CSUN Building to Be Named for Richfield

A building on the Cal State Northridge campus will be renamed for a pioneering faculty member and dean who died in 1992.

And students at other Cal State campuses say they plan to donate more than $12,000 to CSUN earthquake relief efforts.

Meeting Wednesday in Long Beach, the Board of Trustees of the Cal State system voted to change the name of the north wing of Sierra Hall to Jerome Richfield Hall, honoring the longtime humanities dean who was founder of CSUN’s philosophy department.

The request was submitted by CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson based on Richfield’s 30-year career at CSUN. He started in 1959 as a faculty member when the campus was called San Fernando Valley State College and retired in 1989 as dean of CSUN’s School of Humanities.

Richfield, a Northridge resident, died in October, 1992, from complications of a heart attack. During his CSUN tenure, he worked to revise the curriculum, headed several faculty groups and was an advocate for the liberal arts.

At the same board meeting, Associated Students presidents from the other 19 campuses in the system said the donated money will be given to CSUN’s Associated Students to help fund an existing program that offers campus bookstore vouchers to needy students.

CSUN’s student government established the voucher program in the wake of the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake, which caused major damage to the campus. The full amount was not donated Wednesday, but all of the money will be turned over to the CSUN student group in the near future.

Jun Kim, student body president at Sacramento State University, said the money was raised from student groups and individual contributions at the other campuses. He said student leaders at the other campuses decided after the earthquake to help their CSUN counterparts.

“As students, we do care about the big picture,” Kim said.