San Diego State University
San Diego State University is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University system. SDSU is the oldest higher education institution in San Diego; its academic roots were established as a normal school in University Heights, then known as the San Diego Normal School. In the fall of 2025, the university enrolled a record 41,184 students.
SDSU comprises eight colleges and offers over 200 degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". It is a federally-designated Hispanic-Serving Institution as well as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.
SDSU's athletic teams compete as the San Diego State Aztecs; the Aztecs nickname was chosen by students in 1925. They compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, primarily as a member of the Mountain West Conference. SDSU currently fields varsity teams across 17 NCAA-sanctioned sports. As of 2021, athletes from the university had won 14 medals at the Olympic Games.
History
Established on March 13, 1897, San Diego State University first began as the "San Diego Normal School", and was initially meant to educate local women as elementary school teachers. It was located on a campus on Park Boulevard in University Heights. It opened with 7 faculty members and 91 students; at first, the curriculum was limited to English, history and mathematics. In 1923, the San Diego Normal School became "San Diego State Teachers College", "a four-year public institution controlled by the California State Board of Education."By the 1930s the school had outgrown its original campus. In 1931 it moved to its current location on Montezuma Mesa at what was then the eastern edge of San Diego. In 1935, the school expanded its offerings beyond teacher education and became "San Diego State College". In 1960, San Diego State College became a part of the California State Colleges system, now known as the California State University. In 1972, San Diego State College became "California State University, San Diego", and finally, in 1974, San Diego State University.
John F. Kennedy, then the president of the United States, gave the graduation commencement address at the then-San Diego State College on June 6, 1963. Kennedy was given an honorary doctorate degree in law at the ceremony, making SDSC the first California State College to award an honorary doctorate. In 1964, the event was registered as California Historical Landmark #798.
On May 29, 1964, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. addressed a near-capacity audience in the Open Air Theater. King discussed his vision for the future and called for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, then being debated in the Senate.
On August 15, 1996, there was a shooting that occurred at the engineering building. Three professors were killed by master's degree student Frederick Martin Davidson. Three months later, a copycat threat flier was sent, with threats against professors and racial insults.
In April 2012, the 14th Dalai Lama spoke at SDSU's Viejas Arena as part of his "Compassion Without Borders" tour.
After the departure of the San Diego Chargers for Los Angeles in 2017, SDSU endeavored to gain control of San Diego Stadium and surrounding city property. The stadium hosted the San Diego State Aztecs football team, connected to the SDSU main campus by SDSU Transit Center. The proposal, called SDSU West, was put to city voters in November 2017 where it won approval by 54%, beating out a competing commercial proposal called SoccerCity. Negotiations began for SDSU to purchase the property from the city of San Diego. On May 29, 2020, the city council gave conceptual approval to sell 135 acres, including the stadium, to SDSU for $88 million.
SDSU broke ground for a new 35,000-seat stadium in August 2020. The stadium, which opened in September 2022 as Snapdragon Stadium, hosts SDSU football games and various concerts and events. Snapdragon Stadium is also the home of San Diego FC of Major League Soccer and San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League. The entire $3.5 billion project, now known as SDSU Mission Valley, includes housing, office and retail space, hotels, and of parks and open space, including a river park on city property; it will be rolled out in phases over 15 years.
University presidents
SDSU has had eleven presidents, two of whom served in an acting capacity. Several structures on the campus are named in past presidents' honor, such as Hardy Memorial Tower, Hepner Hall, and Malcolm A. Love Library. In March 2017 President Hirshman announced his resignation for June 30, 2017; he will assume the position of president at Stevenson University in Maryland. Sally Roush was the interim president until January 31, 2018. On that date, the CSU Board of Trustees appointed Adela de la Torre to serve as the permanent President. De la Torre is the first woman to serve in the role on a permanent basis.The following persons had served as president of San Diego State University:
| No. | Image | President | Start | End | Notes |
| 1 | Samuel T. Black | October 1, 1898 | September 8, 1910 | ||
| 2 | Edward L. Hardy | September 9, 1910 | August 31, 1935 | ||
| 3 | Walter R. Hepner | September 1, 1935 | August 31, 1952 | ||
| 4 | Malcolm Love | September 1, 1952 | September 1971 | ||
| acting | Donald E. Walker | September 1971 | June 30, 1972 | ||
| 5 | Brage Golding | July 1, 1972 | August 31, 1977 | ||
| acting | Trevor Colbourn | September 1, 1977 | July 1, 1978 | ||
| 6 | Thomas B. Day | July 5, 1978 | July 4, 1996 | ||
| 7 | Stephen L. Weber | July 5, 1996 | July 4, 2011 | ||
| 8 | Elliot Hirshman | July 5, 2011 | June 30, 2017 | ||
| acting | Sally Roush | July 1, 2017 | June 27, 2018 | ||
| 9 | Adela de la Torre | June 28, 2018 | present |
Campus
Several buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:- Scripps Cottage was finished in September 1931, funded with a donation of $6,000 from Ellen Browning Scripps matched with $5,000 from the state. It was the headquarters for the Associated Women Students and was used for meetings, women's activities, and served as a lounge. On September 3, 1968, the building was moved to make room for the new school. It was used mainly as a conference and meeting building, and in 1993, began serving as a center for international students.
- The area next to Scripps Cottage is home to a campus famous turtle pond. While this pond is colloquially known among students as the turtle pond, the university actually intended it to be a Koi Pond only, and the turtles are unwelcome guests left abandoned by previous owners.
- Aztec Bowl, costing $500,000 to construct, was dedicated on October 3, 1936, before 7,500 people. The stadium was initially supposed to be expanded to 45,000 seats, but instead was only expanded once with 5,000 seats in 1948.
- Viejas Arena was constructed over part of Aztec Bowl, opening in July 1997.
- The CalCoast Credit Union Open Air Theatre was financed by the Works Progress Administration and the state for $200,000 and originally dedicated on May 3, 1941.
- Hepner Hall took on its current name on January 19, 1976, when the Montezuma Mesa building was renamed to honor Walter R. Hepner Hall. On May 1, 1977, the Humanities building was named after John Adams, a professor, administrator, and archivist. The Humanities-Social Sciences building was renamed in 1986 after geographer Alvena Storm and historian Abraham P. Nasatir.
- Peterson Gymnasium was finished in 1961.
- Hardy Memorial Tower, in the Mission Revival style, resembles a Spanish bell tower and is one of the most recognizable buildings on campus. The building housed the university's first library, which featured murals painted by the Works Progress Administration.
- The WPA Mission Revival Communications building, Exercise and Nutritional Sciences building, Faculty-Staff Club, Life Sciences building and Annex, Little Theatre, Physical Plant Boiler Shop, and the Physical Science building are also listed on the National Register.
- Malcolm A. Love Library acquired its 100,000th book on May 21, 1944. By the end of World War II it was adding about 8,000 books a year. In 1959, a. addition to the library was finished, but it was already deemed too small. In 1952, the library had 125,000 books, and state regulations required that old books be eliminated before new ones could be added. By 1965, there were more than 300,000 books housed in a library that could hold 230,000. This was ranked highest in state colleges in terms of library size. In the 1960s, construction of a new library began, which required the relocation of Scripps Cottage. The $8 million building was designed with. of space to accommodate one million books. In February 1971, the library opened, housing 700,000 books, and was named after President Malcolm A. Love for his popularity on campus and his role in bringing State to university status. Governor Ronald Reagan said the library would "... serve as a lasting memorial to the man who led the college through its growing pains... to one of the finest state colleges in California". The building was five stories high and was the largest building on campus. A four-story kinetic sculpture entitled "Hanging Discus" by sculptor George Baker was specifically designed for the library and added to the interior staircase in November 1973.
- The Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union secured financing in 2010 and was completed in March 2014, replacing and approximately doubling in size from its former structure. The facility is the first student union in the United States to qualify for LEED Platinum distinction.
- The Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center opened in October 2009, costing $11 million, and is home to the SDSU Alumni Association and the Campanile Foundation.
- Storm and Nasatir Halls opened in 2014. Originally built in 1957, the 137,700 square foot complex received a complete makeover to house eight academic departments from the College of Arts & Letters, newly upgraded classrooms, faculty offices, research facilities, two large lecture halls, and a food service facility. Total cost for the construction neared $74 million, began in 2012, and was completed in 2014. Included in the opening were two new named facilities: Charles Hostler Hall and the J. Keith Behner and Catherine M. Stiefel Auditorium. Storm Hall was named in honor of geography department professor Alvena Storm, who served as department chair, and on the faculty for over 40 years since 1926. Nasatir Hall was named for Abraham P. Nasatir, a professor emeritus of history who taught at SDSU for 46 years and was later internationally recognized for his research on California history, receiving four Fulbright Fellowships.