San Diego State University (SDSU), founded in 1897, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area, and is part of the California State University system. In 2003 it had a student body of more than 30,000 and an alumni of 200,000, including veteran entertainer Art Linkletter, actor-producer Fred Dryer, and writer J. Michael Straczynski. The Carnegie Foundation has designated the institution a "Doctoral/Research University - Intensive," and the campus offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in a total of 151 fields.
Athletics
The university has organized facilities for baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, tennis, softball, and swimming. It competes in NCAA Division I (I-A for football). Its primary conference is the Mountain West Conference; its men's gymnastics and women's water polo teams participate in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The school colors are scarlet and black; SDSU's athletic teams are nicknamed "Aztecs".
History
SDSU was founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, then San Diego Teacher's College (1921), San Diego State College (1935), and finally San Diego State University in the early 1970s. The campus site is now located at 5500 Campanile Drive in San Diego, with a satellite campus in Calexico.
On June 6, 1963, President John F. Kennedy gave the Commencement Address at SDSU. In 1997 the university celebrated its centennial, and an elaborate Centennial Hall was constructed to mark the event. Expansion continues to the present day. A $431 million project consists of a campus trolley station and tunnel which will open in 2005.
