About the College

BSS is home to about 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students who are majoring in Anthropology, Child Development, Economics, Geography and Planning , Health and Community Service, Political Science, Psychology, Social Science, Sociology, and/or Social Work. Not only are we the second largest college on the university campus, but most of our offices are in Butte Hall, which has the distinction of being the tallest building on campus at 105 feet, 76 inches high. Butte Hall is also the tallest building in Butte County!

We are proud of our many programs that lead to undergraduate and graduate degrees. Our faculty and departments win awards; these awards recognize our excellent programs and our commitment to students through our courses and all the innovative opportunities for professional growth we offer. Internships, service learning, community partnerships, honors programs, scholarships and travel awards are just some of the special options we developed for our students.

Led by our Dean, Gayle E. Hutchinson, our college continues to improve and grow.

The Mission of the College

At CSU, Chico, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences is committed to the scholarly pursuit, dissemination, and practical application of knowledge focused on human behavior in the social and physical environment.

As teachers and scholars, we express this commitment by striving for excellence in teaching and learning, research, and service.

Through our general education, undergraduate, and graduate programs, we prepare students to be knowledgeable in the methods and scope of the behavioral and social sciences, to be skilled in their respective disciplines, and to be prepared to undertake a lifelong path of learning and service to their community.

The College of Behavioral and Social Science Strategic Goals

1. Maintain and develop innovative and collaborative learning experiences in undergraduate and graduate programs that provide skilled graduates to our service region and to the State of California.

Action: Build and continue the accreditation processes for the MSW, Health Administration, Health Education, MPA, and the School Psychology Programs and all other academically accredited programs.

Action: Continue to support faculty involvement in web-based course development and interdisciplinary programs.

Action: Construct learning goals for all majors and options that are measurable and that reflect student learning. Continue to modify these goals where and when appropriate.

2. Encourage departments to implement workload flexibility while meeting FTES targets.

Action: Each department will explore and implement ways to build workload flexibility and meet FTES targets.

Action: Each department will be deliberate in scheduling classes for maximizing FTES generation and the promotion of learning communities in the disciplines.

Action: New faculty hires will reflect adherence to the teacher – scholar model in the college’s interest in building on teaching excellence and student learning.

3. Continue to develop community service and research partnerships that enhance student learning and community involvement.

Action: Develop and maintain community service partnerships with public agencies, non profit organizations, and other entities that can benefit from student participation in their operations.

Action: Internships, service-learning, and applied learning opportunities are important parts of the learning process in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Departments will build on our community partnerships to enhance the applied aspects of student learning.

4. Facilitate innovative approaches toward streamlining student progress toward graduation.

Action: Continue to implement two- and four-year plans to assure timely graduation rates for our majors.

Action: The college is committed to developing high quality learning environments for first year students.

Action: Continue to offer and staff courses to meet student demand and requirements for graduation.

5. Develop strategies to optimize resources and refine the college development/advancement plan.

Action: Provide incentives to encourage grant and contract development.

Action: Work closely with development officer to develop PR materials to attract potential donors. Communicate with alumni and donors through college and departmental newsletters and personal outreach.

Action: Enhance the affinity for volunteers/alumni/donors through involvement in the BSS Advisory Board, departmental advisory and professional boards, projects and activities.

6. Promote excellence in faculty scholarly work, teaching, service and staff development.

Action: Take proactive and creative approaches to attracting technology resources and funding, securing teaching and laboratory space, securing faculty positions (including replacements), and explore a variety of resources for faculty professional development and travel.

Action: Encourage faculty activity in existing and innovative uses of instructional technology, where appropriate.

Action: Continue to support and encourage staff development in the college.

7. Encourage, support, and reward faculty in the college who create effective teaching/learning communities, including those that involve students in faculty research and those that incorporate technology.

Action: Each department will consider the faculty member’s efforts in creating effective teaching/learning communities in the retention, tenure, and promotion process.

Action: The college will use a portion of Strategic Performance Funds in support of faculty who engage in the development of teaching/learning communities.

Action: The college and departments will support faculty involvement in web-based instruction.

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The Campus and Community
California State University, Chico is a fully accredited, state-assisted comprehensive university, one of the twenty-three campuses of the California State University system. CSU, Chico is primarily a residential campus and serves a student body of about 16,700. The greater Chico urban area is a population center of approximately 95,000, extending from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to the agricultural fields of the northern Sacramento valley. The population within Chico city limits is 64,581 (Jan. 2001). Chico is located 90 miles north of Sacramento, 174 miles northeast of San Francisco, 170 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada, and 210 miles south of Ashland, Oregon.

Involved Students

• Student clubs and organizations support most majors. Students discuss issues, invite speakers, meet with faculty, and work on community endeavors related to their majors. For example, students in the pre-law program work in the Community Legal Information Center providing free legal information and referrals in the areas of consumer protection, family law, housing, women's law, and workers' rights.
• Class projects assist students in applying theory to the workings of social, political, and economic institutions. For example, students in the Department of Health and Community Services teach health lessons in local schools, and students in the Department of Political Science Model UN program have placed regularly in the top ten percent in national competition.
• Many students choose internship experiences. Over 100 placement sites are used locally, statewide, and nationally.

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Academic Excellence at CSU, Chico: Outstanding Teaching and Advising
More BSS faculty members have won the Outstanding Teaching Award than faculty from any other college. Three faculty in the college have won the Outstanding Professor Award for the entire California State University twenty-two campus system. Four faculty in the college have won the national award from the National Academic Advising Association. Only University-appointed faculty teach courses. BSS does not use teaching assistants. Average class size is twenty-five students, and there are few large lecture classes.

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