Among california state universities, the University of California ranks highest. Founded in 1968, it is now seen as the best public university in the world. It embraces ten campuses located in various parts of the State of California, including Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Merced, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Santa Cruz. All of them have been granted a status of public coeducational universities. Collectively and individually they can be proud of a great number of outstanding faculties in every field. The university's undergraduate and graduate programs are offered to 191,000 students annually.
California State University is considered to be the largest university system in the United States with its 23 campuses, 414,000 students and 45,000 faculty members. The university prepares more graduates in agriculture, communications, business, education, health, engineering and public administration than all other california state universities and colleges combined. Since 1960 California State University granted Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees to nearly 2 million alumni, which is a large number as compared to other california state universities. There are more than 1,800 degree programs in 250 subject areas. The campuses of the university are located in Bakersfield, Camarillo, Chico, Carson, Hayward, Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, Northridge, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, Turlock, Pomona, Vallejo, San Luis Obispo, Arcata and San Francisco.
The universities of California have similar administrative and governing systems. The Regents of the University of California as well as the members of the Board of Trustees of the California State University are appointed by the Governor of the State of California. The Academic Senate consists of elected representatives of the faculty and is empowered to set academic policies. The governing body has the right to appoint the President and Chancellors. The function of the president is to run the entire system, while the Chancellors bear responsibility for efficient operation of individual campuses.
The majority of california state universities and colleges were founded in the second half of the XIX century and are designed in the stately Beaux-Arts Classical Style, reputed as the most beautiful and scientific style. The style was preferred by the architects John Galen Howard and Phoebe Hearst and is pronounced in the majority of buildings of the University of Berkley, including the Hearst Memorial Mining Building, the Hearst Greek Theatre, Sather Gate, Doe Memorial Library, California Hall, Wellman Hall, Haviland Hall, Wheeler Hall, Gilman Hall and Sather Tower. Some of the universities are designed in the Victorian Second Empire style.
California state universities maintain a leading position among the U.S. institutions of higher learning due to their progressive vision of education, science and research.