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 10

Faculty Handbook Undated

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 22

Objectives 1968

Box 2, Folder 23

"People Pool" Knowledge Directory 1973

Box 2, Folder 24

Press 1968-1980, 1998

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 37

Syllabi Spring 1978

Box 2, Folder 38

Termination and Closure of the College 1979-1981

Box 2, Folder 39

Thesis Handbooks Undated

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 3

CD: Dirk Hamilton 1994

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 11

Photo Prints 1988

Box 3, Folder 12

Press 1988-1990

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

Box 6

Daybooks 1970-1971

Box 7

Daybooks 1971-1972 1975

Box 8

Daybooks 1974-1976

Box 9

Daybooks 1979-1980

 

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