California State University, Fullerton

University History

In 1957, Cal State Fullerton became the twelfth State College in California to be authorized by the State Legislature as a degree granting institution. The following year, a site was designated for the campus to be established in northeast Fullerton. The property was purchased in 1959. This is the same year that Dr. William B. Langsdorf was appointed as the founding president of the school.

The University was originally named Orange County State College. Classes began with 452 students in September, 1959. The name of the school was changed to Orange State College in July 1962. In 1964, the name of the school was changed for a second time to California State College at Fullerton. In June 1972, the final name change occurred and the school became California State University, Fullerton.

On July 12, 1976, Edward Charles Allaway, a paranoid schizophrenic campus janitor, shot nine people, killing seven, in the University Library (now the Pollak Library) on the Cal State Fullerton campus.

Today, the University is growing rapidly. The Performing Arts Center was built in January 2006, and recently in the summer of 2008, the newly constructed Steven G. Mihaylo Hall as well as the new Student Recreation Center have opened its doors. In the fall of 2008, the Performing Arts Center was renamed Joseph A.W. Clayes III Performing Arts Center, in honor of a $5 million pledge made to the University by the trustees of the Joseph A.W. Clayes III Charitable Trust. Since 1963, the curriculum has expanded to include lower-division work and many graduate programs, as well as numerous credential and certificate programs.

During the fall 2007 semester, Cal State Fullerton had the highest enrollment of the 23 California State University campuses with a record-setting enrollment of 37,130 students. For the fall 2008 semester, the University had an enrollment of 36,996 students. It is the second largest university in the state of California, second in enrollment only to UCLA. Beginning in August 2007, CSUF celebrated 50 years. Year-long celebration information and event photos are available online at the 50th Anniversary website, as well as a photo gallery from past decades. Although the University was established in 1957, the first students were not admitted until 1959. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the University actually was celebrated in 1984, twenty-five years after the first students were admitted.

Mascot

The choice of the elephant as the University’s mascot, dubbed Tuffy the Titan, dates to the early 1960s when the campus hosted "The First Intercollegiate Elephant Race in Human History." The May 11th event attracted 10,000 spectators, 15 pachyderm entrants, a telegram from Richard M. Nixon, and worldwide news coverage. The Associated Press rated the story among the top 10 for 1962.