By Kyle Richardson |Staff Writer|
The school’s 50th homecoming anniversary was celebrated recently, as many alumni and leaders came home to celebrate what has been achieved in the last 50 years.
“It’s a meaningful opportunity to not only recognize what’s been accomplished, but what we can do better,” said former CSUSB President Albert Karnig to The Press Enterprise.
Opening back in 1966, the campus had three permanent buildings and 293 students, with the first graduation class of 59 students coming two years later.
After 18 years of opening their doors in 1984, CSUSB earned its university status, as well as its first year fielding intercollegiate athletic teams.
San Bernardino was never known as a college town, but CSUSB has raised its enrollments to over 17,000 students, according to The Pres Enterprise.
The region of San Bernardino had a low college return rate back in the early 2000s.
Karnig’s time as the school’s president helped turn that around.
From 2000 to 2009, the rate of college goers in the San Bernardino region was raised from 25.4 to 29 percent, according to The Press Enterprise.
“When I came, the region had about as low a college-going rate as any place in the country,” said Karnig to The Press Enterprise.
“That didn’t change overnight, but it is changing,” concluded Karnig.
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