Inventory of the Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education Records
Archives Staff and Choquette Marrow
California State Archives
© 2010
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education Records
Collection number: R392
California State ArchivesOffice of the Secretary of State
Sacramento, California
- Processed by:
- Archives Staff and Choquette Marrow
- Date Completed:
- March 2010
- Encoded by:
- Michelle Wallen
© 2010 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Title: Higher Education Master Plan Review records
Dates: 1980-1987
Collection number: R392
Creator:
Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education
Collection Size:
4 cubic feet
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The records of the Commission to Review the Master Plan for Higher Education consist of four cubic feet of textual records
as well as 49 audiotapes and 8 videotapes, reflecting the Commission's study and review of California higher education. The
records, dated from 1985 - 1987, cover the full extent of the Commission's work in assessing the condition of higher education
within the State and making recommendations for its improvement.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility
for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives
collections.
[Identification of item], Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education Records, R392.[series number],
[box and folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
The California State Archives acquired the Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education Records according
to state law.
In September 1984, Governor George Deukmejian signed Senate Bill 1570 establishing the Commission for the Review of the Master
Plan for Higher Education (Chapter 1507, Statutes of 1984). The creation of this blue ribbon commission to review the Master
Plan for Higher Education came during an era awash in postsecondary education reform.
The Commission for the Review the Master Plan for Higher Education consisted of 16 members. Members were to include the state
Superintendent of Public Instruction or a designee of their choice, and appointees who were "citizens knowledgeable in the
area of postsecondary education, business and community leaders representative of the cultural, ethnic and geographic diversity
of the state." As a blue ribbon commission, members were to be laypersons not employed or retained by any public or private
postsecondary educational institution so as to ensure an independent and unbiased study of California postsecondary education.
Prior to the Commission for the Review the Master Plan for Higher Education, review of the master plan for higher education
was the responsibility of the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, and later as part of a dual track review process,
the Legislature's Joint Committee for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education. In 1973, the Joint Committee made
a recommendation in the course of its review that the master plan be reviewed every ten years. The Commission for the Review
the Master Plan for Higher Education was meant to be an implementation of that recommendation. But, because of a recession
and the fiscal limitations of the government, it performed just the one review. Future reviews were done by Assembly and
Senate Committees instead of an independent commission and were more triage assessments than the desired comprehensive in-depth
analysis of the condition of postsecondary education and its future needs.
The Commission for the Review the Master Plan for Higher Education was responsible for reporting to the legislature on three
major postsecondary education issues areas. The Commission formed subcommittees to address these three issue areas - Future
Needs to the Year 2000 Subcommittee; Access and Success in Higher Education Subcommittee; and Roles, Responsibilities, Goals,
and Missions Subcommittee. In its assessment of these areas, the Commission conducted studies and public hearings and reviewed
numerous reports relating to California postsecondary education. The Commission published two reports from its three-year
study of California higher education. The first is titled "The Challenge of Change" and made recommendations to the Community
College Board of Governors for improvement of the community college system. The second report, titled "The Master Plan Renewed:
Unity, Equity, Quality, and Efficiency in California Postsecondary Education," was a submitted to the Governor and addressed
the Commission's findings on the condition of postsecondary institutions in California and made recommendations to the Master
Plan for Higher Education. Both reports were also submitted to the Legislature's Joint Committee on the Review of the Master
Plan, which reviewed the reports and then made its own recommendations to the legislature.
The records of the Commission for the Review the Master Plan for Higher Education consist of four cubic feet of textual records
as well as 49 audiotapes and 8 videotapes, reflecting the Commission's study and review of California higher education. The
records, dated from 1980-1987, cover the full extent of the Commission's work in assessing the condition of higher education
within the State and making recommendations for its improvement. The records are organized into eleven series: Minutes; Meeting
Files; Hearing Files; Access and Success in Higher Education Subcommittee Files; Future Needs to the Year 2000 Subcommittee
Files; Roles, Responsibilities, Goals and Missions Subcommittee Files; Community College Reassessment Study Files; Master
Plan Review Files; Subject Files; Correspondence and Press Clippings.
Because of the Commission's short run and narrowly defined duties, its records provide a snapshot of the condition of and
issues in the California higher education during the mid 1980s. A significant portion of information gathered by the Commission
for their reports came from correspondence and testimony provided, both solicited and unsolicited, to the Commission from
across the state by members of the postsecondary education community. Frequently, the testimony and correspondence was attached
to supporting documents including news articles and reports. The information gathered from correspondence and testimony lent
a broader point of view and more breadth of opinion to the Commission's review. The correspondence and testimony can be found
throughout the collection including on the collection's 49 audiotapes. In the execution of its duties, the Commission was
required to review only the most relevant and recently published reports and studies relating to California postsecondary
education (Chapter 1507, Statues of 1984). These publications provided a scholarly backing to and were reflective of the
information gathered from correspondence and testimony. The reports reviewed and retained by the Commission are also scattered
throughout the collection.
Most of the collection's series contain material directly related to the execution of the Commission's two reports: an assessment
of the Community Colleges and a review of the Master Plan for Higher Education. The Subject Files are representative of a
broader array of issues in postsecondary education issues reviewed by the Commission and shows which issues were deemed important,
current, and relevant enough to place in the reports and which were not. Of particular interest are files on information
technology and its use in education. The use of computers and technological tools for distance learning was in its early
stages in California during the Commission's review. And while neither of its reports addressed technology in education,
the Commission gathered, reviewed, and retained a significant amount of information on the issue.
Also included in the Subject Files is a file on the Joint Legislative Committee for the Review of the Master Plan. As the
recipient of the Commission's reports, the Joint Legislative Committee's file is of particular interest because it illustrates
their opinion of the Commission's work as well as provides insight into the reviews and studies they were conducting themselves.
No further accruals are expected.
Related Collections at the California State Archives
Postsecondary Education Commission Records
Coordinating Council for Higher Education Records
Joint Committee for Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education Records
Joint Committee on Postsecondary Education Records
John Vasconcellos Papers
California State University Records
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
California. Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education
Education, Higher
Postsecondary education
R392.001, Box 1, Folders 1-3
Series 1 Minutes 1985-1987
Physical Description: 3 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by meeting date.
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of minutes from the Commission's meetings as well as meetings of the Commission's subcommittees: the
Subcommittee on Roles, Responsibilities, Goals and Missions of the Segments, the Subcommittee on Future Needs to the Year
2000, and the Subcommittee on Access and Success in Higher Education. Minutes of the Commission are substantially complete
from 1985-1987. Some of the minutes include supplemental documents that were provided to commission members or submitted
to the commission for the meeting. These documents include news articles, reports, data tables, testimony, and presentations.
Some minutes may also be found in the Meeting Files series.
R392.002, Boxes 1-2, Folders 4-4
Series 2 Meeting Files 1985-1987
Physical Description: 25 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by meeting date.
Access Information
Access to audiovisual material requires the production of use copies.
Scope and Content Note
Meeting files primarily include agendas, minutes, memoranda and issues papers but may also include other reports and papers,
testimony, correspondence and other supplemental materials. Some meeting files contain audio recordings of testimony. The
full range of topics the Commission addressed during its 3-year activity are covered in the meeting files. The Commission
developed issue papers on all of the subjects it deemed important to address as part of its assessment of the condition of
California higher education and used them as a starting point in their assessment. Issue papers were presented at each Commission
meeting where they were discussed and revised. Issue papers often had more than one reading, as a paper would be presented
to the Commission after each full revision. The final versions served as primary resources in the recommendations the Commission
eventually made to the Board of Governors and Legislature.
R392.003, Box 2, Folders 5-8
Series 3 Hearing Files 1985-1986
Physical Description: 4 file folders and 21 audiotapes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by hearing date.
Access Information
Access to audiovisual material requires the production of use copies.
Scope and Content Note
Hearing Files cover two series of hearings held across the state by the Commission to gather information for its Community
College Reassessment Study. The first series of hearings were held October 10, 17, and 29,1985 in Los Angeles, San Jose and
Sacramento, respectively. The second set of hearings were held January 14, 16, and 21, 1986 in Fresno, San Diego, and San
Mateo, respectively. The hearing files include agendas, background papers, testimony, and reports submitted to the committee.
Both hearing series contain audiotapes of recorded testimony. Further material and the final report of the Community College
Reassessment Study can be found in the Community College Reassessment Study Files series.
R392.004, Box 2, Folder 9
Series 4 Access and Success in Higher Education Subcommittee File 1985
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Arrangement
Arranged by table of contents.
Scope and Content Note
This series contains informational material gathered by the Subcommittee on Access and Success in Higher Education. A table
of contents created by the subcommittee listing the documents and their subject matter precedes the material. The material
provides information on the various issues addressed by the Subcommittee including minority enrollment in universities, matriculation,
retention, quality of higher education, financial aid and the changing educational needs of students. Materials include correspondence,
memoranda, legislation, report excerpts, and agendas of the various higher education governing bodies.
R392.005, Box 2, Folders 10-12
Series 5 Future Needs to the Year 2000 Subcommittee Files 1985
Physical Description: 3 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged by table of contents.
Scope and Content Note
This series contains informational material gathered by the Subcommittee on Future Needs to the Year 2000. A table of contents
created by the Subcommittee listing the documents and their subject matter precedes the material. The material provides information
on the various issues addressed by the Subcommittee including enrollment and demographic trends, future funding of higher
education, financial aid, educational needs of future students, and future supply of faculty. Materials include full reports,
report excerpts, data sets, news articles, correspondence, testimony, and minutes of the first meeting held by the Subcommittee.
R392.006, Box 2, Folders 13-14
Series 6 Roles, Responsibilities, Goals and Missions Subcommittee Files 1985
Physical Description: 2 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged by table of contents.
Scope and Content Note
This series contains informational material gathered by the Subcommittee on Roles, Responsibilities, Goals and Missions of
the Segments. A table of contents created by the Subcommittee listing the documents and their subject matter precedes the
material. The material provides information on the various issues addressed by the Subcommittee including articulation, admissions
eligibility, long-range planning, budgeting, academic quality and the general missions of the higher education segments.
Materials include memoranda, report excerpts, legislative analyses, and agendas of the Community College Board of Governors.
R392.007, Box 2, Folders 15-17
Series 7 Community College Reassessment Study Files 1985-1986
Physical Description: 3 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by response date.
Scope and Content Note
This series contains materials relating to the first task assigned to the Commission by the legislature - an assessment of
the California community college mission (SB 2064, 1985). Records are divided into three parts: background papers, the Commission's
report, and responses to the report. The background papers include a working schedule for the execution of the study, lists
of potential policy issues to be covered by the study, a comprehensive draft outline for the final report, and a "Background
Papers" publication issued by the Commission containing an overview of each of the policy issues addressed during the study.
The Commission's final report is a series of recommendations to the Community College Board of Governors aimed to "achieve
the goals of universal access, individual success and education which is both high quality and accountable" (The Challenge
of Change, 1986). Responses to the final report, as well as responses to some of the drafts, follow. The responses include
a direct response by the Board of Governors to the Commission's recommendations as well as responses from the Community College
Trustees, individual community colleges, University of California and California State University campuses and governing bodies,
the California Postsecondary Education Commission, the Department of Education, and other organizations with an interest in
higher education. Material from the reassessment study hearings can be found in the Commission's Hearing Files series.
R392.008, Box 2, Folders 18-19
Series 8 Master Plan Review Files 1987
Physical Description: 2 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by testimony date.
Scope and Content Note
The Master Plan Review Files contain working papers and testimony related to the culminating report from the Commission's
review of the Master Plan for Higher Education. The working papers include various issue papers prepared by the Commission
during their review and a working draft of the Commission's final report, "The Master Plan Renewed: Unity, Equity, Quality,
and Efficiency in California Postsecondary Education." The testimony includes responses and recommendations to drafts of
the report from individuals of executive position in California higher education including the Chancellors of the California
Community Colleges and the California State University, President of the University of California, Chairman of the Association
for Independent California Colleges and Universities, and Director of the California Postsecondary Education Commission.
The California State Archives did not receive the final report of the Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher
Education but an overview of the report can be found in the Commission's Subject Files under the Joint Committee to Review
the Master Plan file. A complete report can be found at the California State Library.
R392.009, Boxes 2-3, Folders 20-18
Series 9 Subject Files 1985-1987
Physical Description: 23 file folders and 2 videotapes
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject headings.
Access Information
Access to audiovisual material requires the production of use copies.
Scope and Content Note
Subject files may include correspondence, memoranda, reports, news articles, notes, testimony to the Commission, resolutions
and agendas from various higher education governing bodies. The subject files span a variety of topics relating to research
done by the Commission. Of particular interest are the files on Information Technology in Higher Education. The Commission
gathered and saved a significant amount of information on the subject including two videotapes about the use of televised
instruction. Despite being the largest of the subject files, little to no information on technology in higher education made
its way into any of the Commission's reports. Also of interest is the subject file of master plans from other states. These
plans had been recently revised by their state and the Commission consulted them when doing its own revision of the California
Master Plan for Higher Education. One final subject file of note is the file on the Joint Committee for the Review of the
Master Plan. The Joint Committee was established in conjunction with the Commission to oversee its work. The subject file
contains documents illustrating the Joint Committee's independent studies and research in higher education as well as their
review and opinions of the work of the Commission.
For an alphabetical list of subject headings, see Appendix A in the master finding aid at the California State Archives.
R392.010, Boxes 3-4, Folders 19-10
Series 10 Correspondence 1985-1987
Physical Description: 14 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by name of participatory party.
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of correspondence between members of the Commission as well as between the Commission and various organizations
involved in California higher education including, offices and campuses of the California Community College, California State
University, and University of California systems and the California Postsecondary Education Commission. The correspondence
covers a variety of topics related to the research and functions of the Commission. A significant portion of the correspondence
sent to the commission contains news articles and reports on topics of interest to the Commission's function.
R392.011, Box 4, Folders 11-24
Series 11 Press Clippings 1985-1987
Physical Description: 14 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by publication name, then chronologically by publication date.
Scope and Content Note
This series contains press clippings gathered from a variety of state newspapers as well as a few organizational newsletters
and national publications. The clippings cover the work of the Commission as well as higher education issues in California
and throughout the nation.