Humboldt State University was established in 1913 as “Humboldt State Normal School.” Since its establishment, Humboldt State University has undergone changes to its university name while maintaining "Humboldt State" as the root name of our university. From 1972-1974 the name of our university was changed by the college to “California State University, Humboldt” but students and alumni would still refer to it as “Humboldt State” as its name stuck with them and the university was known as such name. Students and alumni during that time fought to change the name back to “Humboldt State” and in 1974 to present day, we have what is now known as Humboldt State University.

We, the alumni, students, faculty, staff, and community members of Humboldt State University are demanding California State University Chancellor Joseph I. Castro, Humboldt State University President Tom Jackson Jr., and the California State University Board of Trustees to respect the history and significance behind “Humboldt State” and not approve the Humboldt State University’s name change to “California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt).” This name change was never approved by the Humboldt alumni nor the students who are always telling employers, family, and other folks around the globe that they are alumni/students of Humboldt State. We are the ones who make Humboldt State known and ensure that its name is being upheld high to ensure our school's reputation is safeguarded.

There has been a lot of illogical reasoning behind why our university’s name is being changed to “Cal Poly Humboldt” within the final draft of the Humboldt State University Polytechnic proposal, Polytechnic Prospectus. As stated in Humboldt State University's Polytechnic Prospectus, "...we intend to create a new interdisciplinary vision for a polytechnic university that is grounded in environmental sustainability and social justice, and so our name should 'lead' with the intent. Leading with 'Humboldt' signals that intentionality." If leading with "Humboldt" is the reasoning behind having a university name, wouldn't we want to have our university name be “Humboldt State Polytechnic University” for the word "Humboldt'' to be leading the name? Besides, "Humboldt State" has a well known brand and reputation around the state and globe for being the California State University that is known for their natural science programs, provides STEM students with vast opportunities for hands-on experience even outside of its classrooms and labs, and being environmentally conscious with being a green campus and its alumni carrying that to their careers with the Humboldt State Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility. Also mentioned in the Polytechnic Prospectus, “First, Humboldt has been included in the name of the institution since its inception.” Although part of this is true, an important part of our identity was left out that has been part of our university name in conjunction with “Humboldt” and that is the word “State.” “Humboldt State” has been part of our institution’s identity since its establishment in 1913; together and never separate four out of the five times our university’s name was changed. “Humboldt State” is who we are; alumni, students, staff, and faculty. How is it possible that it will get stripped away just to be the same as the other polytechnic universities and more specifically, “...[to follow] the naming convention of our sister campus Pomona…” as mentioned in the Polytechnic Prospectus?

Humboldt State University is a natural beauty and unique in its way. The alumni and students who have chosen and attended Humboldt State, the surrounding community and county it is in, the ideology and philosophy behind everyone who forms Humboldt State is not the same as our sister campus Pomona nor San Luis Obispo. We choose to be different as we are more conscious about the environment and chose to live our lives that way during and after attending Humboldt State. Majority of us attend Humboldt State because of its faculty to student ratio which facilitates a more personal learning experience, to receive the hands-on experience in  STEM programs that other universities cannot offer as they do not have a forest as their backyard, and most importantly learning green science practices and environmental consciousness in other non-STEM courses in which help in our decision making in order to aid our planet. Changing our name to “California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt” is no longer going to make someone think of our STEM programming with the environmentally conscious approach, but just as a STEM focused campus and more specifically, Engineering. That is what the other Cal Polys are known for and it is important we make ourselves stand out because our hands-on experience goes beyond a lab.

For these reasons and countless more, are why we are demanding you all to please not accept the name change of “California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.” We would like to disclose that we are not against the university becoming a polytechnic as we know that this designation will benefit the students, faculty, staff, and community members. We are simply demanding respect for our university’s history, uniqueness, natural beauty, brand, and reputation to keep our alma mater’s identity and soul, “Humboldt State,” as its root name. The president of the university nor the administrators are the only ones who are Humboldt State. It is the alumni, students, faculty, and staff who are Humboldt State and without us, there would not be a university to administer.