,000 more students live within easy walking or biking distance of the campus. Additionally, approximately 45% of all first-year (freshman) students live in campus residence facilities.
As of June 2011, there are over 300 registered student organizations at SJSU. These include academic organizations, cultural and religious organizations, special interest groups, and a wide variety of intramural
Intramural sports
Intramural sports or intramurals are recreational sports organized within a set geographic area. The term derives from the Latin words intra muros meaning "within walls", and was used to indicate sports matches and contests that took place among teams from "within the walls" of an ancient city...
and club sports.
Greek organizations
SJSU is home to 34 social fraternityFraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
and sorority chapters managed by Fraternity and Sorority Life. Sixteen of them maintain chapter homes in the residential community east of campus along South 10th and 11th streets in downtown San Jose. At least seven or more fraternites are co-ed and are either major related, honor related, or community service related. Approximately 5% of male students join fraternities, and 5% of female students join sororities.
Spartan Squad
Founded in 2005, the Spartan Squad is the official student booster program at San Jose State. The Spartan Squad run by the Associated Students and is open to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at San Jose State. Its stated mission is to increase student attendance at sporting events and cultivate school pride throughout the campus community. The Spartan Squad members are easily recognized wearing the group's signature gold T-shirts designed by San Jose State graphic design student Dang Nguyen. Class of 2006 graduates Matthew Olivieri and Brad Villeggiante are credited with founding the group.Student press
The school newspaper, The Spartan Daily, was founded in 1934 and is published four days a week when classes are in session. The publication follows a broadsheet format and boasts a daily print circulation of over 6,000, as well as a daily on-line edition. The newspaper is produced by journalism and advertising students enrolled in SJSU's School of Journalism and Mass Communications.Update News is a weekly, student-produced television newscast that airs every weekend on KICU, Channel 36 in San Jose. The newscast is produced by San Jose State broadcast journalism students, and has aired in the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
in one form or another since the 1960s. Update News also features a daily live webcast.
KSJS
KSJS
KSJS is a college radio station that broadcasts 24 hours a day from the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, California, USA. It went on the air on February 11, 1963, with only 85 watts of power. The studio is located in Hugh Gillis Hall, easily accessible to RTVF majors...
, 90.5 FM, is the university's radio station, and features five different types of music (electronic, urban, jazz, subversive rock, and rock en espanol), as well as a variety of news and information programming.
Noted people
About 80 percent of San Jose State’s nearly 200,000 alumni of record live in the San Francisco Bay Area. The other 20 percent are scattered around the globe, with concentrations in Southern California, Seattle, Portland, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and New York City.SJSU claims to provide more engineering, computer science and business graduates to the Silicon Valley than any other university in the world.
Nearly 200 SJSU graduates have founded, co-founded, served or serve as senior executives or officers of public and private companies reporting annual sales between US$40 million and US$26 billion.
Notable companies founded by SJSU students and alumni include Specialized Bicycle Components
Specialized Bicycle Components
Specialized Bicycle Components, more commonly known simply as Specialized, is a major American brand of bicycles and related products. It was founded in 1974 by Mike Sinyard and is based in Morgan Hill, California-History:...
(1974), Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
(1977), and Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard disk drives. Incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology, Seagate is currently incorporated in Dublin, Ireland and has its principal executive offices in Scotts Valley, California, United States.-1970s:On November 1, 1979...
(1979).