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ENROLLMENT QUADRUPLED in the ve
years following World War II. To accommodate
growing demand, the college moved in 1954 to
its present campus near Lake Merced, which
now encompasses more than 140 acres. To bring
intellectual cohesion to its evolving curriculum,
San Francisco State developed the General
Education program — a nationally known
model requiring all students to take a unied
core set of courses. In 1961, the college joined
what would become the 23-campus California
State University system and in 1974 was renamed
San Francisco State University.
TODAY THE UNIVERSITY has a diverse
student body of more than 23,000. The
University offers numerous degrees and
certications: bachelor’s degrees in 76 academic
areas with an additional 40 areas of concentration;
master’s degrees in 63 academic areas with an
additional 32 areas of concentration; a Doctor of
Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership, a
Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in
Special Education; a Clinical Doctorate of
Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) jointly with University
of California, San Francisco; 13 credential
programs and 54 certificate programs. While
justiably renowned as a teaching university, SF
State is also associated with outstanding research
and scholarly activity in the arts, sciences,
business, health, humanities and many other
disciplines. The University attracts world-class
faculty as well as extensive grants and contracts
for cutting-edge research.
SF STATE’S REACH EXTENDS far beyond its
Lake Merced campus, as well. In Marin County,
the University’s Estuary & Ocean Science Center
trains the next generation of marine scientists
while monitoring the health of the Bay and its
tidal marshes, eelgrass meadows and beaches.
Located in the forests near the North Yuba
River, the Sierra Nevada Field Campus gives
students an immersive opportunity for learning
about biological diversity, geosciences, hydrology,
astronomy and more. And SF State’s College of
Professional & Global Education oers a variety
of continuing education courses, academic credit
certif icates and professional development
certificates designed to advance careers and
expand opportunities.
THE UNIVERSITY also reaches out through
its long-standing commitment to community
service. Hands-on learning and engaged
citizenship have been hallmarks of an SF State
education since its rst president, Frederic Burk,
chose Experientia Docet — Experience Teaches
— as the school’s motto. Acting on the principle
that learning cannot be isolated from the world
in which it is applied, the University partners
with the community through many of its classes
and a wide range of centers and institutes,
including the Health Equity Institute, the
Marian Wright Edelman Institute, the Veteran
Documentary Corps and the Paul K. Longmore
Institute on Disability. SF State’s Institute for
Civic and Community Engagement was
launched to connect students, sta and faculty
members with service opportunities that
strengthen both their skills and the surrounding
communities.
AS A RESULT of these efforts, SF State’s
leadership as a values-driven institution is widely
recognized. SF State’s proudest achievement,
however, remains the thousands of graduates
who are putting the skills, insights and ideals
nurtured at the University to work. New
graduates will further the impact of these legions
of accomplished alumni by putting their passion
into action wherever they go — making the
world a better place in the process.