In the mind of Jim Hanson, a member of the CSU Stanislaus founding faculty, there will always be a sense of accomplishment for having been in on the planning of what has become an outstanding higher education institution over the past 50 years.

“Starting in July 1960, there was a group of about 10 people who met every Wednesday evening with President J. Burton Vasché at Paul’s Motel in Turlock to plan out what the University should be and where it should go in the future with the move to the new campus,” said Hanson, the first science faculty member hired in that startup year at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds. “I can remember that the group increased in numbers as we met each week until we opened the doors on September 19.”

With so little time to prepare for the startup of a new state college, there were a lot of tasks to accomplish and plenty of meetings, according to Hanson. Having a leader with Vasche’s experience at the state college level in Sacramento was a major asset as the tiny group of administrators, faculty, and staff formed a “family” bond, he noted.

“It was a family affair of getting the place together,” Hanson said. “The most exciting thing for me as a young professor coming in from the College of the Pacific was getting all of the science facilities and labs together, and ordering all of the equipment.”