Sonoma State, no more the ugly duckling
By Chris Smith/THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
I don’t remember much, but I do remember the first time I laid eyes on the college that would become Sonoma State University.
The years was 1972 and I was a freshman at one of the college’s older-sister schools, in San Jose. A friend whose brother was attending the 6-year-old campus invited me along on a drive up to Rohnert Park/Cotati for a weekend visit.
It was the first time I stepped foot in Sonoma County, which enchanted me. But Sonoma State, not so much.
I was becoming accustomed to the long-established, urban campus of San Jose State. And I do believe that as my friend and I first spied Sonoma State from East Cotati Avenue, I imagined I was looking at a pre-fabricated,concrete-gray prison that had been dropped by cranes in the middle of a great cow pasture.
All that was missing was a guard tower and razor-wire fence.
But look at it now. All grown up and boasting gorgeous architecture that includes the Jean & Charles Schulz Information Center and the Green Music Center, SSU has just made the list of the 50 most beautiful campuses, by thebestcolleges.org.
Specifically, the SSU campus placed 34th on the list, ahead of beauties such as UC Santa Cruz, University of San Diego, Bryn Mawr College, University of Colorado-Boulder, Wellesley College and Wake Forest.
The citation notes:
One of the top “green” campuses in the country, nearly every building on the Sonoma State campus has set the standard for small universities to give their students the best overall experience.
The nearly 59,000 square foot student center has been a model for colleges around the country, as it was built with sustainability in mind. The facility was constructed using UV ray reflective roofing, recycled rubber indoor track, recycled glass reinforced structural brick, recycled seat belts to upholster seating, and reclaimed water plumbing non-potable water systems.
The campus is not just environmentally friendly with its buildings, it also has a wonderfully close relationship to local nature, with miles of walking trails and fantastic access to redwood trees.
Congratulations, SSU. You really are beautiful.
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I am currently in class reading this. I see none of what you listed, maybe in the new ugly buildings like the Green Music center. funny how a concrete building adds beauty…ok press democrat…I understand, poor reporting, ur being sold, terrible writers. The duck pond area is cool and the free wifi are the only cool things about SSU. Didn’t know acres of grass lawn counts as beauty…ok
The creek is always cool thats about it.
It always amazes me when I read ignorant, nitpicky comments like what Phil has been posting. If you’re going to focus your attention to reading and responding to this article in class then make an educated comment rather than list what you think to be “cool”.
Growth is good, and SSU is growing quickly. Classes are not as difficult to get on SSU in comparison to many other California campuses and tuition is high everywhere. Sonoma State is a great campus and educational institution and I find it sad to see alum dissing on their alma mater.
Also didn’t realize half the article was about sustainability. So the pressdemocrat thinks sustainability=beauty.
SSU is indeed a beautiful campus, and it would not stay that way without the dedicated and caring efforts of the grounds staff.
By comparison to urban campuses, and especially to a brief visit that I once made to CSULA, SSU is quiet and relaxed in a very agreeable way.
That said, we must not allow the exterior beauty to seduce us into believing that all is well with the university. Funding is so constrained that it can be very difficult to gain access to essential courses, with the result that times to graduation extend semester by semester. This brings increased room, board, and tuition costs to students and their families, during a time when personal finances are tight.
World problems for coming generations demand interdisciplinary education that cannot be fully contained within existing majors, yet the state university is no longer able to offer much opportunity to take courses beyond those required to graduate within a single traditional major.
– A concerned alumnus
The campus has certainly undergone massive changes since I was there in the early ’90′s. I always thought the campus was a beauty. I loved the open spaces and was sad to see them dig up the fields to make parking lots, then dig them up again to build dorms. SSU lost its small town feel and became a behemoth (with tuition to match). The Pub that was the hangout lost its coziness, and as the average student age got lower and lower, so did the quality of discourse and level of respect for others. I am glad I got to experience SSU when it was smaller, more insulated from the social problems endemic in “Greek” universities that have dorm houses: I hear that meth is a huge problem there. The new library was definitely a welcome addition, but beyond that, I’m just not feeling the love for the new and “improved” SSU.