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SJSU: A Metropolitan UniversitySan José State University (SJSU) is a member of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. By the Coalition’s definition, these are institutions that: “strive to be responsive to the needs of our communities, to include teaching that is adaptable to the diverse needs of our metropolitan students, and to build close working relationships with elementary and secondary schools so as to improve the overall quality of education. Metropolitan Universities combine research-based learning with practical application and are dedicated to creating interdisciplinary partnerships and forming alliances with outside public and private organizations to resolve complex metropolitan problems. Within the university environment, our colleges and universities seek to educate students to become informed and engaged citizens who will play a role in the betterment of society.” In addition to an historical overview, this portion of the site provides information on features/resources that characterize SJSU (prepared during review period 02-07). Historical OverviewSan José State is a major, comprehensive public university located in the center of San José and in the heart of Silicon Valley. SJSU is the oldest state university in California. Its distinctive character has been forged by its long history, by its location, and by its vision – a blend of the old and the new, of the traditional and the innovative. Among its most prized traditions is an uncompromising commitment to offer access to higher education to all persons who meet the criteria for admission, yielding a stimulating mix of age groups, cultures, and economic backgrounds for teaching, learning, and research. SJSU takes pride in and is firmly committed to teaching and learning, with a faculty that is active in scholarship, research, technological innovation, community service, and the arts. 1857: San José State is founded as a Normal School and becomes the first institution of public higher education in the state. 1935: Renamed San José State College. 1949: SJSU accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) 1960: The individual California State Colleges were brought together as a system by the Donahoe Higher Education Act of 1960. 1972: The system becomes California State University and Colleges. 1982: The system becomes the California State University (CSU). Today the 23 campuses of the CSU system include comprehensive and polytechnic universities, and, since July 1995, the California Maritime Academy, a specialized campus. The SJSU campus alone is composed of 30,000 students and over 2,000 faculty and staff. The information SJSU prepares for its reaccreditation review provides an excellent data view of SJSU. To nurture the continued development of strong academic programs and services to support student development and success the campus is fully engaged in a strategic planning process intended to help San José State University prepare for the future. It helps us serve our mission, reach our vision and guide resource allocation. The campus is located in downtown San José, the site of the oldest civil settlement (established in 1777) in California. The city of San José is the 11th largest city in the United States and the third largest in California with a population of 926,200. Known as the “Capital of Silicon Valley,” San José was called the “epicenter of information technology” by Fortune magazine. The education level of the San José metropolitan area workforce is one of the highest in the country; 67 percent of the workforce has some post-secondary education, and 48 percent have earned a college degree. The city also has the lowest crime rate of any major city (those with populations of 500,000 or more) in the United States. |
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