Students hope to add CSU to university name
San Francisco Chronicle 3/12/07
Students at San Jose State will vote March 20 and March 21 to add California State University to the campus name. If it passes, the students will take the issue to the CSU Board of Trustees to formally add California State University to the campus name so that students can put CSU San Jose on their resumes and buy sweatshirts and the like with the CSU moniker. If approved, CSU San Jose would not displace San Jose State -- both would be used by the university.
"We felt San Jose (State) was too weak of a name nationwide," said Mike Hentrich, a graduate student in the campus' business program. "Having the name California State and marketing ourselves that way will increase our worldwide exposure."
The campaign was started by Mike Harold, a former student, who said he was disappointed when potential employers did not realize that San Jose State was part of the 23-campus CSU system. In fact, San Jose State was the founding campus of the system.
"When you get out of the area, people don't know that," he said. "To us, the word 'California' is critical. There is a lot of prestige with being a state university, and that has been taken away."
Several other CSU campuses, CSU Sacramento, CSU Fresno, CSU Chico, and CSU Long Beach, have dual identities, Harold said.
Supporters of a change gathered 132 signatures to get the initiative on the ballot to go before the campus' 30,000 students during the two days of voting.
Alberto Gutierrez, president of the Associated Students of San Jose State University, said that the student government has not taken a position on the initiative but that he is opposed.
"In my own personal opinion, I like the name as it stands," Gutierrez said. " 'CSU San Jose' sounds really odd to me, and I just know the history of how we got our name. I'm proud of San Jose State."
The campus was founded in 1857 as a teacher credentialing school called Minns' Evening Normal School. In 1862, it was named California State Normal School. After other California State campuses were added, the school was renamed San Jose State Normal School in 1887.
It remained that until 1921, when it was again renamed, as San Jose State Teachers College. In 1935, it became San Jose State College. In 1972, the California State campuses became universities and were renamed for the CSU system with the city name at the end of the title.
Eight campuses fought successfully to return to the more distinct city title, including San Jose State, San Diego State, Sonoma State and San Francisco State. In 1974, the campus again became San Jose State.