Contributing to the Greater Good
Civic Engagement, Always a Priority
CSU, Chico’s spirit of service dates back to its earliest days, when Chico founder John Bidwell donated eight acres of his cherry orchard for a new state teacher’s college.
- As part of the University’s 125th anniversary celebration in 2012, students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni performed more than 125,000 hours of community service.
- In 2012, Chico State was designated, for the fifth time in six years, a member of the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, highlighting civic engagement activities.
- Chico State was awarded $250,000 by the W.M. Keck Foundation in 2010. The grant supports new courses and civic learning opportunities, including the Neighborhood Connections Project, a community laboratory where students help neighborhoods establish civic networks.
- Chico was the top collegiate fundraiser for the fifth time in six years for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 2012. In 2010, Chico celebrated being the fastest school to reach $1 million in donations.
- Annually, about 3,000 students from Community Action Volunteers in Education average 60,000 volunteer hours in 20 programs; CAVE celebrated its 46th anniversary in 2012.
- Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs; Military Times EDGE; and Military Advanced Education have all named Chico State to their 2013 lists of schools doing to most to embrace America’s veterans as students.
- Incoming freshmen learn to get involved with the community and participate in civil discourse through the Town Hall Meeting and Great Debate.
