California State University, Chico

10/07/2026

At one of California’s few native seed farms, Mason Shorts (Agriculture, ’20) oversees the production and processing of nearly 200 species of native seeds destined for habitat restoration projects across California.

These will establish meadows, wetlands, and other landscapes managed by agencies including Caltrans, the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Because the organization is a nonprofit, its staff can openly share what they learn about cultivating hundreds of native species. Shorts hopes that knowledge will help other native seed farms take root across California, with growers on the coast, in the valleys, and elsewhere, producing plants adapted to their distinct ecosystems.

“I’d love to see other farms pop up and help them along,” Shorts said. “Our goal [is] restoring more land across California.”

Read more about his story here: https://today.csuchico.edu/mason-shorts/

10/06/2026

What if the classroom didn’t need four walls? Chico State geography graduate student Bobby Gordon has explored that question from Butte County creeks, Monterey Bay shores, Southern California deserts, and Lake Tahoe's alpine trails. His research examines how outdoor environments can become meaningful places for learning, connecting students with environmental systems, culture, history, and community.

Gordon's work recently earned him first place in the 2026 Southwestern Anthropological Association Student Paper Competition, an interdisciplinary achievement for a geography graduate student honored for anthropology research. “When you have a sense of place, when you connect to something, you care about it,” Gordon said. “When you care about something, you want to protect it.”

Gordon’s own educational journey began at Butte College before he transferred to Chico State and earned his geography degree. Now a graduate student, teaching associate, and Sally Casanova Scholar, he has his sights set on a PhD and a career as a geography professor. “Dr. Gordon has a good sound to it,” he said. “Yeah, I like that.”

Read how Gordon is rethinking not just where, but how learning happens: https://today.csuchico.edu/chico-state-researcher-studies-educational-power-of-place/

10/03/2026

Sustainability isn't just about preserving our environment; it's about caring for the land while honoring the relationships and responsibilities connected to it.🌱

Chico State is receiving national recognition from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which is highlighting the University in its 2026 Sustainable Campus Index for returning land to the Mechoopda Indian Tribe and Susanville Indian Rancheria.

In 2022, Chico State transferred the 93-acre Butte Creek Ecological Preserve to the Mechoopda Indian Tribe, allowing the Tribe to restore and steward land still recovering from the 2018 Camp Fire. A year later, the University returned the 73-acre Eagle Lake Field Station to the Susanville Indian Rancheria.

For Chico State, these actions are part of a broader commitment to sustainability that extends from academics and climate resilience to research, community partnerships, and stewardship of the natural world.

Learn more about this national recognition and Chico State’s sustainability leadership: https://today.csuchico.edu/aashe-2026/

The global 2026 Sustainable Campus Index recognizes Chico State for returning more than 160 acres to Indigenous stewardship and ranks the University No. 4 worldwide for Wellbeing & Work.

09/29/2026

Pumpkins, trolley rides, face painting, games, music, food, and plenty of fall fun! Join us this Saturday for Chico State's first-ever Fall Festival, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, October 3, at the University Farm.

Admission and parking are FREE. Bring the family to explore our 800-acre student-operated Farm, take a trolley tour, enjoy games and face painting, grab a bite to eat, and pick out a pumpkin grown by Chico State students. Adults can also enjoy Farmers Brewing Co. b**r.

You can even guess the weight of a pumpkin for a chance to win a gift basket packed with produce, flowers, nuts, cheese, and meats from the Jay Gilbert University Farm Store.

The festival grew out of a bumper crop of pumpkins and gives the community another way to experience the hands-on learning happening every day at the Farm.

📅 Saturday, October 3
⏰ 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
📍 University Farm, 311 Nicholas C Schouten Lane
🎟️ Free admission and parking

09/28/2026

Earlier this year, Chico State senior Lauren Weller had a pretty fun assignment: Buy pumpkin seeds. Lots of them. 🎃🌱 But ordering seeds was just the beginning. At Chico State’s University Farm, the plant and soil science major is getting a full-circle education in agriculture, helping take crops from seed to sale by selecting seeds, planting, irrigating, fertilizing, managing pests, harvesting, and ultimately seeing produce sold to the community.

“You just won't learn how to set traps, or how to fertilize, or how to irrigate unless you're out actually doing it,” Lauren said. “That's what I love about the Farm because I can connect my learning in the classroom with my learning out here.”

For Lauren, that hands-on experience is also preparing her for what comes next. After graduating this spring, she plans to return to her family’s 6,000-acre farming operation near Princeton and become its fifth generation of farmers.

And those pumpkin seeds she ordered? They produced a bumper crop that helped inspire the first-ever Chico State Fall Festival on October 3 at the University Farm. 🎃

Read Lauren’s story and learn how she’s turning classroom lessons into real-world agricultural experience: https://today.csuchico.edu/lauren-weller/

09/22/2026

The only fall plans we want invites to. 🤎🍁☕️ Happy first day of fall, Wildcats! What do you have planned this season?

09/22/2026

Chico State continues to climb! The 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings recognize Chico State among the West’s top universities, with gains in value, social mobility, and support for veterans, plus nationally ranked engineering programs.

⭐ #8 Top Public Schools in the West

💰 #8 Best Value Schools for In-State Students (West)

🎓 #25 for Social Mobility in the West, up five spots

🇺🇸 #9 Best Colleges for Veterans in the West

💻 #11 Computer Engineering in the nation

⚡ #18 Electrical & Electronic Engineering in the nation

Chico State earned recognition in 11 categories overall, highlighting the University’s commitment to providing an accessible, high-value education and nationally recognized academic programs that prepare students for success.

See all the rankings and learn more about what makes Chico State stand out: https://today.csuchico.edu/us-news-world-report-2027/

09/21/2026

International relations professor Angela Zivo Gapa is bringing her scholarship to a whole new audience through film.

Fresh off completing her debut feature, Rusambo, which is headed to film festivals in the United States, France, Botswana, and South Africa, Gapa has wrapped production on a new documentary, Botswana: Beyond the Diamond Glow.

The documentary builds on her award-winning research into Botswana’s diamond wealth, development, and political institutions. But Gapa’s goal extends beyond bringing academic research to the screen. She wants to center the voices and lived experiences of the people behind the issues she has spent her career studying.

“I’ve always been somebody who’s passionate about updating narratives about Africa,” Gapa said. “If we center more voices from African people, people from these regions that we talk about, I think it adds to the rich fabric of what I teach and what I have spent the better part of my life studying.”

Read the full story on Chico State Today: https://today.csuchico.edu/angela-zivo-gapa/

09/14/2026

Chico State is proud to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), with nearly 40% of our student population identifying as Hispanic or Latinx. We are committed to expanding access to higher education and providing resources to ensure students succeed. Celebrate with us! Take part in a variety of campus events and activities throughout the week as we honor the impact and achievements of our students, faculty, and staff. Learn more about campus resources: https://www.csuchico.edu/hsi/ HACU - Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities

09/12/2026

Chico State is one of 22 campuses participating in College Nights hosted by The California State University ! 🎒❤️It's the perfect chance for students to connect face-to-face with representatives from every CSU campus, explore academic programs, learn more about admissions, financial aid, and the application process. Send this to a future college student in your life!
https://www.calstate.edu/apply/Pages/explore-the-csu.aspx