Cleveland State University facts for kids
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Former names
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Cleveland YMCA School of Technology (1921–1929) Fenn College (1929–1964) Cleveland Law School (1897–1946) Marshall School of Law (1916–1946) Cleveland-Marshall School of Law (1946–1967) |
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| Type | Public research university |
| Established | December 18, 1964 |
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Parent institution
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University System of Ohio |
| Accreditation | HLC |
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Academic affiliations
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| Endowment | $89.88 million (2018) |
| President | Laura J. Bloomberg |
| Provost | Nigamanth Sridhar |
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Academic staff
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511 |
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Administrative staff
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1,000 (2009) |
| Students | 14,160 (fall 2023) |
| Undergraduates | 9,505 (fall 2023) |
| Postgraduates | 4,655 (fall 2023) |
| Location |
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United States
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| Campus | Large city, 85 acres (34 ha) |
| Newspaper | The Cauldron |
| Colors | University green, fresh green |
| Nickname | Vikings |
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Sporting affiliations
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| Mascot | Magnus |
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Cleveland State University (CSU) is a large public university located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was started in 1964 and welcomed its first students in 1965. CSU took over Fenn College, which was a private school that had been around since 1923.
Today, CSU is part of the University System of Ohio. It has taught over 120,000 students and offers more than 200 different study programs across eight colleges. It is known for its high level of research activities.
Contents
History
Public education in Cleveland began in 1870. The Cleveland YMCA started offering free classes to people. By 1921, this program had grown a lot. It became its own school called the Cleveland YMCA School of Technology.
Just two years later, in 1923, the school started offering courses that led to a bachelor's degree. This year is now seen as the founding date of Fenn College. The school officially changed its name to Fenn College in 1929. Fenn College used several buildings in the area, including Fenn Tower.
In 1964, the State of Ohio bought the entire campus of Fenn College in downtown Cleveland. They wanted to create a new university for local students. This new school was named Cleveland State University. It included colleges for engineering, business, arts and sciences, and education.
Over the next few decades, Cleveland State University grew quickly. By 1997, it had over 15,000 students. In the mid-2000s, the university worked to improve its academic standing.
In 2012, CSU opened the Galleries At CSU on Euclid Avenue. Also in 2012, Cleveland State University started a partnership with the South China University of Technology. This allowed students to get degrees from both universities. In 2018, CSU opened the CSU School of Film and Media Arts. This was the first standalone film school in Ohio.
In March 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, all classes at Cleveland State were moved online.
Campus
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CSU's main campus is in downtown Cleveland. It is located between Interstate 90 and East 17th Street, and between Payne Avenue and Carnegie Avenue. There is also a smaller campus in Westlake, Ohio, which is part of the Greater Cleveland area.
In 2006, Cleveland State University finished building its student Recreation Center. They also updated Parker Hannifan Hall for graduate studies. To encourage more students to live on campus, many new housing units were built. A new dormitory, Fenn Tower, was created by reusing one of the school's oldest buildings. Fenn Tower used to have the world's longest Foucault pendulum, but it was moved to the university archives during renovations in 2006.
The university worked with developers and the City of Cleveland to add housing, shops, and other student-friendly places around Fenn Tower. This was especially true along Euclid Avenue. In 2010, Euclid Avenue was improved as part of the Euclid Corridor Project. This project brought fast bus service to the university. It connected Public Square in downtown Cleveland to University Circle, about four miles away.
Cleveland State University spent $65 million on construction projects. These projects aimed to change the campus from mostly for students who commute to a place where more students live. This included a new Student Center and Julka Hull. These buildings house the College of Education and School of Nursing. Both projects were finished in 2010. In 2011, the new Euclid Commons dorms opened. These dorms offer apartment-style living for CSU students. That same year, the university's Dramatic Arts Program moved into the updated Middough Building and Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square Center. This was done in partnership with the Cleveland Play House.
In the fall of 2012, the first part of the Langston apartment and retail complex opened. It is located across from Rhodes Tower. In the spring of 2013, the old Viking Hall dormitory was taken down. This made space for the university's new Center for Health Professions, which opened in the fall of 2015.
Administration
The Cleveland State University Board is made up of nine trustees. It also includes a Secretary to the Board, two teachers, and two student representatives.
Presidents
The current president of Cleveland State University is Laura J. Bloomberg. She started her role in 2022.
Academics
CSU offers many different subjects and research facilities. Students can choose from 70 main study areas. There are also 27 master's degree programs, six doctoral degrees, and two law degrees. The university also works with the nearby NASA Glenn Research Center on research projects.
In 2022, the university organized itself into eight main colleges. This was part of its CSU 2.0 plan:
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Graduate Studies
- College of Health
- College of Law
- Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Honors College
- Levin College of Public Affairs and Education (which includes the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs)
- Monte Ahuja College of Business
- Washkewicz College of Engineering
The Division of University Studies helps students with academic support. The Division of Continuing Education offers classes and services beyond the main campus.
The College of Law started as the Cleveland Law School in 1897. A famous person who studied at the College of Law was Tim Russert. He was the host of the TV show Meet the Press. He graduated in 1976. The law school was known as the Cleveland–Marshall College of Law until 2022.
The university works with Northeast Ohio Medical University. They train future healthcare workers to serve in cities. CSU students can get early acceptance to medical school and earn a special certificate in urban health.
Reputation and rankings
| USNWR National University | 342 (tie) |
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| Washington Monthly National University | 217 |
| Forbes | 196 |
In 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked Cleveland State University's undergraduate program among national universities. It was also ranked among public national universities.
Student life
Student media
The university has a student-run radio station called 89.3 WCSB. Its radio tower is on top of Rhodes Tower. Cleveland State also has a student newspaper called The Cauldron. The Cleveland Stater is another newspaper from the School of Communication. The Vindicator is CSU's art and culture magazine. The Gavel is a law school newspaper that won an award in 2005. The university offers majors in film and video production.
Information technology
CSU is part of the OneCommunity computer network. This network connects many non-profit organizations in Northeast Ohio. It allows them to work together using a fast fiber optic network.
Greek organizations
Cleveland State University has several Greek organizations. These include fraternities like Delta Sigma Phi and sororities like Delta Zeta. There are also chapters from all nine NPHC organizations.
Athletics
When the school was Fenn College, their sports teams were called the Foxes. When the university became Cleveland State, the nickname changed to the "Vikings." This nickname is still used today. The school colors are university green and fresh green. For many years, the school mascot was Hägar the Horrible and his wife Helga. A new mascot named "Vike" was introduced in 1997. Another new mascot named "Magnus" was introduced in August 2007.
Cleveland State has varsity teams in 17 sports. Most of these teams compete in the Horizon League. The men's basketball team had a famous season in 1986. They were a low-ranked team in the NCAA tournament. But they surprised everyone by beating higher-ranked teams like Indiana. They almost beat a team led by future Hall of Famer David Robinson. The Vikes also made another NCAA tournament appearance in 2009. They upset Wake Forest before losing in the second round. Two teams compete in different leagues: wrestling is in the Mid-American Conference, and men's lacrosse is in the ASUN Conference.
Football
In 2008, there was a discussion about starting a football team at CSU. The university president wanted a group to study the idea. Students also voted on whether they wanted a football team. Most students were in favor of having a team. However, many were not willing to pay extra fees for it.
Notable alumni and faculty
See also
- Krenzler Field
- Wolstein Center
