Our Mission
Sonoma State is a regionally serving public university committed to educational access and excellence. Guided by our core values and driven by a commitment to the liberal arts and sciences, Sonoma State delivers high-quality education through innovative programs that leverage the economic, cultural, and natural resources of the North Bay.
As a member of the 23-campus California State University system, Sonoma State is proud to serve a diverse student population on our beautiful campus, at our environmental preserves, and at satellite centers throughout the region. Located north of San Francisco in California’s wine country, Sonoma State drives the economic, cultural, and educational engines of the North Bay. Sonoma State University prepares students for meaningful citizenship in a complex world.
Our History
The California State Legislature established Sonoma State College in 1960. The college opened in temporary quarters in Rohnert Park in fall 1961 under the leadership of founding president Ambrose R. Nichols, Jr., with an enrollment of 274 upper-division students. Most of the faculty and administrators of the Santa Rosa Center of San Francisco State College, which had served the region since 1956, joined the new college. The center’s elementary education, psychology, and counseling programs were the principal offerings. The college grew steadily, developing academic programs based in the traditional liberal arts and sciences, as well as in career and professional programs, all the while emphasizing close student-faculty interaction.
The college moved to its present 215-acre site in 1966, upon completion of Stevenson and Darwin halls. Excellent new facilities have been constructed, and the grounds have been extensively landscaped, creating one of the most attractive, modern, and well-equipped campuses in the state. In 1978, University status was granted, and the name was changed to Sonoma State University.
Accreditation
Sonoma State University is fully accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. In addition, individual program accreditations have been granted by the American Chemical Society, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the National Association of Schools of Music, the National League for Nursing, the National Association for Schools of Art and Design, and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. The School of Education and its programs are approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
The University is also a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts and Colleges (COPLAC), an association of public colleges and universities whose primary mission is ensuring that fine undergraduate liberal arts and sciences education is available to students in the public systems of higher education. SSU is the only California member of COPLAC.
Contact Information:
WASC Senior College and University Commission
985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100
Alameda, CA 94501
Tel: (510) 748-9001
Fax: (510) 748-9797
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