San Jose State Spartans Fun Facts
What is now called San Jose State University was founded by the California legislature on May 2, 1862. It was originally called the California State Normal School, also known as the San Francisco Normal School. The San Francisco Normal School was a city-funded normal school located in San Francisco, California. The school eventually moved to San José in 1871 and was given Washington Square Park at Fourth and San Carlos Streets, where the campus remains to this day.
In 1881, the first branch campus of the California State Normal School was announced, which later became the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). To commemorate San José's identity as the original California State University, a giant bell was forged with the words "California State Normal School, A.D. 1881." This bell is proudly displayed on the SJSU campus to this day and is still associated with various student traditions and rituals. After creation of the Los Angeles campus, the San José campus officially became known as the California State Normal School, San José. Six years later in 1887, the school was renamed the "State Normal School."
In 1921, the school's name changed to the State Teachers College at San José. In 1935, the State Teachers Colleges became the California State Colleges, and the school's name was changed again, this time to San José State College. In 1972, SJSC was granted university status, and the name was changed to California State University, San José. In 1974, the California legislature voted to change the school's name to "San José State University".
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