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San Diego State University (SDSU), founded in 1897, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area (generally the City and County of San Diego), and is part of the California State University system. It is the third-oldest university in the California State University system, and one of the oldest universities in California. SDSU has a student body of more than 33,000 and an alumni base of more than 200,000.

The Carnegie Foundation has designated the SDSU a "Research University with high research activity." SDSU is the only California State University campus with this classification, which places it among the top 200 higher education institutions in the country conducting research (Carnegie Foundation link).

San Diego State University awards bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees (Ph.D. and Ed.D) in a total of 151 fields. SDSU is the largest university in San Diego and the third largest in California. It offers the most doctoral degrees of any campus of the California State University system, currently in sixteen (16) academic and research disciplines.

History and Important Facts

With more than a century of achievement in education, research and service, and with an enrollment of more than 33,000 students, San Diego State University (SDSU) has grown into the largest institution of higher education in the southern California region and one of the largest in California.

Renowned for its academic excellence, the university is home to many top-ranked academic programs. One in seven (7) San Diegans with a college degree attended SDSU, making SDSU a primary educator of the region's work force, as well as a leader in expanding access to higher education. Committed to serving the diverse San Diego region, SDSU ranks among the top ten (10) universities nationwide in terms of ethnic and racial diversity among its student body, as well as the number of bachelor's degrees conferred upon minority students.

Increasingly recognized for innovative research, SDSU has achieved the prestigious "Research University" status granted by the Carnegie Foundation. SDSU faculty consistently attract hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars annually in grants and contracts for research and program administration, and SDSU's research and graduate degree programs lead all other campuses of the California State University system. Private giving to SDSU is also rising dramatically, reaching record levels in recent fiscal year. Because state funds provide only about one-third of the SDSU's annual operating requirements, with tuition and fees not adding much more, the support of alumni, friends and community partners is providing a crucial margin of excellence at SDSU, enabling the university to fulfill its mission and expand its service to the San Diego region and beyond.

In what could be considered an honor (depending on one's viewpoint), San Diego State University was listed as the fifth most popular "party school" in the May 2006 issue of Playboy. SDSU ranked behind the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the University of California, Santa Barbara, Arizona State University and Indiana University, Bloomington and ahead of Florida State University, Ohio University, the University of Georgia, the University of Tennessee and Canada's McGill University in Montreal. Playboy's Top Ten Party Schools has been released by the magazine twice. In 1987, the top pick went to California State University, Chico, and in 2002, Arizona State (currently 3rd) received top billing.

Endowment

San Diego State University's financial endowment is presently valued at $99.6 million U.S. dollars (USD) as of the end of the 2004-2005 academic year.

San Diego State University received a then-record $149 million USD in external funding during the 2003-2004 academic year for research purposes and other related matters, and also an additional $63 million USD in donations and other charitable giving. For the 2004-2005 academic year, the amount increased to new record level, over $157 million USD in external funding, as well as an additional $57 million USD in donations and charitable giving.

The primary philanthropic arm of San Diego State University is The Campanile Foundation, controlled by the University Advancement division of the university. The San Diego State University Research Foundation, an auxiliary corporation owned and controlled by the university, is the manager and administrator of all philanthropic funds and external funding for the university and its affiliated and auxiliary foundations and corporations.

An auxiliary to The Campanile Foundation is the Aztec Athletic Association, which primarily raises funds for the student athletes in the San Diego State University athletics programs (see discussion of Athletics below).

In addition to its permanent endowment, San Diego State University raises over $55 million U.S. dollars per year (approximately) in philanthropic gifts to support its research and academic affairs.

Images

Image:Sdsumain.jpg|A landmark architecture featured in the school logo Image:SDSU-library-image.jpg|The SDSU Campus with the library (known as the "Infodome") in the foreground Image:Pedestrian Bridge.jpg|Pedestrian bridge connecting various dorms and parking structures to campus

Academic and Research Affairs

San Diego State University is the leader in the California State University system in awarding Ph.D. or Ed.D degrees, currently awarding such degrees in 16 academic disciplines. As a result of recent statutory changes (SB 974), SDSU intends to expand the scope and number of doctoral degree programs that it offers its graduate students Link.

Research Institutes and Centers

Research Consortium Renowned Facilities Observatory

Media, Newspapers and Magazines

SDSU Media and Publications

Official SDSU Campus Newspapers

Other

  • The Koala at SDSU
    • The Koala is a student-run humor publication at San Diego State University.

Athletics

The official SDSU Athletics website is GoAztecs.com

The university has organized facilities for baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, tennis, softball, rowing (crew), water polo, swimming, and women's volleyball. It competes in NCAA Division I (I-A for football). Its primary conference is the Mountain West Conference; its women's water polo team participates in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and its men's soccer team participates as an Associate Member of the Pacific Ten Conference (the "Pac-10" Conference). Crew's championship regatta is the WIRA (Western International Rowing Association).

The school colors are scarlet and black, SDSU's athletic teams are nicknamed "Aztecs", and its current mascot is the Aztec Warrior, historically referred to as "Monty - Montezuma".

A detailed listing of the SDSU athletics facilities, including photographs and descriptions, is found here: SDSU Athletics Facilities.

Football

San Diego State Athletics have contributed richly to the National Football League (NFL). Distinguished NFL head coaches were proud members of the Aztec Football program:

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "San Diego State University".

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