Chronology
- Mission Statement
- About CSU Bakersfield
Expansion of CSUB - 1980's
The Donahoe Higher Education Act of 1960 brought the individual California State Colleges together as a system. It was in 1982 that the system became The California State University system. California State University, Bakersfield opened its doors in the spring of 1970, and in the 1980's it had expectations of a promising and bright future for students of the San Joaquin Valley.
The sports program at CSUB was at its prime during the early 1980's. The CSUB Head Wrestling Coach Joe Seay had a great team. The performance of these athletes with the guidance of Coach Seay led them to their fourth straight NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship title.
However, the future of the four year university looked grim with low enrollment of less than three thousand students as well as public criticism over the lack of courses offered to attract students. There were rumors of possible tuition increase and even school closures. Many people blamed prop 13 for the economic uncertainty. This was a difficult time for the CSUB faculty and President, Dr. Jacob Porter Frankel.
Dr. Jacob Frankel became the second president of CSUB in 1974 and retired in 1983. His background was notably one of the
pioneers in the field of nuclear engineering. Dr. Frankel helped set up Lawrence Livermore Laboratory; he was named
distinguished professor at UCLA in 1966.
With fewer resources available than in past years, President Frankel had many challenges to face during this time of economic upset. One of these challenges forced tenured faculty to be laid off due to cutbacks. The future looked unclear for this relatively young university; who would the university look to for support?
The dedicated people of Bakersfield and throughout Kern County stepped up to help with support for CSUB. The community worked very hard to bring a university to the San Joaquin Valley. This university was a dream that became a reality. The determination to keep the doors open and operating at CSUB prompted the community to get involved and raise funds through donations to help keep the university alive during this economic crisis. Their efforts proved worthwhile, as CSUB flourishes today.
