The history of San Francisco State University began in 1857, with a teacher-training program at a high school, which led to the creation of San Francisco State Normal School. It became San Francisco State Teachers College, San Francisco State College, and California State University, San Francisco before becoming San Francisco State University, as it's known today.
19th century In 1857, the San Francisco Board of Education created the San Francisco Weekly Normal School, also known as the Minns' Evening Normal School. In 1862, it became the California State Normal School, the first postsecondary institution established by the state. Only six students were enrolled on its first day. By 1866, enrollment had increased to 384.
In 1867, the principal of Girls' High School and Normal School, Ellis Holmes, realized that the California State Normal School was not meeting the demand for teachers. The city approved the addition of a new year-long teacher-training program to his high school's curriculum, for girls who wanted to pursue a career in education. This program is what would eventually become San Francisco State University. When the California State Normal School was moved to San José in 1871, Girls' High became the only publicly-supported teacher-training institution.
In 1895, the teaching program was split from the school and became San Francisco City Normal School. Due to a lack of funding, the school closed in 1898. A group of teachers, students, and supporters pressured the California State Legislature to convert it into a state-funded institution.
Founding
On March 22, 1899, the California State Legislature approved the creation of the San Francisco State Normal School, with an appropriation of $10,000. Frederic Lister Burk was appointed as the first president and chose the school's motto, Experientia Docet. The school rented space in a building on Powell Street between Clay and Sacramento Streets and 31 women were enrolled in the first year.
20th century The 1906 earthquake and fire forced the school to relocate from Nob Hill to a temporary campus at the Grant School in Oakland. Ten days after the earthquake, President Burk found a new site for the school at a property bound by Laguna, Haight, Buchanan and Hermann Streets.
In 1921, the school began offering Bachelor's degree options and was renamed San Francisco State Teachers College. Teachers Colleges in California received authorization to grant Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1923.
In 1924, Burk died and Archibald B. Anderson took over as acting president.
Also in 1924, construction for new buildings started on vacant land at the school's site. The campus consisted of four Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings designed by George McDougall, a California state architect.
There were three presidents of the teachers college in 1927. Anderson served until his death in the summer of that year. Then, Mary A. Ward, the Dean of Women, served as acting president until the fall, when Alexander C. Roberts was appointed president.
In the 1930s, overcrowding became an issue at the campus. It had been designed for 1500 students, but had to accommodate about 3000. When the Hetch Hetchy project was completed in 1934, the city no longer needed land near Lake Merced for a reservoir. In 1938, students rallied for a new campus with non-wooden buildings; San Francisco's 1906 earthquake and fire made students feel unsafe in crowded wooden buildings. By 1939, the land had been acquired to build a new campus, but plans were paused due to World War II. Many students took part in the war, causing enrollment to decline.
During the 1920s and '30s, State Teachers Colleges expanded beyond being only vocational schools to train teachers. They were formally authorized to offer four-year liberal arts curriculums and renamed State Colleges in 1935. So, the school became known as San Francisco State College.
When veterans started returning in 1945, the Vets Village, a housing complex, was built at the site of the new campus. Some students commuted from there to the campus at Buchanan and Haight Streets. In the same year, J. Paul Leonard became president after Alexander C. Roberts retired.
In 1949, master's degrees were authorized to be offered.
In 1951, the Gymnasium building was the first major building to be completed at the current campus near Lake Merced. The Creative Arts building was built second. The campus opened for classes for Fall 1953, before it was formally dedicated in October 1954.
In 1956, the Frederic Burk School opened. The elementary school served as a demonstration lab for new teaching methods until its closure in 1971. It was also a teaching lab for college students earning degrees in education, under the supervision of experienced teachers. Curriculum included music instruction.
From 1957 to 1961, Glenn S. Dumke was president of San Francisco State.
San Francisco State College became part of the California State College system established under the Donahoe Higher Education Act in 1960. Dumke resigned to become the system's vice chancellor for academic affairs, before becoming the second chancellor of the system for 20 years.
In Fall 1965, the Experimental College was started by students Cynthia Carlson, Donna Michaelson, Sharon Gold, and James Nixon, in an effort to teach untraditionally. In 1927, over 2000 students enrolled in courses offered by the Experimental College. The original Experimental College stopped operating after 1969.
A 760-bed, 15-story dorm building, Verducci Hall, was built near Lake Merced Boulevard in 1969.
Demonstrations of the 1960s
1967 On May 2, 1967, 60 students staged a sit-in protest in President John Summerskill's office, opposing the practice of providing students' academic standing to the Selective Service System. On June 22 of the same year, students and faculty picketed administrative offices to protest the California State College Chancellor Glenn S. Dumke's directive to continue providing students' academic standings.
On November 6, James Vaszko, the campus editor of the Gater, the student newspaper at the time, was assaulted by members of the Black Student Union. This event became known as the Gater Incident. In an interview the day after the assault, Vaszko said he had no idea why it happened, but something was said during the incident about the Gater not running a photo of the BSU candidate for homecoming queen. However, the Gater had included a photo of the candidate. The District Attorney's office issued arrest warrants on November 9 for three individuals.
About 450 students participated in a protest on December 2 against President Summerskill and the Vietnam War.
On December 6, students protested against the suspension of students in the Gater incident. During the protest, students broke into the Administration building.
1968 President Summerskill announced his resignation, effective in September, on February 22.
The Third World Liberation Front was a coalition of the Black Students Union, the Latin American Students Organization, the Filipino-American Students Organization, and El Renacimiento. They occupied the school's YMCA office on March 23.
On May 21, in the Administration building, approximately 400 students held a sit-in protesting various issues, including an end to AFROTC on campus and the hiring of nine minority faculty members. After nine hours, police were called to remove the students. 26 people were arrested.
Students protested again on May 23. On the following day, Chancellor Dumke asked President Summerskill to resign immediately. Robert Smith, a professor of education, was appointed president on June 1.
On September 10, George Mason Murray, a graduate student in English and Black Panther Minister of Education, was hired as a teaching assistant to teach introductory English classes for 400 students.
President Smith announced the creation of a Black Studies Department and named Dr. Nathan Hare, a professor of sociology, as acting chair on September 18.
On September 26, after Murray allegedly made inflammatory remarks at Fresno State College and San Francisco State, the California State College Trustees voted to ask President Smith to reassign George Murray to a non-teaching position.
Smith refused, causing Chancellor Dumke to order him to suspend Murray on October 31. On the same day, the Black Student Union Third World Liberation Front threatened to strike on November 6 and presented their 15 demands. The demands were not met, and a lengthy student strike erupted. It was the longest student strike in American history.
On November 13, 1968, the campus closed after a week of confrontations between students and police. On November 18, the California State College Trustees ordered Smith to reopen the campus. The faculty didn't want to reopen the campus, but met for a convocation to discuss the issues. On November 26, Black Student Union leaders confronted Smith and the faculty during the convocation. Smith resigned the same day.
On December 2, S. I. Hayakawa was appointed president. On his first day, he climbed onto a sound truck positioned at 19th and Holloway Avenues. and pulled out the speaker wires. According to a student who was inside the truck, "he was so mad, you could see the foam on his mouth."
On December 10, Mayor Joseph Alioto organized a citizen's committee to help end the strike.
The school closed for the holidays a week early, on December 13.
Also during that month, two bombs were discovered on campus. One was in the Administration building and the other was in the Psychology building (now Ethnic Studies and Psychology building).
1969 On January 4, 1969, President Hayakawa banned meetings and gatherings on campus and limited picketing activities to the perimeter of the campus. Picketers ignored the ban.
About 350 teachers who were part of the American Federation of Teachers picketed around the campus on January 6.
On January 23, over 500 people had gathered on campus for a rally. Police surrounded the protestors and arrested hundreds of them, backing up San Francisco's court system for months.
On March 5, Timothy Peebles, a freshman, set off a bomb in the Creative Arts building at night. The bomb injured his hands and face.
The strike officially ended on March 21, after an agreement was signed the previous day by representatives of the Black Student Union, the Third World Liberation Front, and the school. The school agreed to establish the first College of Ethnic Studies in the country, housing the departments of American Indian Studies, Asian American Studies, Black Studies, and La Raza Studies, and to accept almost all nonwhite applicants for the Fall 1969 semester.
In Fall 1969, Richard Oakes led a group of SF State students in the occupation of Alcatraz Island.
1970s and onwards In 1971, campus-based childcare at SF State was approved by the California State Colleges board of trustees. On October 10, 1972, the Associated Students Lilliput Childcare Center opened, providing childcare to students who are parents and the general public. It's now called the AS Early Childhood Education Center.
In 1972, the State Colleges system was designated "The California State University and Colleges." 14 colleges met the criteria established by the Board of Trustees and the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, including San Francisco State, which was renamed California State University, San Francisco. This name was not popular with students, and the university was soon renamed San Francisco State University in 1974.
Hayakawa resigned in 1973. This led to the appointment of Paul F. Romberg.
The Student Union building (now Student Center) was opened in 1975. It was designed by Paffard Keatinge-Clay.