Cleveland State University

Overview

Cleveland State University was founded in 1964 and began operations in 1965 after fully absorbing the private institution Fenn College, which had been in operation since 1923. The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, which is now known as the Cleveland State University College of Law, was absorbed by CSU in 1969. It is now a component of the University System of Ohio, has more than 120,000 alumni, and provides more than 200 academic programs

The Cleveland State University Board is made up of nine trustees, a secretary to the board, two faculty representatives, and two student representatives. Together with the university president, the board members are responsible for carrying out the objectives outlined in the university mission statement and serving as the governing body in all pressing policy matters. The Board of Trustees revised its rules in January 2006 to allow for the restructuring of board committees and the addition of community representatives to the Board. Community members are appointed by the Board Chairman for a term that is endorsed by the Board to serve as non-voting advisers.

With 70 academic majors, 27 master's degree programs, two post-degrees, master's six doctoral degrees, and two law degrees, CSU offers a wide range of fields of study and research resources. Additionally, it has agreements for research collaboration with the nearby NASA Glenn Research Center.

Cleveland State University offers a variety of courses across the broad categories of: 

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Comparative Religion
• Dance
• English
• Environmental Science
• Film & Media Arts (BFA)
• Psychology
• Social Studies
• Spanish
• Theatre Arts

The sports teams' moniker was the Foxes while the university was still known as Fenn College. The sports teams of Cleveland State were given the moniker "Vikings" when the school changed its name to Cleveland State. This moniker is still in use today. The school's colors are white and forest green. The comic strip character Hägar the Horrible and his wife Helga served as the school mascot for many years, and the couple frequently appeared at sporting events and in academic publications. Hagar was replaced by "Vike" as the team's mascot in 1998 after being used from 1997. In August 2007, "Magnus," a brand-new mascot, was unveiled.

In order to provide housing, retail, and "collegetown" amenities near Fenn Tower, notably along Euclid Avenue's main roadway, the university collaborated with private developers and the City of Cleveland. In 2010, the Euclid Corridor Project, which connected Public Square in downtown Cleveland to University Circle, about four miles to the east, upgraded Euclid Avenue as part of its effort to bring bus rapid transit to the university.