California State University, Stanislaus was founded in 1957 as the 15th campus in an expanding state college system.

With a humble but optimistic start as Stanislaus State College in 1960, its 15 founding faculty and fewer than 800 students determinedly shared space with the turkey exhibit at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock. The very first graduating class yielded 25 alumni. Since then, CSU Stanislaus has transformed into an outstanding academic institution with a sound reputation. In 1965, it settled into its permanent home, a 228-acre park-like site on Monte Vista Avenue in Turlock. The institution gained University status and its current name as one of the 23 California State University campuses in 1985. More than 32,000 graduates have earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and the student body has steadily grown to an all-time high of nearly 8,500 by fall 2006.

For close to five decades, the University has multiplied the ways it serves the state and the Central Valley. As one of the area’s largest employers, it generates nearly $300 million for the region’s economy and attracts an excellent and responsive faculty (81 percent hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree) and a diverse student body. With more than $150 million in new building projects and campus improvements, the Turlock campus provides a perfect atmosphere for high academic achievement and consistently ranks as one of the safest and most attractive in the CSU system.

CSU Stanislaus has seen its academic reputation grow as well, with the University ranked by The Princeton Review in March 2007 as one of the nation's best 366 colleges. Only about 10 percent of colleges in America are ranked at that elite level. The University has also been recognized by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as one of 12 campuses nationwide for outstanding graduation and retention rates.

Under the leadership of President Hamid Shirvani, the University has expanded its academic program to include six colleges, 40 undergraduate programs, seven post-graduate credentials, and 23 master’s programs. Ten academic programs have received national accreditation, student scholarship offerings have increased, and CSU Stanislaus graduates are distinguishing themselves all over the world as leaders and productive professionals.