John H. Bunzel papers, 1949-2004

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Summary

Creators:
Bunzel, John H., 1924-2018, Institute for Educational Affairs, and United States Commission on Civil Rights
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.
Extent:
46 manuscript boxes, 1 card file box, 1 oversize box (21.7 Linear Feet)
Language:
The collection is in English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], John H. Bunzel papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

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/

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
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
Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1987 with an increment in 2005.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

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.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], John H. Bunzel papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US