Historical Timeline

1890

Dominican College is founded by Dominican Sisters of San Rafael.

1917

Dominican becomes first Catholic college in California to award the bachelor’s degree to women.

1918

To house college students, Meadowlands, the summer home of the Michael de Young family, is purchased. The first floor of the building is used for classrooms and the two upper stories are converted into living quarters for students.

1922

Angelico Hall is built to serve as a music conservatory.

1924

The State Board of Education empowers Dominican to recommend candidates for public school teaching credentials, thus enabling Dominican students to teach in the public schools in California.

1926

Dominican is placed on the approved list of the Association of American Universities.

1930

Guzman Hall is built for academic and administrative purposes.

1930

“The Wedding Cantata” by Bach, in the George Shumann edition, is played for the first time in America in Angelico Hall.

1943

Keats’ “Ode To A Grecian Urn,” dramatized with a musical score by Giulio Silva, premieres in Angelico Hall with an all-student cast.

1950

Dominican opens its graduate program to men.

1958

Pennafort, a residence hall, opens.

1959

Caleruega, a dining hall and kitchen, opens.

1963

Archbishop Alemany Library opens.

1971

Dominican becomes fully coeducational.

1990

Nursing program receives accreditation from the National League for Nursing.

2000

Dominican College of San Rafael is slated to become Dominican University of California at the beginning of the 2000–2001 academic year. The new name recognizes Dominican's status as a university with graduate degree programs, a diverse student body, and a global perspective.

2001

Conlan Recreation Center opens.

2006

Debut of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in association with Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet.

2007

The Green MBA (Master of Business Administration in Sustainable Enterprise), the first of its kind in the United States, moves to Dominican. Dominican also becomes home to the Environmental Finance Center for EPA Region 9, which gives students opportunities to work on green business programs and other environmental projects impacting businesses in California, Arizona, Hawaii, and Nevada. 2007—More than 2,000 students and faculty from 300 colleges throughout the United States participate in the 21st Annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at Dominican.

2007

The $21 million, 35,000-foot Science Center, opens.

2009

After competing for years in NAIA athletics, Dominican applies for NCAA Division II membership in athletics.

2010

Dominican becomes the smallest college in California ever to host a California Governor’s debate. The gubernatorial debate between Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman at Angelico Hall is moderated by NBC’s Tom Brokaw and televised live statewide.

2010

Dominican completes an $8 million restoration of the 123-year-old Edgehill Mansion into the Dominican Heritage and Alumni House.