A Pictorial History of Cal State San Marcos

It's homecoming week -- a time when alumni return to campus and Cal State San Marcos celebrates all that it has accomplished in just 15 short years.

Come take a stroll through this pictorial history of the University, from the late 1940s when the current campus site was a chicken ranch, to the early days of the SDSU North County satellite campus, to the establishment of Cal State San Marcos as the twentieth campus of the California State University System.

Prohoroff Poultry Farm

The current site of the CSUSM campus atop Twin Oaks Valley Road was at one time a chicken ranch.

In the late 1940’s John Prohoroff began experimenting with innovative ways to raise high egg-producing hens. He moved them to wire-floored cages, developed a golfcart-like vehicle to drive through the hen houses to collect eggs, and eventually tracked flock nutrition with an IBM mainframe computer. By the 1960’s, the Prohoroff Poultry Farms had almost two million chickens and more than 100 acres of buildings.

University Created

Cal State San Marcos originally began as the North County satellite campus of San Diego State University.

Senate Bill No. 365 created California State University San Marcos, the twentieth campus in the California State University System.

Hailed as the first U.S. comprehensive university to be founded in two decades, it came into being on July 1, 1989. Senator William A. Craven, Governor George Deukmejian, Chancellor W. Ann Reynolds and the President of the University, Bill W. Stacy, signed Bill No. SB365 on September 1st, 1989.

For two years Cal State San Marcos operated alongside San Diego State University North County Center (SDSU NCC). Both were located in a business park on Los Vallecitos Blvd., just west of Jerome’s Furniture Warehouse.

These are students, faculty and staff at the Los Vallecitos site
during the first year with students (1989/1990).

Building Phase I (1992-93)

Cal State San Marcos is the last Cal State campus built from scratch. The two campuses that have been established since 1989, CSU Monterey Bay and CSU Channel Islands, both took over existing structures -- a military base and a state mental hospital, respectively.

Shortly after the California Legislature created Cal State San Marcos, work began on the present campus site, leading to the creation of the first phase of buildings.

The Phase I Science Hall has more than 36,000 square feet of laboratory space and was designed for organic chemistry, physical chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology and ecology/whole organism studies.

The Foundation Classroom Building (FCB), opened for Spring 1997 classes to help ease a severe campus space crunch. It consists of classrooms, Extended Studies and Campus Enterprises (i.e., printing, mail and parking services).

Academic Hall, the Campus Phase I lecture hall, has 56,000 square feet and can accommodate more than 1,100 students. Its second floor is devoted to hands-on computer classrooms and labs. The majority of ACD classrooms seat between 20 and 40 students. ACD 102 was, until the Arts Building opened for Fall 2002 the largest indoor venue on campus with 145 seats.

University Hall is a 71,000-square-foot, four-story building that contains 12 classrooms, 4 computer labs, 2 television production rooms, 2 tiered lecture rooms, and a language laboratory. It opened in August 1998 and is home to the University’s College of Education.

Craven Hall, the six-story centerpiece of the $60+ million Campus Phase I, opened in January 1993. Its 155,000 square feet house the CSUSM administration, faculty and staff offices, cashier, enrollment services, and the Learning Assistance Program.

The Commons and Dome, also part of Campus Phase I, consists of offices, the Cougar Corner convenience store, the Dome food service and the University store, plus indoor and patio seating.

The Mangrum Track opened in August, 1998. The track, modeled after the Olympic track used in the Atlanta Games, includes eight 400-meter lanes and has facilities for the pole vault, long jump, shot put, discus, hammer toss, and javelin. It encompasses a regulation-sized soccer field. The facility is used for recreation and inter-collegiate sports. At a cost of $1.5 million, it was partially paid for by students, who agreed to a $70 increase in their school fees, and university friends Bob and Ruth Mangrum.

Campus Logos

The original campus logo, or mark, was used until June 30th, 2002, when it was retired.

The new campus mark, unveiled at the beginning of the Fall 2001 semester, is a representation of the campus buildings on our hillside. It is intentional that the hills are also shaped as a bird in flight. This new mark introduced “Cal State San Marcos” as a more informal name for our university.

Tukwut, the Luiseño word for the California mountain lion or cougar, is the name of the university’s mascot. In a student referendum held in the spring of 1999, “Cougars” was selected as the name for all CSUSM sports teams.

The Founders Seal, located in the center of Founders Plaza, is a large bronze plaque surrounded by the names of the Founding Faculty and of University Founders, 100 initial donors for California State University San Marcos.

Chavez Statue

Facing North in the same direction that so many migrant workers have traveled into the United States, the Cesar Chavez statue is located at the top of the stairs that lead to Chavez Plaza. The staircase symbolizes the hard climb Chavez endured in the struggle for social change and justice for farm workers. At the base of the statue is the phrase: “Sí se puede. It can be done,” which is the United Farm Worker’s Union slogan.

Kellogg Library (2004)

The formal groundbreaking ceremony for the Library was held on April 29th, 2001. Left to right: Charles Ragland (representing the Alumni Association), Isabel Schon (Barahona Center director), donors Keith and Jean Kellogg, President Alexander Gonzalez, Marion Reid (Library dean), donors Gaby and Richard Sulpizio, and Dean Manship (Associated Students, Inc. president).

The five-story, 200,000-square-foot Kellogg Library cost $48 million and opened January 2004. In addition to library collections, services and staff, the building houses academic computing offices, the Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents, the computer help desk, the Faculty Center, the Learning Assistance Program, a technology resource center, video recording studios and edit rooms, a 100-seat open computer lab, four 60-seat classrooms, one 80-seat classroom, the campus satellite copy center, and a coffee shop.