It has been a busy year at California State University, Fresno. The university began its Centennial celebration, hosted a historic Gubernatorial debate, adjusted to budget cutbacks, accepted an invitation to a new NCAA Division I athletic conference and offered more than a million hours of community service – all while providing quality education for nearly 21,000 students.

Fresno State’s headlines remind us of the events that shaped the campus in 2010 and tell a story of the university’s strength, not only in the past year but the other 99 years as well.

While the headlines number in the hundreds, here are some of 2010’s top stories from FresnoStateNews.com in chronological order:

  • Nursing student Amanda Tang is library’s millionth visitor (Feb. 17)

    The Henry Madden Library celebrated its first birthday and Amanda Tang, a junior nursing major who said she “lives” in Library, was the new building’s millionth visitor.

  • Budget reductions will force Fresno State to lay off staff, managers (April 23)

    President John D. Welty announced that a significant reduction in state budget dollars would necessitate layoffs of employees beginning July 1.

  • Public attends Fresno State’s historic Nisei honorary degree ceremony (May 20)

    Fresno State made history when it conferred honorary degrees upon Japanese-American alumni whose college careers were disrupted by internment ordered for people of Japanese descent two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

  • 19 educators make Fresno State history with independent Ed.D.s (May 22)

    Nineteen central San Joaquin Valley educators took their place in Fresno State history when they were awarded the first independent doctorates in campus history.

  • Fresno State exceeds million-hour community service goal early (Aug. 16)

    One full year ahead of the challenge target date, 12,168 Fresno State students, faculty, staff and administrators aggregated more than 1.16 million hours of community service.

  • Fresno State’s Bulldogs will compete in Mountain West Conference (Aug. 18)

    President Welty announced that Fresno State had accepted an invitation for Bulldog Athletics teams to compete in the Mountain West Conference. Fresno State will leave the Western Athletic Conference, where it has competed since 1992, in June of 2010.

  • Fresno State hosts gubernatorial debate (Oct. 2)

    Fresno State was one three sites to host a televised debate between candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown. The spirited debate was the first California TV gubernatorial debate broadcast in Spanish.

  • The Campaign for Fresno State surpasses $150 million mark (Oct. 16)

    The Campaign for Fresno State continued marching toward its $200 million goal and finished the year at over three-quarters of the way there. The total was boosted by a $1 million gift from alumnus and recently retired Montana State University President Geoffrey Gamble and his wife Patricia to enhance Fresno State’s linguistics program. Other gifts, large and small, helped boost the total. Since July 2005, more than 25,000 individuals and organizations have made 95,000 gifts to the Campaign.

  • Fresno State Centennial Homecoming attracts alumni, friends (Oct. 16)

    Fresno State’s year-long Centennial celebration hit a high note with a Homecoming week of activities culminating in a parade through campus, the Tailgate of the Century and a football victory over New Mexico State.

  • University’s two presidents call for passage of DREAM Act (Nov. 22)

    President Welty used a student rally in support of the DREAM Act to call for Fresno State to lead the way in encouraging Congressional passage to help thousands of college students. Associated Students Inc. president Pedro Ramirez also addressed the rally, urging passage. The matter is personal for Ramirez, who revealed just days before that he is an undocumented immigrant enrolled under provisions of Assembly Bill 540.

  • John Welty, Luis Costa honored at University High School dedication (Nov. 30)

    The gleaming new home of University High School, a charter school on campus, was dedicated to Fresno State President Welty and the late Luis Costa, former dean of the College of Arts and Humanities.