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Spring Semester Begins at Chico State

Many students, staff, and faculty couldn't contain their excitement about the next chapter of their Chico Experience, so they shared it across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. What has you excited about the start of the new semester? Let us know using the hashtag #chicostate.

Estaban Duran, who currently works as a custodian in Kendall Hall, talks about his other jobs learning kung fu and being an artist during an interview on Tuesday, December 29, 2015 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/University Photographer)

Grounded but Not Stationary

Working as a custodian at Chico State is just one chapter in Esteban Duran's diverse work history. He faces each of life’s victories and challenges with zen-like acceptance and a penchant for reinvention.

Five Minutes with a Chico State Tour Guide

Sarah Wood, a junior social science major, talks about her experiences as a tour guide, her favorite spots on campus, and why she chose Chico State.

Top 15 Chico State Moments of 2015

Our most popular stories of 2015.

Chico State Social Media 2015 Year in Review

A look at Chico State's top moments across social media.

Going the Distance

Cross country alum Tim Tollefson has become a world class ultramarathoner.

students gathered together, smiling and celebrating reaching their goal

‘Cats Give Back

Student and Wildcats across the country are coming together to build a culture of giving back at Chico State.

To convey a team effort, students lock arms in a circle to showcase their red watches, which signal they can intervene in risky situations related to drugs and alcohol.

Power in Numbers

Alumna honors her daughter's memory by supporting education programs that teach students to look out for one another on the social scene.

Photo of the four 2015 Bell Presidential Scholars, pictured together, smiling, in front of the College of Agriculture.

Sowing the Seeds of Philanthropy

To honor the generosity of his second family, one donor established a $2 million scholarship fund to attract and support the brightest agriculture students at Chico State.

Maifeng Yang teaches students to prepare nutritious good.

Feeding Ambition

Scholarship shows nutrition and food science senior Maifeng Yang that someone believes in her.

Program founder Edward Bronson with students who run the legal clinic, pictured behind legal text books.

Breaking Barriers

Students help more than 16,000 people every year through the Community Legal Information Center (CLIC). Most clients are low-income, with no access to legal resources. A legal studies scholarship supports students who gain one-of-a-kind legal training at the undergraduate level.

Alumnus Adam Vazquez pictured with recent alumni he helped recruit in front of a classic brick building at Chico State

A Winning Partnership

Alum recruits students to Hewlett-Packard (HP) and drives the company's support of Chico State's computer science and computer engineering programs. He says Wildcats graduate ready to solve real problems and mentors interns and young professionals like Naomi Miller ('14).

photo of shoes on table from around the world

Global Connections

Chico State's Resource for International Studies in Education (RISE) Library brings world cultures to the North State's K-12 classrooms. The collection has been donated by faculty, including Professor Emeritus Tom Johnson, who travel the globe for their research.

group of alumni pictured with scholarship recipients, smiling and looking proud

Alumni Back Today’s Scholars

As recipients of the California Iota Sigma Phi Epsilon President’s Scholarship, freshman Brian Harris and junior Daniel Phelan each carry not one, but two Wildcat legacies: their family’s and that of Chico State’s earliest and proudest Sigma Phi Epsilon alumni.

The Thomas/Densmore-Thomas family of three pose together on a sunny day on one of Chico States classic bridges

Past, Present, Future

Alumni can connect all the good in their lives back to Chico State, including their successful careers and most important relationships. Their son is also a proud Wildcat. To honor their family's Chico Experience, they established the first faculty fellowship in the College of Business to attract top accounting professors.

Professor Emeritus Dolores Mitchell (center) leads an Arts and Eats Class class for fellow OLLI members at the Chico Art Center

A Wise Investment

Education, at any age, has the power to uplift and transform. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Chico State provides a community of exploration to more than 1,000 North State residents who are 50 years and older. Because of its impact, OLLI was awarded a second $1 million grant by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

softball players embrace to show support

Wildcat Family Supports Player’s Dream

Before becoming the first Wildcat to receive the NCAA Degree Completion Award, a family's scholarship helped star softball player Emily McEnaney overcome the financial obstacles she faced after mom passed away suddenly during her first semester at Chico State.

Three men's soccer players embrace in celebration after a game-winning goal.

Soccer Heroes—On and Off the Field

Mike and Robyn Prime say their lives would have been "totally different" without the Chico State men’s soccer team, whose players have, for more than 25 years, befriended and helped care for their son David, who has autism.

Student ambassadors on the Student Philanthropy Council pose for a group photo.

’Cats give back

Several voices on Chico State campus explain why giving back and being a part of the Tower Society is important for our community.

Portrait of Teresita Curiel.

Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution

A conversation with Teresita Curiel about what it means for Chico State to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Chico State: Then and Now

This revealing rephotographic series takes a look back at Chico State's past in comparison to the present.

Cross-Cultural Leadership Center Building Bridges

The Cross-Cultural Leadership Center is dedicated to connecting students to each other as well as providing opportunities for all students to be empowered.

"Golden Center of a Supercell" by Owen Bettis

Photographing the Forest, Simply for the Trees

Owen Bettis is a professor in the Department of Geography and Planning and the Department of Social Sciences. Outside of the classroom, he spends his free time traveling and photographing natural environments. From Northern California, to Central America, to Cambodia, Bettis seeks to, as he writes on his website, “capture moments of my relationship with […]

Chico Performances Presents Sleeping Beauty

More than 70 dancers grace the stage of this year’s Chico Community Ballet’s adaptation of the magical fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. The ballet features the classic story of curses, fairies, and fantasy danced to Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s iconic score. The ballet runs Dec. 4 through Dec. 6 at Laxson Auditorium. For tickets, visit the Chico Performances website.

Military Kids Get the Camp Life

A Chico State program is giving new meaning to the term “base camp.” For years, Chico State Camp Adventure has been sending students to military bases in more than 20 countries all over the world to work directly with children and youth. The program’s main mission is to provide summer programs for military children, an […]

Campus Shows Love for Chico’s Fall Colors

The fall season has inspired many of our fans and followers to show their love and appreciation for Chico State and the surrounding community.

Sustainability: Putting Education into Practice

What does sustainability look like at Chico State? AS Sustainability helps students become aware that changing little habits every day does make a big difference.

Students Examine Policy Issues at Town Hall Meeting

Hundreds of California State University, Chico students will tackle issues ranging from job creation to K-12 education at a town hall meeting.

His Chico Experience: A Young Activist’s Journey

As a feminist, queer, transgender man, senior Kory Masen has faced a number of barriers, but he is looking forward to a bright future. One he is helping shape.

Muralist Returns to Recreate Campus Landmark

Artist and alum John Pugh is reinstalling his iconic 1981 mural "Academe" on the east wall of the new arts and humanities building.

Students Smash Pumpkins for Science

  [sliderpro id=”1″] Community members gathered Friday to see pumpkins fly off a top floor of Butte Hall and smash into the ground as part of the 28th annual pumpkin drop put on by California State University, Chico’s Society of Physics Students. The event is a theatrical reenactment of Galileo Galilei’s legendary Tower of Pisa […]

The Ghost of Laxson Auditorium

Dan Goodsell and Daran Goodsell tell the story of their encounter with the Laxson Auditorium ghost.

Brown, Dias, Scroggins score Academic All-District accolades

Women’s soccer program boasts three of the West Region’s 11 selections.

Life After Chico: A Career at Disney

Every day, Katie Brown watches as young children undergo an amazing transformation. From the fun-filled day’s beginning—when children are feeling the most nervous about what’s to come—to it’s end—when they start to view themselves as leaders—witnessing and participating in these children’s growth is an integral part of Brown’s career at Disneyland and California Adventure. Brown […]

Ler Lor (left) and Adrian Vera (right) work on lego robotics as part of Upward Bound that focused on math, science, engineering and information technology (STEM) program on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/University Photographer)

Opening Minds and Doors

Upward Bound celebrates 50 years of helping students reach college.

Students in hard hats with construction equipment

Small House, Big Aspirations

Nearly 40 students from across campus are participating in a tiny house competition sponsored by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

Person in a wet suit lays on a surf board in the ocean surf

Adventure Outings: Where the journey begins

Adventure Outings is to enhance the CSU, Chico community through student-powered outdoor recreation.

Exploring the Chico Experience Week

For the past five years, hundreds of students, families, alumni, and friends have come together to celebrate what makes the city of Chico, the University and the community so special to so many. While this past weekend featured classic Experience Week events like the Family Weekend BBQ and the Young Alumni Mixer, there is still plenty of experience […]

Gender & Sexuality Equity (Not Equality) Center

Ever heard of on-campus events like Take Back the Night, the LGBTQ+ Conference, or the Vagina Monologues? These events are hosted by the AS Gender & Sexuality Equity Center (GSEC) every year. The GSEC (pronounced Gee-Seck) is a student-run activist organization at Chico State open Monday–Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 004 of […]