On April 11, 1969, a clear, unseasonably warm southern Valley day, carloads of Kern County residents drove west through Bakersfield – and kept right on going – beyond the limits of what was then considered the far outskirts of town. Their destination was a vast field, empty except for the chairs, podium and makeshift stage set up for the 10:30 a.m. gathering, which drew Governor Ronald Reagan, California State University Chancellor Paul Dumke, local dignitaries and 1,000 community believers who never thought the day would come.
After years of striving, campaigning, letter-writing, pleading and dreaming, the first soil would be turned on the site of the future home of California State College, Bakersfield, providing access to higher education to the last metropolitan area in the nation without it.
Kern County's three legislators – Sen. Walter Stiern, Assemblymen Kent Stacey and William Ketchum – and Congressman Bob Mathias were on the speaker's stand with the governor and college dignitaries. As sheep grazed nearby, the program opened with music by the Kern County High School honor band, followed by the invocation by the Rev. Tyree Toliver, and singing of “America, the Beautiful.” Bakersfield Mayor Don Hart introduced Gov. Reagan, who told the crowd that it is not often people are given a chance to build a new society, but here “they have a clean page. What is written on that page depends on the people here.”
On the 50th anniversary of our beloved university, we will reflect on what has been written on that page by our students, faculty, staff and CSUB's 55,000 alumni, who have distinguished themselves, their community and the university that nurtured their aspirations.
The southern San Joaquin Valley is a land of grit and gumption, peopled by strivers who measure worth in a hard day's worth, who would rather act than talk, who see humility as a virtue. Family is everything. To leave your community to pursue your own dreams can feel like a betrayal.
For those reasons, most Valley sons and daughters simply didn't go away to college. It meant leaving their families, leaving their homeland, leaving the life that is unique to our part of California. Before Cal State Bakersfield opened, the nearest universities were 100 miles away. Dreams were deferred, and young people emulated the lives and careers of the generations before them.
In 1964, Kern County said: Our children deserve the same access to college that their peers throughout the nation enjoy.
A campaign to persuade Sacramento to locate a campus in the new CSU system here in Bakersfield soon gained community momentum.
In 1965, California State College Kern County was chartered. The children of humble, hardworking, salt of the earth people would finally have access, opportunity – an entirely different array of possibilities.
This entire academic year, CSU Bakersfield, our alumni, friends and allies will celebrate the culture of enlightenment and scholarship that has flourished in this community since that day in October 1970, when our first president, Dr. Paul Romberg, reached out to Kern County and said, “All are welcome to study here.”
That is still the case. Our university is one of collaboration, of engagement – of hope. CSUB is the community's university.
I invite everyone in the southern San Joaquin Valley and Antelope Valley, whether they have a direct connection to CSUB or not, to join in our celebration. This website will be updated throughout the year with new information, events and activities. We believe there will be something of interest to everyone.
But the real focus of the celebration is not one single event. Our point of pride at CSUB is in the fact that this university was, is and will be a refuge for those who seek knowledge, understanding and acceptance throughout our region.
And we are looking toward the horizon to the next 50 years.
Our first half century was spent building a foundation – of seeing college as a viable, even desirable, option for our region's young people, of preparation, of bridge-building with K-14 school districts.
The next 50 years will leverage that vital work as we continue to focus on excellence, partnerships, and increasing opportunities for our students, faculty, staff and community.
We are a product of our region, a place where boundaries are tested, hard work is expected and grit is essential.
The first 50 years was about becoming. But there is a beauty in invention and reinvention.
We will savor our triumphs this year as we set our sights on what is next. That is the spirit of our state, our region and our people.
Nestled amid the native plants beside a bench near the Science I Building is a stone engraved with a quote by the American writer Willa Cather that sums up the never-ending journey at CSUB:
“The end is nothing. The road is all.”
Here is to 50 years, 'Runners. May the sun shine on the next 50, and may the journey be everlasting.
President Lynnette Zelezny
California State University, Bakersfield