Mission of the Desert Studies Center
The California Desert Studies Consortium was established in 1974 as an academic collaboration among seven California State University campuses: Dominguez Hills , Fullerton , Long Beach , Los Angeles , Northridge , Pomona , and San Bernardino . The mission of the Consortium is to encourage the understanding of, and appreciation for, the California deserts by developing student academic skills and public awareness through a desert studies program which includes instruction, research, and special programs.
CSU - National Park Service Partnership
The DSC manages 1,280 acres in Mojave National Preserve under an agreement with the National Park Service. The DSC was established in 1976 in an agreement between the CSU and the Bureau of Land Management. This relationship was further solidified in 1994 with the passage in US Congress of the Desert Protection Act. The DPA established Mojave National Preserve on the lands surrounding the Desert Studies Center, and also established Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks.