Academic year 2025-26 marks the 60th anniversary of the first classes held on the campus that would come to be known as California State University, San Bernardino. Those 60 years have seen tremendous changes, not only to the campus itself (which has expanded from San Bernardino to an additional, separate campus in Palm Desert) but also to the number of colleges, programs, degrees and students. As the world outside the campus has changed, CSUSB has continued to pursue the heart of its mission: serving the people of the Inland Empire and growing the success of individuals, families and communities through access to an outstanding institution of higher education.

In January 2000, CSUSB was named a top Hispanic Serving Institution by Hispanic Outlook in Education. To better meet the needs of surrounding communities, the university created the Community-University Partnership, Water Resources Institute, Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship and other outreach units. The first of three buildings for the Palm Desert satellite campus broke ground: the Mary Stuart Rogers Building. In June, CSUSB erected a cast bronze statue of three coyotes by Chinese artist Guo Xuanchang. In December, the campus hosted a 35th anniversary celebration and luncheon with then-California State University Chancellor Charles Reed. And that year, men’s basketball earned its first CCAA title and advanced to NCAA Division II West Region semifinals.

The cast bronze statue of three coyotes by Chinese artist Guo Xuanchang is unveiled in front of the information center on Coyote Drive.
The cast bronze statue of three coyotes by Chinese artist Guo Xuanchang is unveiled in front of the information center on Coyote Drive.

Building continued through 2001. The new Arrowhead Village student housing at CSUSB was dedicated. The CSU Board of Trustees approved naming the second permanent building at the Coachella Valley Center as the “Indian Wells Center for Educational Excellence.” The CVC would be re-named the Palm Desert Campus or PDC in October; the campus announced it would begin year-round operations in June. The first CSUSB honorary doctorate, a Doctor of Humane Letters, was awarded to W. Benson Harer.

The Mary Stuart Rogers Gateway Building opened as the first structure at the new permanent location of the Palm Desert Campus in 2002. First classes were held there in June. The largest classroom building at CSUSB, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Building, opened.  Student achievements included CSUSB’s Modern Arab League team winning its 13th “Outstanding Delegation” award, and its Model United Nations team its seventh “Outstanding Delegation” award in eight years, representing India.

In 2003, a Sunday edition of the New York Times carried a front-page feature about the PDC. Enrollment showed an increase of nearly 25% over the previous six years with nearly 17,000 students. The second building of the Palm Desert Campus broke ground, bearing the name of the “Indian Wells Center for Excellence.” The CSU Board of Trustees renamed the Student Union as the Santos Manuel Student Union. A groundbreaking was held for the Chemical Sciences Building. The campus was affected by the Old Waterman Canyon Fire, or the “Old Fire,” which spread quickly through the San Bernardino Mountains and destroyed a modular building on campus while damaging two others and burning landscaping. A number of faculty, staff and students lost their homes.

Smoke and flames from the Old Fire in the foothills behind CSUSB destroyed a modular building and damaged two others on campus.
Smoke and flames from the Old Fire in the foothills behind CSUSB destroyed a modular building and damaged two others on campus.

In 2004, CSUSB was re-accredited by WASC for the maximum 10 years – a remarkable accomplishment given that CSUSB was the first California State University campus to go through the new accreditation process. The Indian Wells Center for Educational Excellence and the Indian Wells Theatre opened as the second of three major construction projects at the PDC. The Institute of Child Development and Family Relations opened an infant/toddler center at the university. CSUSB received a $600K challenge grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to help build an astronomical observatory on Badger Hill. Women’s soccer advanced to the NCAA Far West Regional for the first time since the program began in 1988. Men’s basketball tied the CCAA record with its fifth-straight conference title and hosted the NCAA West Regional. CSUSB student Corey Jackson, a political science major and local community activist, was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California State University Board of Trustees, becoming just the second CSUSB student to serve on the 24-member board.

In 2005, CSUSB continued to provide a full higher educational experience, including in the arts, library holdings, speakers and conferences, and student extracurriculars in addition to academic courses. The John M. Pfau Library dedicated the acquisition of its 750,000th volume, a map of the historic Santa Fe Railroad. Tanya Zeferjahn became the Coyotes’ first cross-country runner to compete in the NCAA Division II national championship.  Plans for a new building at the PDC were ongoing with a $1 million gift from the Desert Healthcare District to fund the Palm Desert Health Sciences Building. In May, CSUSB began converting its telephone system to a $3 million internet-based system, altering its dialing prefix from “880” to “537.” In October, CSUSB received permission to offer its first doctoral degree – an Ed.D. in education – beginning with the 2007-08 academic year.

The Palm Desert Health Sciences Building on the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus.
The Palm Desert Health Sciences Building on the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus.

The following year, 2006, saw ribbon-cutting ceremonies celebrating the official opening of the new Chemical Sciences Building, including the 3,000 square-foot Natural History Museum, and the official opening of the expanded 83,000 square-foot Santos Manuel Student Union. The CSU Board of Trustees named the third building at PDC the Palm Desert Health Sciences Center to recognize the $4.5 million gift from the city to help construct that building. And groundbreakings were held for the Health Sciences Center at the PDC and for the College of Education building at CSUSB.

In June, alumnus Lou Monville III was named by Gov. Schwarzenegger to the CSU Board of Trustees. And the campus achieved some brag-worthy rankings: its third straight “Best in the West” from The Princeton Review, ranked 61st in the west in the annual “America’s Best Colleges Guide” from U.S. News & World Report, and ranked No. 4 nationally (out of 700) for graduate entrepreneurship programs by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine.

In January 2007, CSUSB announced it would now send official notices to students and staff only by email. A $1.24 million gift from Coachella Hospital was received to help establish a nursing program at the PDC. The Coyotes men’s basketball team reached the NCAA Division II Elite Eight round of the national championship tournament for the first time, making it all the way to the quarterfinals game. And in November, CSUSB held its fifth annual Spirt of the Entrepreneur Awards.

Karen Bowerman, then dean of the College of Business and Public Administration, and Mike Stull, director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship, at a billboard promoting CSUSB’s No. 4 national ranking by Entrepreneur magazine.
Karen Bowerman (left), then dean of the College of Business and Public Administration, and Mike Stull, director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship, at a billboard promoting CSUSB’s No. 4 national ranking by Entrepreneur magazine.

The year 2008 saw the culmination of several campus physical projects: the College of Education building opened; the East Campus Circle and the rest of North Campus Circle opened, completing the new CSUSB interior perimeter road. The campus received a gift from Inland Communities Corp. of two parcels of land, bringing the total campus area to 680 acres. Parking Structure II and then Parking Structure I opened at the university. A private dedication and public ribbon-cutting and health fair marked the official opening of the PDC Health Sciences Building, including naming the building’s plaza in honor of ex-President Anthony H. Evans and his wife, Lois Evans. And the California Supreme Court held a session at the PDC. CSUSB established a successful cybersecurity program, becoming a national leader in cybersecurity education. The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art received accreditation. And the new CSUSB URL was created:  https://www.csusb.edu .

At September’s Convocation, President Karnig announced fiscal issues with 2008-09 and then on into 2009-10. In November, for the first time in its history, the California State University declared a systemwide “impaction,” and announced a cut in its enrollment base of 10,000 students for 2009-10.

The Chemical Sciences Building officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony
The Chemical Sciences Building officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Budget issues continued into 2009. In January, the Chancellor’s Office ordered a hiring freeze at all then-existing 23 CSU campuses, halted all state-funded construction projects for 90 days, and froze the pay of vice presidents and above. In July, President Karnig announced $26M or 25% in cuts that would need to be made during the next two academic years. Also in July, the CSU announced that it would not accept new students for Spring 2010.

The university was profiled in a publication, “Beyond the Books: A Guide to Service Learning Colleges and Universities,” as one of the nation’s cutting-edge service-learning programs in higher education. The observatory on Little Badger Hill was named the Murillo Family Observatory after George and Pauline Murillo, who gifted the campus $800,000 to fund the project. A groundbreaking was held in June. CSUSB hosted its DisAbility Sports Festival in Coussoulis Arena and university athletic fields. And the groundbreaking was held for the 2,566-square-foot nursing laboratory.