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Title: John H. Bunzel papers
Date (inclusive): 1949-2004
Collection Number: 87001
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: The collection is in English
Physical Description:
46 manuscript boxes, 1 card file box, 1 oversize box
(21.7 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Speeches and writings, correspondence, minutes, grant proposals, memoranda, reports, studies, hearing transcripts, printed
matter, and photographs related to political science, administration of San Jose State University, student radicalism at San
Francisco State University, activities of the Institute for Educational Affairs in funding academic research projects, and
activities of the Civil Rights Commission in monitoring the status of civil rights in the United States, such as investigating
allegations of race or sex discrimination in voting, employment, or housing and considering affirmative action and comparable
worth concepts.
Creator:
Bunzel, John H., 1924-2018
Creator:
Institute for Educational Affairs
Creator:
United States Commission on Civil Rights
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1987 with an increment in 2005.
[Identification of item], John H. Bunzel papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
| 1924 | Born, New York City, New York |
| 1937-1942 | Attended Kent School, Kent, Connecticut |
| 1943-1946 | Served in the United States Army |
| 1948 | AB in political science from Princeton University |
| 1949 | MA in sociology from Columbia University |
| 1956-1957 | Taught at Michigan State University |
| 1954 | PhD in political science from the University of California at Berkeley |
| 1953-1956 | Taught at San Francisco State College |
| 1962 | Author, The American Small Businessman |
| 1959-1961 | Director, Northern California Citizenship Clearing House |
| 1957-1963 | Taught at Stanford University |
| 1963-1970 | Taught at San Francisco State College |
| 1962-1963 | President, Northern California Political Science Association |
| 1964 | Author, Issues of American Public Policy |
| 1969 | Awarded Presidential Award from the Northern California Political Science Association |
| 1968 | California delegate, Democratic National Convention |
| 1967 | Author, Anti-Politics in America |
| 1974 | Awarded Certificate of Honor from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors |
| 1976 | Honorary doctor of laws, University of Santa Clara |
| 1978- | Fellow, Hoover Institution |
| 1983 | Author, New Force on the Left: Tom Hayden and the Campaign Against Corporate America |
| 1983-1986 | Commissioner, United States Commission on Civil Rights |
| 1985 | Editor, Challenge to American Schools : The Case for Standards and Values |
| 1990 | Received the Hubert Humphrey Award from the American Political Science Association |
| 1992 | Author, Race Relations on Campus: Stanford Students Speak |
| 1998 | Author, Affirmative Action in Higher Education : A Dilemma of Conflicting Principles |
| 1988 | Became a political commentator on a KCBS radio news program |
| Editor, Political Passages: Journeys of Change through Two Decades, 1968–1988 | |
| 1970-1978 | President, San Jose State University |
Scope and Content of Collection
The John H. Bunzel papers consist of speeches and writings, correspondence, minutes, grant proposals, memoranda, reports,
studies, hearing transcripts, printed matter, and photographs related to political science, administration of San Jose State
University, student radicalism at San Francisco State University, activities of the Institute for Educational Affairs in funding
academic research projects, and activities of the Civil Rights Commission in monitoring the status of civil rights in the
United States, such as investigating allegations of race or sex discrimination in voting, employment, or housing and considering
affirmative action and comparable worth concepts.
Over his career, Bunzel served as a professor of political science, academic president, and Hoover Institution fellow. The
Biographical file contains a curriculum vitae detailing Bunzel's career, as well as report cards and photographs. For articles about Bunzel,
see the clippings in the speeches and writings series, as well as the San Jose State University file.
The collection contains
Correspondence, mainly dating from the 1990s, which includes letters to or from Morris B. Abram, John Kerry, Edward Laurie, Stanley Mosk,
Daniel Moynihan, Condoleezza Rice, and David Riesman. Several letters contain discussions of affirmative action issues.
Many of Bunzel's
Speeches and writings also comment on affirmative action policies and civil rights issues. This series includes speeches, books, articles by Bunzel
and about him, radio commentary, interviews, and chapter drafts for
Race Relations on Campus, a book published in 1992 that examines issues of race at Stanford University.
The
Professional activities file contains materials related to Bunzel's teaching career, as well as his role as the California delegate to the Democratic
National Convention of 1968 and a Hoover Institution fellow. Included are subject files dating from Bunzel's time as a student
through his professorial work, with topics such as political theory and American political thought. The course material includes
syllabi and readings from classes that Bunzel taught at San Francisco State University and Stanford University. Bunzel was
a professor at San Francisco State University from 1953 to 1956 and from 1963 to 1970, an era that saw student unrest and
protests. During a lengthy strike in the 1960s, Bunzel was a target of student protesters, suffering disruptions while teaching
and threats. This period of student radicalism at San Francisco State University is documented in this file.
Bunzel served as president of San Jose State University from 1970 to 1978. Under his leadership, the university established
programs in religious studies, Jewish studies, and women's studies; changed its name from San Jose State College to San Jose
State University; and hired more women into high-level administrative positions than any other California State University
at that time. The
San Jose State University file contains speeches, clippings, and letters documenting Bunzel's activities as president.
Bunzel served on the board of directors for the
Institute for Educational Affairs (IEA), which later merged with the Madison Center to become the Madison Center for Educational Affairs. The IEA was an educational
foundation established in 1978 with the goal of supporting democratic capitalism. The collection includes materials from board
meetings of the IEA, such as agendas, minutes, grant proposals, and reports.
In 1983, President Reagan appointed Bunzel to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, a federal agency established in
1957 to investigate civil rights issues. In 1986, Bunzel called for the resignation of Chairman Clarence Pendleton and did
not seek reappointment after the expiration of his term of service. The
United States Commission on Civil Rights file includes meeting materials, memoranda, and consultation/hearing binders related to issues of comparable worth, affirmative
action, and fair housing. Memoranda often summarize court cases and have attached reports.
The
Audiovisual material includes of sound recordings of Bunzel's speeches, as well as recordings of events at San Jose State University, such as
Bunzel's inauguration as president and his "farewell roast" upon leaving that position. This file contains a videotape of
Bunzel being interviewed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which includes his comments on Edward Teller. The
Oversize material and ephemera contain clippings and a coffee mug imprinted with an article about Bunzel.
Source:
San Jose State University. SJSU Presidents. http://www.sjsu.edu/about_sjsu/history/presidents/
James Babb papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
San Jose State Office of the Presidents, John Bunzel records, San Jose State University
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Civil rights -- United States
Education -- United States
Political science
United States -- Race relations
Radicalism -- United States
Student movements -- United States
Women -- United States
Learning and scholarship -- United States
Research -- United States
Affirmative action programs -- United States
Equal pay for equal work -- United States
San José State University