California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt

Humboldt has long been a place where students come to discover their futures, chart their paths, and become the innovators of tomorrow. Now, as Cal Poly Humboldt, that responsibility has more weight than ever — and we’re excited to rise to the ch han ever — and we’re excited to rise to the challenge. Cal Poly Humboldt offers a hands-on, impactful education in one of the most beautiful places in the world. So long as there are questions to ask and challenges to face, Cal Poly Humboldt will be here to find answers and solutions for today, tomorrow, and beyond. To provide the highest quality and affordable college education built on the contributions of diverse students, staff, and faculty who are committed to a just and sustainable world. The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council recommended a change of Humboldt’s “Mission” to “Purpose” to acknowledge that Humboldt sits on unceded land initially occupied by the first people of this area. The word “Mission” for many connotes colonial language. Cal Poly Humboldt will be a campus for those who seek above all else to improve the global human condition and our relationship with the environment. Toward this: We will be the premier center for the interdisciplinary study of the environment, climate crisis and resilience to climate change, and the conservation of ecological systems and natural resources. Our focus will continue to be on sustainability through environmental, economic, and socially responsible action. We will be a center for the interdisciplinary study of just global societies. We will approach our work with an equity mindset and continue to emphasize inclusion across multiple dimensions of our university, modeling what we want to see in the world. We will serve as a regional center for the arts inclusive of diverse arts traditions and contributions, and will fully engage with community arts partners and employers on behalf of our students. As a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and as a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI), we will be an institution in which Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) students thrive. We will partner with Indigenous communities to address the legacy of colonialism, and create space nurturing of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), pedagogies, and curricula responsive to their identified needs. We will be exemplary partners across our region and state by integrating community engagement and contributing to workforce development in our academic enterprise and beyond. Connection to Place We value place-based teaching, learning, and scholarship, taking our educational enterprise outside and into our communities. Creativity We believe creativity is central to human and organizational growth and responsible collective action. Decolonized Knowledge We value diverse systems of knowledge and ways of knowing. We believe in centering stories and knowledge that have been marginalized in oppressive social arrangements. Human Dignity We believe in the dignity of all and in equitable treatment, opportunities, and outcomes. Free and Critical Inquiry We value academic freedom, reflexivity, and serving as a repository of accumulated knowledge that is accessible to the broader community. Shared Governance and Participatory Planning We believe that our collective processes and outcomes will be strongest when they emerge from shared governance and collaboration. Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement We value contributions in the public interest and environmental, economic, and social responsibility in our work toward viable and sustainable communities. “Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.” Our student-borne, one-of-a-kind Food Sovereignty Lab will serve as a hub for research, collaboration, and indigenous representation. On June 16, 1913, California Governor Hiram Johnson signed the law establishing “Humboldt State Normal School, for the training and education of teachers and others in the art of instructing and governing the public schools of this state.” The first classes at Humboldt State Normal School began on April 6, 1914, with 62 students in a small building near the rural bottoms of Arcata. That December, Susie Baker Fountain became the first graduate and by May of 1915, the school would celebrate its first graduating class of 15 women. The school was established to meet the demand for qualified teachers, which were needed following a state-wide education statute. Accordingly, the school offered four teacher-preparation programs all based on the student’s own experience levels. Diversity affirms our humanity. Equity serves social justice. Inclusion enriches our community and sense of belonging. At Cal Poly Humboldt, these core values are at the heart of what we do and the signal fire guiding us forward, in our lives both on campus and far beyond it. We strive to create a safe and welcoming campus — a community that inspires students to transform relationships now and the policies of the future, reshaping the world for the better. We are proud of our Hispanic-Serving and Minority-Serving Institution designations, and we are committed to ensuring the success of our historically marginalized students, including those from low-income and first-generation college families. Local donations, including 55 acres of land by Arcata’s William Preston and the Union Water Company, ensured Arcata would be the school’s home. Within a decade, the school built the administration building. Today, it is known as Founders Hall and is Humboldt’s oldest and most recognized building. World War I made a considerable impact on the school, nearly causing its demise. Enrollment, which reached a high of 159 in 1917, dropped to 59 in 1920. In the 1920s, the school changed its name to Humboldt State Teachers College and Junior College and the curriculum broadened to include foreign languages, physical education, natural sciences, mathematics, philosophy, English, and the social sciences. Expansion and Revitalization Not long after, the school became Humboldt State College and the curriculum expanded to include a Bachelor of Science degree in education and liberal arts degrees in economics and business. Speech and home economics were soon to follow. The Great Depression set in during the 1930s. Times were so tough that President Arthur Gist gave students permission to submit IOU’s for one semester to cope with rising tuition fees. World War II had a major impact on campus and enrollment dropped from 436 in 1939 to 159 by 1945. With the end of the war came a revitalization as enrollment boomed and the campus began offering programs in forestry and agriculture. Expansion continued in the 1950s. In 1974, the school was renamed Humboldt State University. By the mid-1980s, Humboldt's ’s enrollment hit 6,200 and Business was the most popular major on campus. In the 1990s, the campus organized into three constituent colleges: The College of Natural Resources, the College of Professional Studies, and the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. Northern California’s First Polytechnic Institution Backed by California’s historic $458 million investment, the California State University Board of Trustees approved a new designation and name for Humboldt State University in 2022 —California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Cal Poly Humboldt, as the University is known informally, is only the third polytechnic institution in the state. Today, Cal Poly Humboldt is the northernmost campus in the California State University system. Students live and learn in one of the world’s most beautiful natural environments. The University offers dozens of majors and minors, including programs in natural resources that are considered among the best in the nation. Hands-on learning is an important part of a Cal Poly Humboldt education, with students participating in lab research, fieldwork, volunteer work, and internships. Humboldt’s curriculum demonstrates a long-standing commitment to social and environmental responsibility and to the local community, providing students an extraordinary college experience. ...view more