California State University, Monterey Bay


California State University, Monterey Bay is a public university in Monterey County, California. Its main campus is located on the site of the former military base Fort Ord, straddling the cities of Seaside and Marina, about one mile inland from Monterey Bay along the Central Coast of California. CSUMB also has locations in the cities of Monterey and Salinas. Founded in 1994, CSUMB is part of the California State University system and is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

History

CSUMB was founded in 1994 with a student enrollment of 654 students. Classes began August 28, 1995. The founding president was Peter Plympton Smith. It was the 22nd campus in the California State University system. The university offers 23 bachelor's degrees, 7 master's degrees, and teaching credentials.
As of the fall of 2016, the university has 6,883 undergraduate students, 544 graduate students and 163 full-time faculty members. The university operates on the semester system. The president is Eduardo M. Ochoa, who was appointed in May 2012.
CSUMB, in conjunction with Hartnell College, developed CS-in-3, a three-year computer science program funded in part by grants from the Foundation established by Matsui Nursery. A donation of 210 acres of prime agricultural land to the Hartnell College Foundation, valued at $20 million USD was granted thereafter.

Presidents

Demographics

Faculty

In the fall of 2018, of 510 teaching faculty, 244 hold doctorates or another terminal degree, and 145 are members of minority groups."The faculty includes an American Book Award winner and six Fulbright scholars.

Students

The student body is made up of 63% females and 37% males. As of fall 2018, 35% of students enrolled were under 21 years of age, 44% between 21 and 24, 14% between 25 and 30, 7% over the age of 31. The most common majors were business administration, psychology, kinesiology, biology and human communication. 40% of students came from Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties while 58% came from other parts of California, 2% from other U.S. states and 3% from outside the U.S. One third of students were low-income and a little over half were first-generation college students. Students are distributed across class levels; 20% being freshmen, 11% sophomores, 24% juniors and 34% seniors as CSU Monterey Bay serves a large proportion of transfer students. Graduate students make up 9%, 2% were seeking credentials and 1% were post-baccalaureate students.
As of fall 2018 Cal State Monterey Bay has the second largest enrollment percentage of Unknown Americans in the California State University system.

Research

Under a cooperative agreement with the NASA Ames Research Center, the university performs remote sensing, ecosystem modeling, and geospatial research for earth system science and health. CSUMB researchers work in 10 areas, including coral reef monitoring, land use, carbon modeling and disease transmission.

Student life

Approximately 50% of CSUMB students live on campus.

Athletics

CSUMB's athletic mascot is the Otter. Its athletic teams compete in NCAA Division II, primarily in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Otters field 12 sports for men and women for the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Fall sports for men include soccer and cross country. Fall sports for women include soccer, volleyball and cross country. The winter sport for men and women is basketball. Spring sports for men include baseball and golf. Spring sports for women include softball, golf, and water polo.
The Otters of CSU Monterey Bay earned 1 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships in 2011.
Fraternities and sororities in the Multicultural Greek Council include:
The university's goal is to be carbon neutral by 2030, with a solar array, installed in 2010, currently meeting 16 percent of the university's needs.
Additionally, the university's Dining Commons were awarded LEED Silver certification in 2011. The Dining Commons were designed to include water efficiency and natural and energy-efficient lighting.

Residence Halls

CSUMB offers housing in many areas around campus. On the main campus there are eight residence halls each renovated Army barracks. Willet, Cypress, Manzanita, Asilomar, Yarrow, Avocet, Tortuga, and Sanderling Halls surround the main quad on campus. Pinnacles and Vineyard Suites as well as Strawberry Apartments make up North Quad on the north end of campus. In fall of 2015 the University opened three new residence halls, called Promontory, all of which offering apartment size dormitories.

Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library

The Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library has of floor space. It is located at Divarty and Fifth Street, and diagonally across from the Chapman Science Center. A roundabout sits between the library and the science building. The Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library is certified LEED Silver and has been cited for a range of sustainable design strategies from daylighting and low-energy use to healthy carpets, water conservation, and high-recycled content materials.
Aside from being the largest building on the CSUMB campus, it is the greenest in terms of energy usage. Up to 30% less electricity is needed, for example, because of floor-to-ceiling glass walls that let in natural light. Additionally, ventilation techniques operate through the floor instead of the ceiling, allowing cooler air to travel a lesser distance. The light let in from the atrium is indirect rather than direct sunlight.

Other locations

CSUMB has other locations within Monterey County, including CSUMB at Ryan Ranch, CSUMB at North Salinas, and CSUMB at Salinas City Center. The National Steinbeck Center is located at CSUMB at Salinas City Center.
CSUMB relies on Monterey–Salinas Transit for transportation among its various locations.