ARCATA, Calif. — Humboldt State University is no more.
Instead, the school is now the California State University's (CSU) third polytechnic campus.
The university will now officially be called California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt and informally known as Cal Poly Humboldt. This decision came after the CSU Board of Trustees voted to approve the designation Wednesday afternoon.
This is the CSU's first polytechnic university in Northern California as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is on the Central Coast and Cal Poly Ponoma is in Southern California.
"A polytechnic university in the northern part of the state will provide California with access to high-demand academic programs, while improving education and career opportunities on the North Coast," Cal Poly Humboldt officials said in a press release.
Humboldt State has the third-highest percentage of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors in the CSU system behind the other two polytechnic universities.
According to Cal Poly Humboldt, "the curricula developed by the faculty will emphasize STEM infused with humanities, arts, and ethics, and will be grounded in sustainability and social justice."
Cal Poly Humboldt President Tom Jackson Jr., said in a press release they will continue to prepare students to address the urgent issues our society faces.
"The designation comes at a critical time as California and the nation face a growing demand for diverse STEM professionals and student demand is strong for programs in engineering and other STEM fields," the press release said.
In August 2021, Gov. Newsom and the state legislature approved $433M of one-time funding and $25M in base support to help support Humboldt State University's vision of becoming a polytechnic university.
According to Cal Poly Humboldt, "the campus will move quickly to offer several new degree programs by 2023 in areas like climate resiliency, wildfire management, mechanical engineering, and software engineering with a full buildout of depth and breadth across science, applied science, technology, and engineering through phased-in program development through 2029."
For more information, please visit Cal Poly Humboldt's website.
