Inventory of the California State Assembly Higher Education Committee Records

Processed by Aaron Richardson
California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
© 2008
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Inventory of the California State Assembly Higher Education Committee Records

Collection number: LP369

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California
Processed by:
Aaron Richardson
Date Completed:
16 July 2008
Encoded by:
Aaron Richardson
© 2008 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: California State Assembly Higher Education Committee Records
Dates: 1987-2004
Collection number: LP369
Creator: Assembly Higher Education Committee
Collection Size: 31 cubic feet
Repository: California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The Assembly Higher Education Committee Records consist of 31 cubic feet of records detailing the activity of the committee in evaluating legislation and policy related to California higher education institutions. The records cover the years, 1987-2004, with the bulk dating from 1991-1994.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Administrative Information

Access

While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.

Publication Rights

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.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Assembly Higher Education Committee Records, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition and Custodial History

The State Archives received these records in accordance with California Government Code 9080(b) which requires legislative committees to transfer their records to the State Archives when they are no longer needed by the committee.

Committee History

House Resolution No. 7 created the Assembly Higher Education Committee on January 18, 1991 out of a former sub-committee of the Assembly Education Committee. The new committee was formed in order to consider legislation affecting public and private higher education institutions. Primary jurisdictions of the Committee are university, state university and community college systems, private, postsecondary education and student financial aid programs. The Assembly Higher Education Committee's name and focus have remained constant since its creation.
In the years since its inception the committee's size has fluctuated. Tom Hayden (Dem.) chaired the committee of twelve in its first legislative session, 1991-1992. Marguerite Archie-Hudson (Dem.) succeeded Hayden and served as the Chair for an eleven-member committee from 1993-1994. Ted Lempert (Dem.) replaced Archie-Hudson and served as Chair of the committee from 1995-2000. During his tenure the committee's size fluctuated between twelve and fifteen members. In 2001-2002 Elaine Alquist (Dem.) served as Chair to a committee of twelve. Finally, Carol Liu (Dem.) succeeded Alquist and chaired a committee of eleven during the 2003-2004 session
The Assembly Higher Education Committee considered many bills of significant public interest because of their focus on educational policies like minority representation, student admissions, affirmative action, faculty tenure, financial aid, transfer policies, faculty issues, and university administration. Concerned with achieving equity in educational policy, the committee conducted several major studies of diversity and student/faculty representation within California's higher education institutions. Another focus of recurring interest has been the issue of "diploma mills" and legislative oversight for private and post-secondary vocational schools in California.

Scope and Content

The Assembly Higher Education Committee Records consist of 31 cubic feet of records detailing the activity of the committee in evaluating legislation and policy related to California higher education institutions. The records cover the years, 1987-2004, with the bulk dating from 1991-1994. They contain bill files, hearing files, subject files, private post-secondary educational files, and correspondence files. As stated above, the Assembly Higher Education Committee was originally a subcommittee of the Assembly Education Committee. Although it was instituted as an independent body in 1991, the files include records dating as early as 1987. It is anticipated that the Archives will receive further records from the Assembly Higher Committee. Researchers should ask a reference archivist about recently received, unprocessed records.
The majority of the files concern higher educational institutions and policies. The Master Plan for California Higher Education (the Donahoe Act) and diversity in higher education are major subjects in the files. There are also a significant number of records pertaining to the existence of so-called "diploma mills" in California and the need for legislative oversight on private post-secondary educational institutions. Other noteworthy subjects reflected in the record group are: California Community College faculty standards and compensation, student financial aid policy, standardized testing, research laboratories oversight, education finance/budgets, restructuring initiatives, scholarship grants, work-study programs, educational technology, K-12 teacher training, and University of California/California State University Governance. The files also contain special joint committee reports on racial/ethnic tensions on California campuses, sexual violence against women, diversity, and minority representation among students and faculty in California educational institutions.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
California. Legislature. Assembly. Committee on Higher Education
Education, Higher Law and legislation
Diversity in higher education

Related Collections at the California State Archives

Marguerite Archie-Hudson Papers
Tom Hayden Papers
Ted Lempert Papers
Carol Liu Papers
Assembly Education Committee Records
Assembly Higher Education Subcommittee Records

LP369:1-336

Series 1 Bill Files 1991-2004

Physical Description: 336 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by legislative session, then numerically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Most bill files include all or some of the following items: bill analyses, amendments and resolutions, author's statements, testimony, press releases, newspaper clippings, correspondence, roll calls, records of votes, and committee statements. Significant topics include the Higher Education Bond Act, the Master Plan for Higher Education (or Donahoe Act), the California Postsecondary Education Commission, the Private, Postsecondary and Vocational Education Reform Act, and the Cal Grant Program.
1991-1992 AB128-AB3751, ACA13, ACR36-ACR127, AJR17-AJR46(30ff) LP369:1-30
1991-1992 SB2-SB2033, SCR22-SCR77, SJR55 (7ff) LP369:31-37
1993-1994 AB39-AB3768, ACA11-ACA44, ACR63, AB70X-AB89X (28ff) LP369:38-65
1993-1994 SB46-SB1931 (6ff) LP369:66-71
1995-1996 AB2-AB3457, ACA14-ACA44, ACR30-ACR67 (32ff) LP369:72-103
1995-1996 SB4-SB2034, SCR66 (12ff) LP369:104-115
1997-1998 AB13-AB2813, ACR20-ACR81 (39ff) LP369:116-154
1997-1998 SB12-SB2223, SCR71-SCR92 (19ff) LP369:155-173
1999-2000 AB2-AB2794, ACA25-ACA61, AB2X-AB31X (33ff) LP369:174-207
1999-2000 SB76-SB1898 (18ff) LP369:208-225
2001-2002 AB16-AB3058, ACR21-ACR235 (52ff) LP369:226-277
2001-2002 SB43-SB2028, SCR37 (20ff) LP369:278-297
2003-2004 AB40-AB3064, ACA13, ACR8-ACR193, AJR3, HR40 (27ff) LP369:298-324
2003-2004 SB41-SB1875 (12ff) LP369:325-336
LP369:337-565

Series 2 Hearing Files 1991-2004

Physical Description: 71 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by date of hearing.

Access Information

Access to audiovisual material requires the production of use copies.

Scope and Content Note

Hearing files may contain agendas, audiocassette tape recordings, video tape recordings, transcripts, testimony, background reports, working files for regular session hearings, interim hearings, and some joint hearings. Audio and videotapes have been moved to a cold storage vault for preservations purposes and separation sheets are in the appropriate files to alert the researcher to the existence of such tapes.
Hearing files may provide information concerning policies and programs considered by the committee. They offer an insight into some of California's higher education issues during the period covered. The hearings focused on a variety of topics including educational access, the Master Plan for Higher Education in California, student aid, educational technology, teacher training, higher education finance, workforce training, and diversity in higher education.
For a list of hearing dates and topics, see Appendix A in in Additional Series Information.

Additional Series Information

LP369:568-637

Series 3 Subject Files 1987-2004

Physical Description: 300 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

Scope and Content Note

Files may contain correspondence, background materials, newspaper clippings, notes, reports, opinion papers, and statistical analyses related to higher education issues from 1987-2004. Significant topics include: diversity in higher education, professional schools restructuring, University of California governance, workforce training, private higher education, and postsecondary vocational education. The files may provide information about the range of issues confronting the Higher Education Committee during the time period covered.
For a list of subject files, see Appendix B in Additional Series Information.

Additional Series Information

LP369:638-653

Series 4 Private and Vocational Education Files 1989-1995

Physical Description: 16 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

Scope and Content Note

The series includes correspondence, background materials, newspaper clippings, notes, reports, opinion papers, commentary, and statistical analyses related to private, postsecondary higher education institutions. Significant topics include oversight of private and vocational schools, "diploma mills," educational fraud, and the Student Protection Act of 1997. The files may also reflect the problems facing the committee in its efforts to oversee and regulate postsecondary private and vocational schools in California.
LP369:654-662

Series 5 Correspondence 2002-2004

Physical Description: 9 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by date.

Scope and Content Note

The chronological correspondence files are mostly related to committee and bill issues and are from committee members, higher education faculty, university and college presidents, constituents, chancellor's offices, lobbyists, legislative analysts, department heads, and other state employees.