How Public Universities Preserve Local History: Inside CSUF’s Oral History Center

Public universities have long been recognized as engines of opportunity, offering affordable pathways to degrees and upward mobility. Yet their impact goes well beyond the classroom. Many serve as cultural anchors in their regions, strengthening local identity, preserving community memory, and creating spaces where the past can be heard in the voices of the people who lived it.

At California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) such work comes to life through the Lawrence de Graaf Center for Oral and Public History (COPH), an extraordinary institution dedicated to recording and honoring the diverse stories of Southern California.

Preserving History, One Voice at a Time

Founded on the belief that history belongs to everyone, COPH collects the stories of individuals and communities whose experiences shaped the region. The center maintains more than 6,000 recorded interviews along with transcripts, photographs, and materials that document more than 50 years of change across Southern California. It’s the largest oral history archive in the state.

The COPH mission is grounded in accessibility, diversity, and the democratization of history. Rather than focusing only on prominent figures or major events, the center intentionally includes underrepresented voices, everyday residents, and local institutions whose histories may not always be captured in traditional archives.

COPH also functions as a teaching hub. CSUF students from a variety of majors learn how to conduct interviews, practice archival methods, and work on public history projects that connect academic study with community engagement. This combination of hands-on learning, research, and civic connection helps students develop skills that are relevant in a variety of academic disciplines and across many industries.

Why Oral History Matters for Communities

Oral history plays a unique role in preserving the texture of everyday life. Official records can document what happened — for example, the date of a battle, the population growth of a city, or the results of an election. In contrast, oral histories reveal what people thought and felt. They preserve emotion, nuance, memory, and people’s lived experience. These stories offer insights into cultural identity, social change, and community resilience, which are especially important in a diverse region like SoCal.

Local history also creates a sense of belonging. When residents see their own families, neighborhoods, and cultural traditions reflected in university archives, they feel connected to the broader story of their region. Public universities strengthen communities by serving as cultural anchors and ensuring local histories remain visible and valued.

By making history accessible to the public, COPH allows students, journalists, scholars, and community members to explore primary sources that deepen understanding of Southern California’s past. These archives also support exhibitions, documentaries, museum collaborations, and educational programs.

Recent Collaborations and Regional Stories

COPH’s work frequently reaches audiences outside the university. For example, in March 2025, the center announced it would donate a copy of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station Project to the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum in Irvine. The project includes over 500 interviews with military pilots, civilian employees, enlisted Marines, and their families, all of whom had a connection to the air station. Their stories and memories will now be accessible to a wider audience as part of the museum’s exhibitions in 2026–27.

Through other community projects, COPH serves as a portal into California’s colorful past, with oral histories on subjects ranging from suburban development to political movements to immigration stories. These collections allow researchers to trace how the region has transformed and how ordinary people shaped that change. Such projects demonstrate how oral history becomes a bridge between generations, allowing communities to revisit defining moments through firsthand narratives.

The Larger Role of Public Universities in Strengthening Communities

The work of COPH reflects a broader trend in public higher education. Across the country, universities are expanding their community partnerships to serve local needs. Many collaborate with schools, government agencies, and cultural organizations to share expertise, support public programs, and strengthen community networks.

At the same time, regional public universities like CSUF drive social mobility by providing accessible degrees and uplifting local populations. Through centers like COPH, they extend that impact to cultural preservation as well, ensuring that local history is documented and remains publicly available. This dual educational and cultural role reinforces the essential place public universities hold within their communities.

Why CSUF’s Center Stands Out

COPH is distinctive not only for its size but also for its intentional approach. Southern California is home to countless intersecting histories, including Indigenous communities, immigrant populations, veterans, civil rights activists, business leaders, educators, workers, and artists. Many of these stories risk being overlooked unless actively collected. COPH addresses this challenge by working directly with community groups and by training new generations of oral historians.

The center’s commitment to accessibility also keeps history alive. Interviews are preserved and digitized when possible, making it easier for scholars and community members to explore oral histories without barriers. Students learn to document lived experiences accurately and respectfully, helping ensure that these histories remain meaningful and relevant into the future.

A Model for Public Universities Everywhere

As public universities continue exploring new ways to engage and serve their communities, the COPH at CSUF offers an inspiring model. It shows how universities can use their academic infrastructure, student talent, and commitment to public service to preserve local identity and support cultural understanding. In a region marked by rapid change, development, and population growth, the center safeguards the voices that might otherwise be lost.

Public universities play many roles in society, but few are as meaningful as this one. When they step forward as caretakers of community memory, they enrich cultural life, deepen civic connection, and strengthen the social fabric for generations to come.