Careers in the academy and the CSU system
Largest four-year university system
The California State University is the largest four-year university system in the country. More than 23,000 faculty members teach nearly 409,000 students on 23 campuses and six off-campus centers extending from Humboldt in Northern California to San Diego in the South. Today, the CSU campuses include comprehensive and polytechnic universities and, since July 1995, the California Maritime Academy, a specialized campus.
Evolution of the CSU system
The individual California State Colleges were brought together as a system by the Donahoe Higher Education Act of 1960. In 1972, the system became The California State University and Colleges, and in 1982 the system became The California State University System.
Mission of the CSU
The mission of the California State University is to provide high-quality, affordable higher education to the people of California and to prepare students for a diverse, multicultural society.
Impact of graduates on California
Today the CSU offers more than 1,800 bachelor and master degree programs in 240 subject areas. The CSU prepares about 60 percent of the teachers in the state, and more artists, scientists, engineers, agriculturists, and nurses than all other California universities and colleges combined. About one in ten members of California’s workforce is a CSU graduate.
Life in the Academy
The Chicago Guide to Your Academic Career: A Portable Mentor for Scholars From Graduate School Through Tenure
Goldsmith, J.K. & Gold, P.S. (2001). University of Chicago Press
This book offers advice on the workings of an academic career from the first decision to attend graduate school, through tenure, and addressing universal concerns of academics.
National Education Association (NEA) Advocate Online
National Education Association
This newsletter provides NEA members, leaders, and staff with information about higher education, and offers tips on teaching, working, and learning in the academy.
A Consumer’s View of the “Meat Market”
Feldesman, M.R. & TrotterII, R.T. (February, 1989). Anthropology newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 30
This article offers insight into the nature of the search and hiring processes for new academic anthropologists from two department chairs who have recruited for numerous faculty positions.
Labor Pains in the Academy
Tillmann, L. (Jan-Feb 2011). Academe, magazine of the American Association of University Professors
This article explores that challenges and decisions that face female faculty members with regards to work-life balance, in particular about having children.
About CSU Careers
Benefits
The outstanding benefits of working in the CSU, from medical to retirement, make it a university system worth considering for a faculty position.
CSU Campus Locations
CSU campuses are located throughout the state of California in order to have every resident of the state live within a few hours of a campus that offers a high caliber college education to every citizen in the state.
Resources
There are a number of faculty career search websites, and information on relocation to California, available to those pursuing a career with the CSU.
