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Inventory of the Records of the California Student Aid Commission
1955-1996
R346, R215, F3940
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Title: Inventory of the Records of the California Student Aid Commission
1955-1996
Dates: 1955-1996
Collection number: R346, R215, F3940
Creator:
State Scholarship Commission, 1955-1965;
Scholarship and Loan Commission, 1966-1974;
Student Aid Commission, 1975-1996
Collection Size:
23 cubic feet
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The Student Aid Commission administers various financial aid programs for postsecondary schooling. The original commission,
then known as the State Scholarship Commission, consisted of nine members, with representatives from private institutions,
public universities, and members of governing boards of school districts. The records of the Student Aid Commission (SAC)
comprise 23 cubic feet of textual records reflecting the various scholarship and loan programs of the Student Aid Commission
and its predecessors. The collection covers the years of 1955-1996.
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], Student Aid Commission Records, [ID number].[series number], [box and folder number], California
State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
The State Archives received these records in a series of transfers according to state law.The Student Aid Commission administers
various financial aid programs for postsecondary schooling. The original commission, then known as the State Scholarship Commission,
consisted of nine members, with representatives from private institutions, public universities, and members of governing boards
of school districts. The State Scholarship Commission was created during the 1955 Regular Session of the Legislature (Chapter
1846) to administer a competitive college assistance program for California undergraduates, known as the State Scholarship
Program. Eligible students for the State Scholarship Program were selected on the basis of a number of criteria, such as outstanding
grade point averages, favorable scholastic aptitude test scores, and a demonstrated financial need via financial statements.
The first scholarships were awarded in spring 1956, resulting in 600 state scholarships. By 1959, 1,600 scholarships were
made available.
During a 1960 Legislative Special Session, the Legislature approved a budgetary increase for the Plan for Higher Education,
which increased the number of award recipients to 5,120. During the same session, the awards amount increased from $300 to
$900. In 1966, the commission was renamed the Scholarship and Loan Commission and expanded to include broader financial aid
programs. The name change was in accordance to Chapter 1405,
Statutesof 1965, which authorized the expansion of the original commission. The commission included two additional financial assistance
programs: the State Graduate Fellowship Program and the State Guaranteed Loan Program. The State Graduate Fellowship Program
was similar to the State Scholarship Program, as it financially assisted academically eligible students with tuition and fees.
However, the fellowship program was only a year long program, reserved for students planning to teach at California colleges.
The State Guaranteed Loan Program coincided with the authorized federal funds appropriated by the Higher Education Act of
1965. While eligible students were enrolled in college, the federal government covered the interest of the student loan in
its entirety and half the interest upon graduation.
By 1971, the Scholarship and Loan Commission created two additional programs: the College Opportunity Program and the Occupational
Education and Training Program. The College Opportunity Program was specifically targeted to disadvantaged students, who had
potential for college success and community leadership. Selection into the program was determined by basis of need, grades,
and letters of recommendations. Grant recipients received tuition funds after the first year, along with living allowances.
Occupational Education and Training Grants provided skilled workers with post-secondary occupational education aid to talented
disadvantaged students.
During the 1975-1976 fiscal year, the commission was renamed the Student Aid Commission. In accordance to Chapter 1270,
Statutes of 1975 (AB1031), the commission expanded membership to eleven members, along with adding additional financial aid programs.
After the 1975-1976 fiscal year, the Student Aid Commission implemented the Supervised Clinical Training Program, Student
Financial Aid Information Program, Medical School Contract Program, and Bilingual Teacher Development Program.
For the 1977-1978 fiscal year, the Student Aid Commission implemented the Cal Grant Program. The Cal Grant Program was divided
into three categories: the State Scholarship Program (Cal Grant A); College Opportunity Program (Cal Grant B); and Occupational
Educational and Training Program (Cal Grant C). Chapter 113,
Statutes of 1978, authorized the creation of the Student Opportunity and Access Program, which seeks to increase the accessibility
of postsecondary education to both disadvantaged high school students and community college students. The goal of the program
is to provide helpful information to postsecondary education, along with raising academic achievement levels of the program's
candidates.
By the 1980s, various programs were either added, consolidated, and discontinued. During the 1984-1985 fiscal year, the Supervised
Clinical Training Program was discontinued as it was determined to be unconstitutional. The various teacher programs were
consolidated under the California State Work Study Program, including the Assumption Program of Loans for Education (APLE);
Federal Congressional Teacher Scholarship Program; and Bilingual Teacher Grant Program.
During the 1990s, the Student Aid Commission established additional scholarship programs, such as the Paul Douglas Teacher
Scholarship and the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship. The Paul Douglas Scholarship provided academically eligible students
with a $5,000 year scholarship for students pursuing a career in teaching. The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship granted exceptionally
able students a $1,500 scholarship, renewable for at least four years. Consolidation and dissolution of programs also occurred
during this time, as the California State Work Study Program and Bilingual Teacher Grant Program were discontinued,the APLE
was established as an independent program, and the Paul Douglas Scholarship replaced the Federal Congressional Teacher Program.
The records of the Student Aid Commission (SAC) comprise 23 cubic feet of textual records reflecting the various scholarship
and loan programs of the Student Aid Commission and its predecessors. The collection covers the years of 1955-1996. The records
are organized into 15 series and two subgroups. The first group is organized into two series: Administrative Files, 1955-1982;
College Correspondence, 1985-1990. The Specialized Programs subgroup is organized into thirteen series: Student Aid Commission
Special Program Reports, 1987-1993; Student Aid Commission Meeting Files, 1993-1994; Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program
(PDTSP) Program Files, 1986-1996; Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program (PDTSP) Government Correspondence, 1986-1989; Assumption
Program and Loans for Education (APLE) Meeting Files, 1983-1986; Assumption Program and Loans for Education (APLE) Reports,
1984-1992; Bilingual Teacher Grant (BTG) Correspondence, 1986-1989; Carl Perkins Program Files, 1986-1989; Law Enforcement
Personnel Dependents (LEPD) Program Files, 1989-1990; State Work Study Correspondence (SWS), 1982-1986; SWS Meeting Files,
1987-1990; SWS Program Files, 1986-1988; SWS Reports, 1985-1990.
Found within this collection are program management materials, final reports, and meeting agendas and minutes, along with
correspondences between
university administrators, Department of Education officials, and Commission members. Although files are organized by department
of origin, in many instances files overlap between the California Grant Programs and the Specialized Programs. The Administrative
Files feature both aspects of the California Grant Programs and the Specialized Programs. The Administrative Files contains
information pertaining to the administrative history of the SAC, State Scholarship Commission, and State Scholarship and Loan
Commission. In the Specialized Programs sub-group, strengths of the collection include series pertaining to the development
of the various scholarship and loan programs, such as the PDTSP Program Files (1986-1996), the Carl Perkins Program Files
(1986-1989), APLE Reports (1984-1992), and the State Work Study Program Files (1986-1988).
No further accruals are expected.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Student loans
Student aid
California. Department of Education