It’s been a major part of Southwest Bakersfield since it opened in September of 1970. But how did CSU Bakersfield wind up where it did? Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of how the campus came to be.
As early as 1949, the Legislature considered building a state college campus in Kern County, but for a decade, not much happened. Then in 1959 local business leaders in Kern County got behind the idea. They issued a report declaring that Kern County was the largest metro area in the U.S. without a 4-year college or university.
With California’s public institutions growing at a rapid rate in the post-war years, attention immediately turned to the state college system. In 1965, led by Senator Walter Stiern, the legislature authorized a new state college campus for Kern County. But where would they build it?
S.A. Camp offered up a site along Highway 99 near Shafter. The Tejon Ranch offered to donate some 400 acres along Highway 58 north of Arvin for what would have been a scenic campus location. George Nickel Jr. offered up land he owned along Highway 178 near the Kern River. Others in Delano and California City also offered up land for the university.
Ultimately, a site donated by the Kern County Land Company west of the Stockdale Country Club won out. Researchers at CSUB today say the Stockdale site was selected due to its proximity to housing and development support.
In April 1969, California Governor Ronald Reagan led the groundbreaking for what was then called “California State College Bakersfield.” The campus opened for its first class of students in fall 1970.
