Top SDSU NewsCenter Stories of 2016
We say goodbye to 2016 with the top 10 SDSU NewsCenter stories of the year.
Here are the top 10 SDSU NewsCenter stories from the past year.
10. A Day of Philanthropy
The Great Give, SDSU’s first-ever day of philanthropy, raised nearly $140,000 from more than 700 gifts. The 24-hour online event on Oct. 25 benefitted students, faculty, research, and important campus programs.
9. SDSU Musicians Perform Mega Concert Downtown
SDSU’s premier orchestral and wind ensembles united with the Aztec Concert Choir to present an evening unlike any other for San Diego music lovers. Featuring more than 250 musicians, the mega-concert took place at the Jacobs Music Center in the historic Copley Symphony Hall.
8. SDSU Graduation Rates at All-Time High
SDSU graduation rates rose to a record-high, with approximately 74 percent of first-time freshmen graduating in six years or less, up from 68 percent last year. This year’s cohort of 5,011 first-time freshmen have an average 3.7 high school GPA and an average two-part SAT score of 1,117.
7. New Planet is Largest Discovered that Orbits Two Suns
A team led by astronomers from SDSU and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight identified the new planet, Kepler-1647 b, which is the largest planet in size and orbit of any circumbinary planet discovered to date. Kepler-1647 b is 3,700 light years away and approximately 4.4 billion years old, roughly the same age as the Earth.
6. SDSU Named Top School for Study Abroad
In the most recent Institute for International Education’s Open Doors report, SDSU ranks No. 9 in the nation for total number of students studying abroad. When compared to the percentage of university enrollment, SDSU ranks No. 1 for public universities.
5. SDSU Among the Princeton Review’s Best Colleges
For the first time in history, SDSU was listed as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education by the Princeton Review. SDSU was rated highly for its admissions, academics, financial aid, quality of life and sustainability efforts.
4. SDSU Football Claims 21st Conference Title
SDSU defeated Wyoming, 27-24, to win its second consecutive Mountain West Conference championship. The conference title was SDSU’s third in the last five years and the 21st in program history.
3. $10 Million Endowment for Health Disparities Work
An endowment from the National Institutes of Health will help SDSU build its capacity to conduct pioneering public health research and become a hub for health disparities research for years to come.
2. SDSU Continues to Move Up in U.S. News Rankings
U.S. News & World Report released its annual rankings of America’s Best Colleges, listing SDSU at No. 74 among public universities and No. 146 overall among national universities. Since 2011, SDSU has climbed 37 spots on the annual list.
1. SDSU’s College of Business Receives $25 Million Endowment
SDSU received the largest philanthropic gift in its history. Local philanthropist and San Diego Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler and his wife, Alexis, pledged a $25 million endowment gift to SDSU’s College of Business Administration.
