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California and San José State University Master Plan for Higher Education Records
MSS.2009.03.01
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: California and San José State University Master Plan for Higher Education Records
creator:
San Jose State University. Master Plan Committee
creator:
California Master Plan Survey Team
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2009.03.01
Physical Description:
3 boxes
Physical Description:
3 folders
(3 linear ft.)
Date (inclusive): 1954-1987
Abstract: The California and San José State University Master Plan for Higher Education Records document the 1960 California Master
Plan for Education and the 1962 San José State University Campus Master Plan. The Master Plan was the development plan for
university real estate (primarily regarding San José State College) in the areas of construction, campus ground improvement,
and modernization. The records consist of newspaper clippings, blueprints, correspondence, memoranda, and administrative and
bureaucratic papers.
Physical Description: (3.0 linear feet)
The collection is open for research.
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Library 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 as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply
to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
California and San José State University Master Plan for Higher Education Records, MSS-2009-03-01, San José State University
Library Special Collections and Archives.
Collection processed by Jane Gilvin. Finding aid EAD encoded by Robert Donahue. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen.
Accruals added by Victor Rodriguez II in March of 2016.
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.
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
José, 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 José 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.
In the late 1950s California faced a large increase in the number of students entering state colleges and universities. Several
factors contributed to this increase, including the post-World War II Baby Boom, educational assistance for military veterans,
immigration to California, larger high school graduating classes and more of those students pursuing a college education.
As a result, the state legislature passed the California Master Plan for Higher Education, also known as the Donahue Act,
in 1960 outlining how the state would deal with the rising enrollment in the state university, college and junior college
systems. The California Legislature's adoption of the Master Plan recognized the importance of higher education to the state's
economy and committed resources to promote low tuition costs for state residents. Admission standards were set for each system
and a new governance system was established for the state colleges including San José State University. Subsequently, the
plan became a model for other states and countries.
The Master Plan Survey Team was created in June of 1959 when Bakersfield Democratic Assemblyperson Dorothy Donahue introduced
the resolution for the Master Plan to the California Assembly. Two years later, the newly established Trustees for the California
State University system coordinated "Campus Physical Master Plans" for individual campuses. The 1962 plan for San José State
University was developed to prepare the campus for the next 10 to 15 years, and includes a discussion of closing 7th Street
to vehicular traffic or the possibility of creating a traffic bypass. Although 7th Street was eventually closed to traffic
in 1994, the initial proposal was not accepted by the San José City Council, as documented by newspaper clippings included
in these records. The plans also include purchasing additional land and erecting new buildings on the San José State University
campus. Discussion of demolishing or renovating historic Tower Hall and whether the Trustees would purchase all of the land
proposed is also documented in the records. Tower Hall was not demolished and remains one of the iconic buildings on campus.
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.
Jack, Heather L.
The Press and the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education in California. MS Thesis. San José, California: San José State University, 2000.
Walsh, James P. San José
State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000. San José, California: San José State University, 2003.
Scope and Content of Collection
With the end of World War II, the California state colleges experienced an increase in the number of students entering its
institutions. The introduction of the G.I. Bill allowing returning military veterans to attend college for free, increased
graduation rates in high schools, an expansion in immigrant numbers entering California and going to college, and the Baby
Boom all contributed to the inflation of student enrollment in California. To assist this increased demand on higher education,
the state legislature passed the Donahue Act , or the California Master Plan for High Education in 1960. This Act allowed
for modernization, improvement, and expansion of California state colleges, and junior college system . It enabled real estate
purchasing, construction, and renovations of college institutions. Individual "Campus Physical Master Plans" were written
for each campus after the statewide plan was written.
The California and San José State University Master Plan for Higher Education Records, 1954-1987 consist of newspaper clippings,
blueprints, correspondence, memoranda, and administrative papers documenting the 1960 California Master Plan for Education,
The collections also covers the 1962 San José State University Campus Master Plan. The records include a copy of the published
1960 California Master Plan and a copy of the 1987 Commission for the Review of the Master Plan's findings. The newspaper
clippings of the 1962 San José State University Master Plan document discussions about the renovations or demolishment of
Tower Hall. The records also examine the possibility of closing 7th Street to vehicular traffic allowing for the expansion
of the campus grounds, and insure the safety of students when walking to class.
This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. California Master Plan, 1954-1987; and Series II. San José State University
Master Plan, 1955-1976.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Education, Higher -- California -- Planning
Education, Higher -- California -- San José
Universities and colleges -- California -- Planning
San José State University -- History
California State University, San José -- History
California State Colleges -- History
San Jose State College -- History
San Jose State University. Master Plan Committee
California Master Plan Survey Team