Guide to the San José State University New College Records MSS.2009.11.03
Finding aid funded by the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
© 2009
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
special.collections@sjsu.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: San José State University New College Records
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2009.11.03
Physical Description:
10 boxes
(15.42 linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1965-1998
Abstract: The San José State University New College Records, 1965-1998, document New College - a four-year liberal arts program. The
records consist of administrative files, twenty and thirty-year reunion materials, daybooks, a scrapbook created by New College
Provost Harold (Hal) DeBey, radical publications, and a New College banner. The collection is arranged into five series: Series
I. Administrative Files, 1968-1998; Series II. Reunion Materials, 1988-1998; Series III. Scrapbook and Daybooks, 1970-1980;
Series IV. Radical Publications, 1965-1973; and Series V. Realia, undated.
Language of Material: Languages represented in the collection: English
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research. However, Box 4 is restricted.
Publication Rights
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
San José State University New College Records, MSS-2009-11-03 , San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Project Information
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant
project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008.The Project Director
is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
Processing Information
Collection processed and encoded by Elizabeth Lopez in 2009. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen. Folder level description
added by Kate Steffens in February 2020.
Organizational History
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
Jose, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San Jose State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
The San José State University New College program (1968-1981) was a four-year liberal arts course of study created to "tear
down the walls between disciplines" with its experimental approach to higher education. Founded by SJSU faculty members Jack
Pierce (Anthropology), Jack Douglas (Library), and Harold (Hal) DeBey (Chemistry/New College Provost from 1968-1977), New
College faculty included artists, writers, and social scientists. The major objectives of New College were "to offer society's
urgent need for wise, creative and responsible citizens prepared to participate actively in a self-governing community, to
offer a clear alternative to the impersonality found in large colleges and universities, to bring students and professors
together in the common pursuit of truth, and to introduce students to some of the decision-making processes involved in the
creation of a curriculum." In addition, New College promoted the ideology of "allowing students to pursue individual paths
of study free of rigidly structured requirements," as well as the concept of "supporting, guiding and encouraging the idealism
of young people who are aware of the world's complex problems and who wish to dedicate themselves to their amelioration."
The first two years of a New College student's coursework was devoted to the study of humankind, with general education classes
in three broad areas: in the Humanities and the Arts, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Technology.
Course topics included "man's image of himself," "man and his natural environment," and "the discussion of man's future" in
direct relation to global concerns such as human and natural resources conservation, population issues, and war and peace.
In upper division study, New College students and faculty worked together to design a curriculum based on a combination of
seminars, independent study, and courses from other departments in order to meet individual study objectives. Students also
spent part of their time in community activities, and were encouraged to live in a special co-educational dormitory on campus
to foster "informal discussions between students and faculty," and to create "an opportunity for varied and unusual friendships
across cultural and social barriers."
Although at the time, New College was considered a successful alternative to traditional higher education, declining enrollment
in the late 1970's and diminishing fiscal resources in early 1980's ended support for continuing the program and in 1980 New
College officially closed.
Related Material
New College Senior Projects, 1970-1981. San José State University Special Collections & Archives.
San José State University Oral History Project Collection, MSS-2006-04-01. San José State University Special Collections
& Archives.
San José State University Student Publications Collection, MSS-2009-08-02, San José State University Special Collections
& Archives.
Scope and Content of Collection
The San José State University New College Records, 1965-1998, document New College - an experimental four-year liberal arts
program that existed on the San José State campus from 1968-1981. The records consist of the following: Administrative files
that document the creation and implementation of the College and its eventual closure, as well as audio and video of student
activites; Reunion materials that include photos and updates from alumni; Daybooks and a scrapbook created by New College
Provost Harold (Hal) DeBey,; Radical publications that include hippie, leftist, and activist magazines; and a New College
banner.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into five series: Series I. Administrative Files, 1968-1998; Series II. Reunion Materials, 1988-1998;
Series III. Scrapbook and Daybooks, 1970-1980; Series IV. Radical Publications, 1965-1973; and Series V. Realia, undated.
University Archives Collection
Record Group: 6.3.7.1
Bibliography
Gilbert, Benjamin F., and Burdick, Charles.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. San José, California: San José State University, 1980. San José State University. About SJSU. San José State University.
Course Catalog, 1969-1970. San José, California: San José State University, 1969. San José State University.
New College. Brochure. San José, California: San José State University, undated. Walsh, James P.
San José State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000. San José, California: San José State University, 2003.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San José State University New College -- History.
San Jose State College -- History
California State University, San José -- History.
San José State University -- History.
Education, Higher -- California -- San Jose.
Interdisciplinary approach in education -- California -- San José.
Series I. Administrative Files
1968-1998
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series comprises the bulk of the collection and consists primarily of administrative materials related to the New College
program. Items include the New College general plan, reports, student contracts, course-related materials, and program termination
files.. Audiovisual materials consist of classwork, student work, and a faculty retreat, and include a freshman seminar lecture,
a film about a college outreach program dedicated to servicing the mentally ill, and man on the street interviews about local
urban renewal.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format and then alphabetically by folder.
Access Note
Access Note: Box 4 is restricted
Box 1
Subseries 1. New College Proposal
1968
Box 2
Subseries 2. Administrative Files
1968-1998
Box 2, Folder 1
Activities and Programs
1974
Box 2, Folder 2
Alternative Education Lecture Series
1969-1975
Box 2, Folder 3
Brochures and Publications
1968-1978
Box 2, Folder 4
Classwork: Children's Books Bibliography
Fall 1972
Box 2, Folder 5
Contracts and Diploma
Undated
Box 2, Folder 6
Counselor's Report
January 1970
Box 2, Folder 7
Creation and Implementation of College
1968-1974
Box 2, Folder 8
Faculty Assignments, Retention, and Workload
1968-1977
Box 2, Folder 9
Faculty Colloquium at Asilomar
1977
Box 2, Folder 11
Faculty Obituaries
1980-1995
Box 2, Folder 12
Faculty and Provost Conflict
1978-1980
Box 2, Folder 13
Field Studies Program
Fall 1975
Box 2, Folder 14
Founding Document
March 4, 1968
Box 2, Folder 15
Graduates Survey
1970-1977
Box 2, Folder 16
Graduation Ritual
December 1968
Box 2, Folder 17
Group Study Contracts
Spring 1978
Box 2, Folder 18
Individual Study Contracts (1 of 2)
Spring 1978
Box 2, Folder 19
Individual Study Contracts (2 of 2)
Spring 1978
Box 2, Folder 20
Librarian - Tutor - Media Coordinator
1971-1979
Box 2, Folder 21
Nomination for Outstanding Professor
1974
Box 2, Folder 23
"People Pool" Knowledge Directory
1973
Box 2, Folder 25
"Rantings" of Professor Bill McCormack
1974-1978
Box 2, Folder 26
Review of College
May 1972
Box 2, Folder 27
Review of College, Prior to Termination
1978-1980
Box 2, Folder 28
Self-Evaluation Report
1977
Box 2, Folder 29
Self-Evaluation Report
1978
Box 2, Folder 30
Self-Evaluation Report
1979
Box 2, Folder 31
Seminars: Upper Division Offerings
1974-1975
Box 2, Folder 32
Seminars: Upper Division Offerings
1977-1980
Box 2, Folder 33
Senior Project Abstracts
Spring 1978
Box 2, Folder 34
Senior Thesis Contracts
Spring 1978
Box 2, Folder 35
Student Directory
Circa 1973-1974
Box 2, Folder 36
Student Government
1972-1983
Box 2, Folder 38
Termination and Closure of the College
1979-1981
Box 3
Subseries 3. Audiovisual Materials
1972-1978, 1994
Box 3, Folder 1
Audio Tape: Student Singing
Undated
Box 3, Folder 2
Audio Tape: Women Depicted in Art and Music
Spring 1972
Box 3, Folder 4
Video Tape: Annual Retreat
1978
Box 3, Folder 5
Video Tape: Community of Communities
Undated
Box 3, Folder 6
Video Tape: Man on the Street Interviews
May 12, 1973
Box 4
Subseries 4. Student Records (Restricted)
1968-1997
Series II. Reunion Materials
1988-1998
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains materials related to the New College twenty and thirty-year reunions, including flyers, photographs,
and alumni updates.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
Box 3, Folder 7
Alumni Updates (1 of 3)
1988
Box 3, Folder 8
Alumni Updates (2 of 3)
1988
Box 3, Folder 9
Alumni Updates (3 of 3)
1988
Box 3, Folder 10
Organizational Paperwork
1988
Box 3, Folder 13
Thirtieth Anniversary Souvenir Book
August 9, 1998
Box 3, Folder 14
"Where Are They Now?" Paperwork
1988
Series III. Scrapbook/Daybooks
1970-1980
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of a New College scrapbook and daybooks. The scrapbook was created by Harold (Hal) DeBey, New College
Provost from 1968-1977, and contains New College photographs from the 1970s. The daybooks include brief comments written by
New College students during the 1970s, which serve as a record of the experiences of the New College community for the year
noted.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format and then chronologically within each format.
Box 5
Harold DeBey Scrapbook
1970s
Series IV. Radical Publications
1965-1973
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes single copies of radical, leftist, and hippie publications published between the 1960s-1970s.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically by publication title.
Box 3, Folder 15
Berkeley Tribe
November 7-13. 1969
Box 3, Folder 16
Challenge: The Revolutionary Newspaper
Undated
Box 3, Folder 17
Helix, Vol. 9, No. 4
August 1969
Box 3, Folder 18
El Malcriado: The Voice of the Farm Worker
October 1st, 1968
Box 3, Folder 19
The Militant, 2 Issues
October 25, 1965; November 14, 1969
Box 3, Folder 20
The San Francisco Oracle, Vol. I, No. 7
1968
Box 3, Folder 21
SDS New Left Notes
July 30th, 1969
Box 3, Folder 22
The 21st Century Fair - Associated Students
May 14-18th, 1973
Series V. Realia
undated
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of a New College cloth banner with yellow, purple, and white colors.
Box 10
New College Banner
undated