Sept. 29, 2022 —It was August of 2001 and CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) was still a year away from opening when Technical and Public Services Librarian Laura Worden worked as a student assistant in the old Library, which is now part of a study lounge of the Student Union building.
“It was very small, very quiet because there were still not a lot of people around,” Worden said. “They didn’t have a cafeteria, they had a food truck that also served the farmworkers. And we had a Java Hut coffee shop in a corner inside the Bell Tower.”
More than 20 years later, Worden was among the Library staff and faculty who sorted through thousands of photos, documents, and artifacts to develop a special exhibit of CSUCI’s history in honor of the University’s 20th anniversary. The exhibit, which was created in partnership with CSUCI’s Communication & Marketing area, is on display now in the John Spoor Broome Library.
Called “Honoring our Past—Building the Future,” the exhibit features a historical timeline spread across the north wing of the Library with an accompanying photo gallery to highlight the milestones since the University started, including inaugural groundbreaking ceremonies.
There are additional display areas that feature faculty research and creative activities, as well as collections and images from the Broome Library's Archives & Special Collections.
“Everyone in the Library and many people across campus helped,” said Head of Access Services Librarian Janet Pinkley, who coordinated the vision and layout of the exhibit with a seven-person steering committee. “The teamwork, collaboration and commitment to the project reminded me of what makes CSUCI so special.”
CSUCI officially became Ventura County’s only four-year public university in 2002, but its beginnings reach way back to 1965, when State Senator Robert Lagomarsino co-authored Senate Bill 288 with Assemblyman Burt Hansen calling for the establishment of a four-year college in Ventura County.
Making the University a reality took decades, but thanks to the work and devotion of government and community advocates, the college took root and in 1996 J. Handel Evans was appointed as Planning President to search for property and develop a Ventura County campus of the CSU system. In 1997, Senate Bill 623 approved the transfer of the Camarillo State Hospital property to the CSU and identified the site as the 23rd and newest campus of the CSU named California State University Channel Islands. In 2001, the CSU Board of Trustees appointed Richard R. Rush, Ph.D., as Founding President of CSU Channel Islands.
“We have two photos, one with Handel Evans and his first crew and Richard Rush and his first crew and in each photo all CSUCI employees could fit together on those steps of the Bell Tower,” said Archivist and Special Services Librarian Evelyn Taylor, who has been at CSUCI since 2000.
Among the milestones brought to life by the Library display is the first day of class at CSUCI on Aug. 24, 2002 with approximately 629 transfer students, the planning faculty hired in Fall 2001, the faculty and student research conducted through the years, students traveling abroad and the first Science Carnival, which today attracts thousands of guests.
Among the more whimsical displays is a corner devoted to the dolphin mascot, which was adopted in 1999, as well as a chronicle of the evolution of Ekho the Dolphin.
“When I went to look for fun things, I found I had this box in the basement of all these construction hard hats I’ve collected through the years,” Taylor said.
Taylor also remembers all the movies filmed on the CSUCI campus, including the 2002 film called “The First 20 Million is Always the Hardest,” starring Jake Busey and Rosario Dawson.
“I remember our noses pressed up against the window trying to get a glimpse of the actors,” Taylor said. “We were just all so excited.”
Other movies filmed on campus were “Pearl Harbor,” (2001); “Three Kings,” (1999); as well as episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “The X-Files.”
Those who worked to develop the exhibit hope the display reflects one ideal that has remained constant during the last 20+ years.
“I’ve been here since 2007,” Pinkley said. “There was a culture cultivated from the beginning that we were building a University together. The entire campus embraced this idea and believed in it. We still do.”
The 20th Anniversary Exhibit is free and open to the public in the John Spoor Broome Library at One University Drive. For Library hours, visit: https://library.csuci.edu/.
Limited parking is available on campus with the purchase of a $6 daily permit; follow signs to the parking permit dispensers. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CSUCI Vista Bus to the campus; for exact arrival and departure times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.
The University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs, events and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the respective area below as soon as possible, but no later than seven (7) business days prior to the event/activity:
CSUCI Students
Disability Accommodations & Support Services: accommodations@csuci.edu
CSUCI Employees
Human Resources: angela.portillo@csuci.edu
Members of the Public
Title IX & Inclusion: titleix@csuci.edu