60 YEARS OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Back to School

"Back to school" is a very different experience in 2020, as CSU students and faculty redefine higher education during COVID. But for much of the university's 60-year history, the upcoming school year generated a special kind of excitement as the dog days of summer melted away. There was a rush to stock up on essential supplies, register for classes and—for some students—move into residence halls. Things will be different this year, but who knows ... we may see new traditions blossom and new methods of connection flourish, creating an extraordinary chapter in the history of the California State University.

Students in the Sierra Madre Dorm in 1986. (courtesy of our Kennedy Library archives)

San Luis Obispo

Students visit in the Sierra Madre Dorm, 1986.

Photo courtesy of the Kennedy Library archives.

At the start of Cal Poly’s WOW or Week of Welcome student orientation program, WOW leaders, in yellow, welcome their WOWies

At the start of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s 2019 Week of Welcome (WOW) student orientation program, WOW leaders, in yellow, welcome their WOWies, in green.

Photo: Joe Johnston

San Francisco

San Francisco State kicks off its fall semester with GatorFest!, a week-long series of information sessions, games, concerts (like the one pictured, on the University’s West Campus Green) and other events designed to pump up students for the academic year ahead, August 2019.

New students pose for a photo on move-in day on Aug. 22, 2019.

San Diego

A proud Aztec mom helps her daughter roll "just the essentials" into her campus housing, 2019.

A student poses for a photo with her family on Oct. 11, 2019 during family weekend.

An incoming freshman poses with her family at SDSU's annual Family Weekend, a chance to get an inside look at student life, 2019.

Pomona

Students review a list of add/drop classes in a window of the Administration Building at Cal Poly Pomona, spring 1974.

Medina Murphy-Oats gets a hug from her dad, Larry Oats as he helps her move into her dorm room at Cal Poly Pomona

CPP student Medina Murphy-Oats receives a hug from her dad, Larry Oats, as he helps her move into her room at Encinitas Hall, September 2010.

Students and families fill the main quad during orientation on June 15, 2018.

Monterey Bay

Students and families fill the main quad during orientation, June 2018.

Students pose for a picture with Monte Rey on the first day of classes, Aug. 13, 2012.

Students pose for a picture with CSU Monterey Bay mascot Monte Rey on the first day of classes, August 2012.

Humboldt

Humboldt State lecturer Amanda Admire wears a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic while filming river geomorphology for virtual field trips along the Mad River, July 2020.

Working from home and campus on July 8, 2020.

Working from home and campus, July 2020.

Kian Balbus, left, greets Zhar Ismal on their first day of classes after a summer apart on Aug. 26, 2019.

Fullerton

Kian Balbus, left, greets Zhar Ismal on their first day of classes, August 2019.

Antonio Gonzalez, left, picks up his textbook for his geology course on Aug. 26, 2019.

Antonio Gonzalez, left, picks up a textbook for his geology course, August 2019.

CSUEB resident assistant Arsheep Sidhu, left, prepares for move-in day with residence life professional Gisela Ramirez.

East Bay

Cal State East Bay resident assistant Arsheep Sidhu, left, prepares for move-in day with residence life professional Gisela Ramirez. Precautions are in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and under the shelter-in-place order, including the use of PPE and limiting the number of people who are allowed to help students move in.

The CSUEB orientation team poses for a photo on July 20, 2020.

CSUEB's orientation team poses for a photo, July 2020.

Chico

Since 2013, thousands of incoming students have gathered on the field of University Stadium during Wildcat Welcome to form a giant “C” for their commemorative class photo.

Photo: Jessica Bartlett

Admissions Peer Advisor Emily Zarback leads a Summer Orientation session in her home as the normally in-person program shifts to a virtual environment due to COVID-19.

Photo: Jason Halley

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SHARE YOUR Back To School PHOTO

Do you have a great back to school photo? Email a JPG or TIFF to precord@calstate.edu and it will be submitted to CSU Dominguez Hills' Digital Collection Database for archival.