San Francisco State University has promoted educational excellence for more than a century. Established as a vocational school for teachers, it became the first such institute in the United States to require a high school diploma. As the school expanded its curriculum, it became San Francisco State Teachers College (1921), San Francisco State College (1935), and San Francisco State University (1972). Known as "the City's University," San Francisco State is situated on a park-like campus in the southwest corner of San Francisco. The school's motto--"experience teaches"--communicates its pragmatic approach to education, and SFSU has developed many internationally respected programs over the years. The school's fascinating history includes complete destruction by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, as well as a five-month student/faculty strike during the late 1960s, which resulted in the founding of the first School of Ethnic Studies (1969) in the United States.