Local supporters blamed "pork barrel politics" by Bay Area legislators trying to monopolize higher education.

[14] During December 1947, the official mascot "Herky" (short for Hercules) the Hornet was chosen over the Elk, which wasn't considered to be aggressive enough.

[15] In December 1952, the school left the Sacramento City College property and moved to its permanent location on the banks of the American River.

During that same year, the university came within hours of being deliberately flooded as officials contemplated blowing floodgates to avoid a massive levee failure in Sacramento.

[16] The vote expressed anger over the President's handling of finances, including a $6.5 million structural deficit the university is facing.

"[17][18] Similarly in 2011, then Sacramento State Police Chief Daniel Davis also received a "No Confidence" vote by 14 out of 15 sworn in officers.

In keeping with its proximity to a burgeoning electronics industry, the university is developing expanded applications of technology to learn through computerized and televised instruction over a wide area of Northern California.

Sacramento State launched Destination 2010, an initiative focused on creating excellent academic programs, new student facilities and a more welcoming campus culture and environment.

During that time, the campus constructed the four-story Academic Information Research Center, Parking Structure III (which at 3,000 spaces is the largest in the CSU system), the new Hornet Bookstore, Eli and Edythe Broad Athletic Fieldhouse, and the American River Courtyard residence hall (with 600 beds).

[20] Many new buildings and other structural improvements are currently underway or recently completed including: Many prominent people have lectured or performed at Sacramento State, including Martin Luther King Jr. (1967), Jimi Hendrix (1968), Genesis (1992, "largest concert ever ... the first and last to play" in Hornet Stadium), Sheryl Crow (1995), Jesse Jackson (1998), Woody Harrelson (2001), Oliver Stone (2006), John Kerry (2004), Wangari Maathai (2009), Maya Soetoro-Ng (2009) and Chuck D (2010).

Sacramento State is one of four CSUs to receive approval of the proposed doctorate of audiology degree along with San Jose, Northridge, and Los Angeles.

The campus is consistently one of the top three destinations among all universities in the state for California Community College transfer, welcoming more than 4,300 new students each academic year.

For the fall 2012 semester, just about 50% of incoming freshman came from the Sacramento Region, while around 18% came from the San Francisco Bay Area, an additional 13% came from the Northern CA Foothills, and the remaining came in from Southern California (14.4%), other parts of the United States (0.8%), or Foreign Countries (0.4%).

The campus is bordered by the American River to the East, Union Pacific Railroad tracks to the West, Folsom Boulevard to the South and H Street to the North.

Officially "Tree Campus USA" by the Arbor Day Foundation,[53] Sacramento State has more than 3,500 trees, with flower gardens, miles of trails stretching along the nearby river parkway, and student housing with recreational areas such as Lake Natoma and Old Sacramento, in addition to its on-campus housing.

Southwest of the campus is the Upper Eastside Lofts located near the light rail station at Folsom Boulevard and 65th Street and is owned by University Enterprises.

Sacramento State is the only campus in the CSU to offer a bachelor's degree in Cinematic Arts, Digital cinematography and professional performance.

The campus has the state's largest co-operative education program, placing students in paid positions where they receive academic credit.

The football and track and field teams compete in Hornet Stadium, baseball at John Smith Field, and the volleyball, men's and women's basketball and gymnastics teams call Colberg Court home, in honor of legendary volleyball coach Debby Colberg.

[100] However, the team only competed for one season in C-USA; it will move along with San Diego State to the American Athletic Conference beginning in 2014–15.

[citation needed] Like most other CSUs, ASI offers a unique day care center for faculty, staff, or student's children ages newborn to five years.

[citation needed] KSSU 1580AM is a non-profit free format radio station at Sacramento State and part of Associated Students.

Notable former DJs include actor and international hip hop artist, Only Won who gave credit to KSSU at the 2010 Distinguished Service award for influencing his career in the music industry.

The 1999–2000 staff of the newspaper, led by Editor-in-Chief David Sommers and Faculty Advisor Sylvia Fox, was awarded the National Newspaper Pacemaker Award, considered to be the highest national honor in collegiate journalism and unofficially known as the "Pulitzer Prizes of student journalism.

It has gone under major renovations throughout the years, with the first phase in 1992 that added a large ballroom and space for food vendors and meeting rooms and other extensions.

In 1998, the Union underwent another major renovation again, adding another 180,000 square feet for certain University Outlets such as KSSU and Peak Adventures (which have both since moved).

[116] This expansion will add 71,000 square feet of space consisting of "a storefront for Peak Adventures (currently located at The WELL), a premium Starbucks venue, meeting and conference spaces for student groups and other organizations, additional restrooms, a study lounge, food-service storage, expanded casual seating, and an outdoor seating/pavilion area" according to the school website.

[125] The university has a bus terminal station at the north end of campus, which serves as a major stop for Sacramento Regional Transit.

[121] The university also has multiple Zipcars housed on campus for students, faculty and staff to use 24-hours a day, part of the ZipCarU program.

[127] Plans have been in the works for the university to operate its own streetcar bus rapid transit (BRT) system, looping around the perimeter of the campus and back to University/65th Street station.