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Sonoma State University (SSU, Sonoma State, or Sonoma) is a public university in
Rohnert Park Rohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately north of San Francisco. The population at the 2020 United States Census was 44,390. It is an early planned city and is the sister city of Hashimoto in ...
in Sonoma County, California, US. It is one of the smallest members of the
California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
(CSU) system. Sonoma State offers 92
Bachelor's degrees A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
, 19
Master's degrees A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
, and 11 teaching credentials. The university is a Hispanic-serving institution.


History


Founding

Sonoma State College was established by the
California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislatu ...
in 1960 to be part of the California State College system, with significant involvement of the faculty from
San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
. As with all California State Colleges, Sonoma State later became part of the
California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
system. Sonoma opened for the first time in 1961, with an initial enrollment of 250 students. Classes offered took place in leased buildings in Rohnert Park where the college offered its first four-year Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education. With the completion of its two main classroom halls, Stevenson Hall, named for politician
Adlai Stevenson II Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (; February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician and diplomat who was twice the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. He was the grandson of Adlai Stevenson I, the 23rd vice president of ...
, and Darwin Hall, named for
Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
, the college moved to its permanent campus of in 1966 where the first graduating class received their degrees."Looking Back: 40 Years at Sonoma State University, 1961-2001," University Affairs Office, Sonoma State University, 2001.


Early development

As enrollment increased, Sonoma State built more on-campus facilities, including Ives Hall for performing arts, The University Commons for dining, a small library, and a gymnasium. These buildings followed the physical master plan of the school which stated that the facilities would be urban in character, defining the use of smooth concrete building façades with landscaped courtyards. Among the landscaping features added with these facilities were the "Campus Lakes", two small reservoirs located behind the Commons next to Commencement Lawn, the site of the university's annual commencement ceremonies, as well as one lake near a housing facility, Beaujolais Village; the lakes are home to local waterfowl. In 1969, the first master's degrees in biology and psychology were offered. The new cluster school concept, coupled with a more intense focus on the surrounding rural environment, influenced the new physical master plan. The first facility built under the new plan was the Zinfandel residence area. The new Student Health Center used a primarily redwood façade with a landscaped ground cover of wild roses and poppies. Sonoma State was closed from May 7–11, 1970 after Governor Ronald Reagan ordered that all California colleges and universities shut down due to anti-war protests and rallies after the shootings of four students at Kent State University. Early development of the modern campus came to a close in 1976 when the Student Union was constructed between the main quad and the lakes. This building continued the use of the physical master plan, using primarily redwood and preceded the similarly built Carson Hall, an art building, a childcare center, additional parking, and a computer center which was added onto the library.


The modern university

In 1978, Sonoma State College became Sonoma State University when the school officially gained university status, after which the surrounding community provided funds for the new university to build a large swimming pool, completed in 1982, and the 500-seat Evert Person Theatre in 1989. Further enrollment increases and a new goal of movement toward a residential campus as opposed to a commuter campus facilitated the building of Verdot Village in 1995.


21st-century expansion

In May 2001, the Board of Trustees approved a new master plan, which added to the campus, located north of Copeland Creek. Rapidly accelerated growth of the residential student body was alleviated by the construction of the third phase of on-campus housing named Sauvignon Village, offering housing to non-
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...
students. In the same year, the Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center was completed to accommodate the expanded needs of the library and computing services. The facility was built as a prototype library and information complex for the 21st century, housing more than 400,000 volumes in its stacks. The center also houses an advanced Automated Retrieval System (ARS) which contains an additional 750,000 volumes in a computer-managed shelving system in the library wing. A large portion of the funding to build the information center was donated by
Charles Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wid ...
, cartoonist and author of the popular Peanuts comic series, and his wife Jean. In January 2005, the university began the renovation of Darwin Hall, the university's science building, which had been built in 1967. The new building was designed to provide efficient academic classrooms and study areas for faculty and their students. The renovated structure was completed and re-opened in fall 2006 and provided new laboratories and classrooms to support the needs of a modern science curriculum. The new property approved by the board of trustees in 2000 is also the site of the Donald and Maureen Green Music Center, funded by private donors. A component of the Green Music Center, Music Education Hall, was state-funded. The center contains the 1,400-seat Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall, which was completed in 2012. Its resident orchestra is the Santa Rosa Symphony. In May 2007, SSU faculty voted no confidence in President Armiñana based upon financial issues surrounding the building of the Green Music Center, and faculty allegations that the building of the center took money away from academic programs. The center, originally intended to be a
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
10 million project, grew into a $120 million complex as additional venues and features were added to the original plan. The construction of the center was initially funded by bond measures, loans, and private donations as the use of academic funds for other uses is illegal. The Board of Trustees continued to support Armiñana despite the vote. In February 2010, the FBI and investigators from the Sonoma County District Attorney's offices raided the campus's administrative and finance offices seizing dozens of boxes from a storage area, and examined computers. The operation focused on an alleged misuse of federal grant money by the California Institute for Human Services (CIHS), a unit closed by SSU in 2007. The two top CIHS administrators were dismissed at that time. A new social center for the university gained approval in April 2011. Students voted to raise their fees by $150 a semester to cover the cost of the $65 million facility.


Presidents

The Office of the President began with the university's founding in 1960 when Ambrose R. Nichols, Jr. became the founding president of the university. there have been eight presidents of Sonoma State University. In January 2016, the California State University Board of Trustees appointed Judy Sakaki as Sonoma State's next president. Sakaki's term was from July 1, 2016 to July 31, 2022.


Campus

Sonoma State occupies approximately on the east side of the main suburban area of Rohnert Park. Directly adjacent to the main campus is Wolf's Den Plaza, a frequent hangout and eating area for SSU students. As of fall 2018 Sonoma State had the third-largest white enrollment percentage of Americans in the California State University system.


University library

The three-story, library is separated into two wings housing different areas on each floor. The building has a total of of indoor floor space and of shelving. The library houses a collection of writings and original letters from
Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...
, as well as memorabilia relating to his works. The $41.5 million building is named after Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic cartoon, and his wife Jean, who donated $5 million to help build and furnish the structure.


Campus bookstore

The Sonoma State Bookstore was operated by Sonoma State Enterprises, Inc. until the spring of 2006 when the operation was outsourced to Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, despite some opposition from faculty members.


Off-campus sites

In addition to the main campus, the university also owns and operates two off–campus study sites for students of the natural sciences. The first site is the
Fairfield Osborn Preserve The Fairfield Osborn Preserve is a 450-acre nature reserve situated on the northwest flank of Sonoma Mountain in Sonoma County, California. There are eight plant communities within the property, oak woodland being the dominant type. Other comm ...
, located on nearby
Sonoma Mountain Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. At an elevation of , Sonoma Mountain offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sonoma Valley to the east. In fact, ...
. The second site is the Galbreath Wildlands Preserve in
Mendocino County Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish for "of Mendoza) is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The county seat is Ukiah. Mendocino County consists whol ...
. Both offer opportunities for research and hands-on education to students of the university. Sonoma State also offers students the opportunity to obtain their
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...
in liberal arts partly through classes offered at
Napa Valley College Napa Valley College, formerly Napa Junior College and Napa Community College, is a public community college in Napa, California. The tree-lined main campus is on overlooking the Napa River and includes a performing arts center, a child develop ...
and the Vallejo Satellite Campus of
Solano Community College Solano Community College (SCC) is a public community college in Fairfield, California, with additional centers in Vacaville and Vallejo. The college is part of California Community Colleges System. SCC's service area includes all of Solano Count ...
.


Green Music Center

Music Education Hall (one of 4 components of the Green Music Center) opened its doors in 2008 to students taking classes in the two 60-person classrooms. The focal point of the Green Music Center is a 1,400-seat concert hall featuring precision engineered acoustics, named the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall. The entire rear wall of the hall opens to lawn seating for a total of 4,000 additional guests. The Hospitality Center, which includes a restaurant/executive conference center, opened in 2010. A $12 million donation from Joan and Sandy Weill, announced in March 2011, provided the funds to complete the concert hall for the fall 2012 opening. The 250-seat Schroeder Recital Hall opened in 2014.


Academics

Sonoma State offers 46 majors and 49 minors at the undergraduate level as of 2017. The school features a joint master's degree program in mathematics with
San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
and a wine-business program. Popular majors for undergraduates in 2018 included
Business Administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...
( Management and Operations) at 18.43%, Psychology (General) at 9.02%, and Sociology at 7.05%. Popular majors for graduates were Business Administration (Management and Operations) at 24.70%, Education (General) at 16.33% and Student
Counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of co ...
and Personnel Services at 11.95%. SONOMA State has the highest transfer graduation rate in the CSU System.


Rankings

niche.com ranked SONOMA State 1 & 3 Best Housing in the CSU, and State. The 2023 USNWR Best Regional Colleges West Rankings ranks Sonoma 15 on Top Public School, 36 on Top Performers on Social Mobility and 247 in Nursing (tie). The 2022 USNWR Best Regional Colleges West Rankings ranks Sonoma 16 on Top Public School, 47 on Top Performers on Social Mobility and 251 in Nursing (tie). The 2021 USNWR Best Regional Colleges West Rankings ranks Sonoma 14 on Top Public Schools and 48 on Top Performers on Social Mobility. While Forbes ranked in 2019 the university 160th among public colleges, 90 among universities in the West, and 179 among "America's
best value Best Value was government policy in the United Kingdom affecting the provision of public services in England and Wales. In Wales, Best Value is known as the Wales Programme for Improvement. A statutory duty of Best Value applies in Scotland.Audi ...
colleges".


Schools and special programs

There are more than 65 departments and academic programs divided into six schools. Each school offers major and minor courses for undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degrees * School of Arts & Humanities ** Hutchins School of Liberal Studies * School of Business and Economics ** Wine Business Program * School of Education * School of Extended & International Education * School of Social Sciences *
Fairfield Osborn Preserve The Fairfield Osborn Preserve is a 450-acre nature reserve situated on the northwest flank of Sonoma Mountain in Sonoma County, California. There are eight plant communities within the property, oak woodland being the dominant type. Other comm ...
* Galbreath Wildlands Preserve * Sonoma State Observatory


Hutchins School of Liberal Studies

The Hutchins School of Liberal Studies is a nationally–known interdisciplinary learning community within the larger institution of Sonoma State University. HIPPS was under the direction of
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
Francisco Vázquez for many years.
Mario Savio Mario Savio (December 8, 1942 – November 6, 1996) was an American activist and a key member of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement. He is most famous for his passionate speeches, especially the "Bodies Upon the Gears" address given at Spro ...
's final teaching post was in Hutchins. Stephanie Dyer was appointed director.


Wine business program

Sonoma State's location in the California Wine Country allows the school to offer courses in
viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ra ...
including the Wine Business program. Courses are offered in wine marketing, wine finance and accounting, human resources management, wine business strategies, wine production, operations, and distribution.


Admissions

SSU has a 65:35 ratio of female to male students.


Associations and accreditations

Sonoma State is
accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Several of the schools within Sonoma State also have additional accreditations, such as the School of Business and Economics, which is accredited by the
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International, is an American professional organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to ...
. Sonoma State University is the only California school that belongs to the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.


Art from the Heart

Art from the Heart, an annual art auction, has been held at the university since 1984 to raise funds for the art gallery's display, advertising, and lecture program by selling invited artists' work.


Student life


Athletics

Sonoma State teams compete in intercollegiate athletics as the Sonoma State Seawolves. Sonoma State University is an NCAA Division II member and part of the
California Collegiate Athletic Association The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. All of its current members are public universities, and upon U ...
(CCAA),
Western Water Polo Association The Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) is a single sport intercollegiate college athletic conference sponsoring men's and women's water polo. The WWPA is affiliated with the NCAA, and includes 15 member institutions, mostly in California, with ...
(WWPA) and the Pacific West Conference (PacWest). Ten of SSU's sports are in the CCAA, water polo is in the WWPA, and men's and women's tennis are in the PacWest. Sonoma State athletics began in 1964 with the school's first men's
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team. Through the years, the Seawolves have had various successes including national championships in 1990 ( women's soccer), 2002 ( men's soccer), and 2009 (men's
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping w ...
). The school's traditional colors are navy, Columbia, and white. SSU athletic teams participate in the CCAA, an association within the NCAA's Division II. The SSU Athletic Department offers nine NCCAA women's sports teams and five men's teams. Women's track and field has recently been re-added to university's program. Besides both being located in the west of California, but one in the south and the other in the north, Sonoma and Dominguez Hills have competed heavily as conference rivals in soccer. In the spring of 2020, it was announced that men's tennis, women's tennis, and women's water polo would be disbanded due to insufficient funding. *Men's (2) **
Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping w ...
: 2009 ** Soccer: 2002 *Women's (1) ** Soccer: 1990


Housing

Sonoma State provides suite, apartment, and townhouse style housing. There are six villages on campus, named after wines: Cabernet, Zinfandel, Verdot, Sauvignon, Beaujolais, and Tuscany. There are two swimming pools/spas. Sonoma State's dorms are ranked #25 in the nation as of 2015, according to Niche Rankings.


Student organizations

Sonoma State University has over one hundred chartered student organizations, including fraternities and sororities, and over twenty sports clubs. Several teams, run by students, compete regionally and in national tournaments.


Student government

Associated Students (AS) is a student organization. The AS Senate is the student government and board of directors of the corporation. AS also encompasses two smaller divisions, Associated Students Productions (ASP), which plans and produces on-campus
concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety ...
and student events, and Join Us Making Progress (JUMP), which organizes community service programs.


Notable faculty and alumni


Demographics

The United States Census Bureau has designated the Sonoma State University campus as a separate
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP) for statistical purposes. It first appeared as a CDP in the 2020 Census with a population of 2,679.


2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''


See also


Notes


References


External links

* {{authority control 1960 establishments in California Sonoma Sonoma Educational institutions established in 1960 Public liberal arts colleges in the United States Rohnert Park, California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Universities and colleges in Sonoma County, California Liberal arts colleges in California