Sonoma State University is a campus of the California State University system located in Rohnert Park, California (about seven miles south of Santa Rosa). SSU has approximately eight thousand students, making it one of the smaller CSU schools.
SSU features the standard assortment of bachelor and master degrees in the liberal arts and science departments. As the school is located in Sonoma County, a world-famous wine-growing region, one unique and popular program at SSU is the Wine Business Program. The faculty has included luminaries such as activist Mario Savio, musician Mel Graves, poet David Bromige, and writers Gerald Haslam and Gerald Rosen.
From its opening in the sixties until the dawn of the 21st century, SSU was primarily a commuter school, with very little on campus housing. With the building of the Verdot Village in 1995, Sauvignon Village in 2000, and Beaujolais in 2003 however, the campus has been able to attract a more and more traditionally aged (18-24) student body.
Sonoma State University Campus is also the host for the public Technology High School, a small high school with appriximately 600 students and having a focus on technology, math, and science. created using public and private funding. The school is located in the Salazar building on the college campus.
The current President of SSU is Ruben ArmiƱana, former President of Western College Association.
Athletics
Sonoma State teams, called the Seawolves, compete in the
California Collegiate Athletic Association, an athletics conference in the
Division II of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association. Sonoma State fields thirteen teams for men and women for the
fall,
winter, and
spring seasons. The fall sport for men is
soccer. Fall sports for women include
cross country, soccer, and
volleyball. The winter sport for men is
basketball. The men's basketball team won the
California Collegiate Athletic Association Conference in 05-06. The winter sport for women is basketball. Spring sports for men include
baseball,
golf,
tennis, and
lacrosse; Sonoma State's lacrosse teams often do well and were rated #2 in their division nationwide by the
USLIA for the
2005 season. Spring sports for women include
softball, tennis,
track and field, and
water polo.
American football is no longer played at Sonoma State. Lacrosse is not an intercollegiate sport, it is a club.
Two Sonoma State teams have won NCAA Division II National Championships: Women's Soccer in 1990 and Men's Soccer in 2002. Sonoma State has had many All-Americans and counts among its alumni San Francisco 49er offensive lineman Larry Allen. Also, over 60 baseball players have signed professional contracts since 1986.
The teams derive their name from a novel by Jack London titled The Sea-Wolf; the Sonoma area was a stomping ground for London and he is quite well known there. Up until 2003, the team mascot was the Cossacks; however, school authorities decided to change the name after complaints by many that the name was offensive to Jews and women, who were at times persecuted by the Cossack people. The name change was controversial among the school staff and student body.
Associated Students, Inc. of Sonoma State University
Associated Students, Inc. is a student-run and student-owned organization that represents the student population. The ASI Senate is the student government and board of directors of the corporatoin. Associated Students Productions (ASP) is the concert and event program operated under ASI. Join Us Making Progress (JUMP) is the community service program of ASI. The ASI Senate consists of President, Executive Vice-President, Vice-President of Finance, JUMP Board Chair, and one or two Senators from each School. The current ASI President is
Nadir Vissanjy.
Departments and Programs
- School of Arts & Humanities
- American Multicultural Studies
- Art
- Chicano and Latino Studies
- Communications Studies
- English
- French
- Hutchins School of Liberal Studies
- Modern Languages & Literatures
- Global Studies Program
- Music
- Native American Studies
- Performing Arts
- Philosophy
- Spanish
- Theatre Arts/Dance
- School of Business & Economics
- Business Administration
- Economics
- Wine Business Program
- School of Education
- Curriculum Studies and Secondary Education
- Educational Leadership and Special Education
- Literacy Studies and Elementary Education
- School of Science & Technology
- Biology
- Biochemistry
- Health Professions Advisory Program
- Chemistry*
- Computer Science
- Department of Engineering Science
- Geology
- Kinesiology*
- Mathematics
- Nursing
- Family Nurse Practitioner Program
- Physics & Astronomy*
- School of Extended Education
- Certificate Programs
- Contract Credit Programs
- EXCEL for Youth
- Liberal Studies BA Degree Completion Program
- MA in Interdisciplinary Studies: Action for a Viable Future
- Art Therapy
- Depth Psychology
- Organization Development Program
- MS in Computer and Engineering Science
- Open University
- Sonoma State American Language Institute
- Summer Session
- School of Social Sciences
- Anthropology
- Counseling
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Environmental Studies
- Geography
- Gerontology
- History
- Human Development
- Liberal Studies
- Linguistics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Women's and Gender Studies
- Other Majors
- California Cultural Studies
- Interdisciplinary Studies Special Major
- Special Major in Global Studies
- Other Minors
- Career Minor in Women's Health
- Interdisciplinary Studies Special Minor
- Women's and Gender Studies
External links
California State University | Universities and colleges in California | Western Association of Schools and Colleges