San José State University History Department Records, 1951-2016

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Summary

Title:
San José State University History Department Records
Dates:
1951-2016
Abstract:
The San José State University History Department Records, 1951-2016, consist of various materials created and collected by the department, including annual reports, department convocation programs, institute and conference materials, newspaper clippings, and a large number of photos. In addition, the records include the original manuscript of Associate Professor Benjamin F. Gilbert's The Craft of History at San José State (1981).
Extent:
2 boxes (2.58 linear ft.)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

San José State University History Department Records, MSS-2009-11-02, San José State University Library, Special Collections & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection is made up of two boxes of materials created and collected by the SJSU History Department.

Series I. Administrative Materials, 1963-2013, contains annual reports, department convocation programs and related student information, an honors luncheon program, and materials relating to various institutes funded by the National Defense Education Act and other conferences in which the department participated.

Series II. Collected Materials, 1966, 1977, 1981, 1997, contains a College of Social Sciences Faculty and Student Awards Ceremony program and clippings of San José Mercury News articles covering the department, as well as the original manuscript of Associate Professor Benjamin F. Gilbert'sThe Craft of History at San José State (1981) and published copies.

Series III. Photographs and Multimedia, Undated, 1951, 1967-2016, contains photos of department faculty, staff, and scholarship namesakes, as well as department convocation ceremonies, honors luncheons, and other events such as the 1983 talk given by Irish Ambassador Tadhg O'Sullivan at the invitation of Department Chair James Walsh and Guest Lecturer Dermot Keogh, the CSU "No More Cuts" letter writing campaign of 2004, Phi Alpha Theta events, and department celebrations. A small selection of photos showcase campus history and were likely displayed by the department. While there are a small number of photos on floppy disk and CD, access to these formats is currently unavailable.

Biographical / historical:

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 name and curriculum changes, Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, which is recognized as one of the top public universities in the West.

In 1878, Charles W. Childs, a graduate of the San Francisco State Normal School, began teaching history at the San José State Normal School. Under Childs' progressive leadership, the school's curriculum expanded from a three-year to a four-year program and saw the inauguration of the modern discipline of history. Upon his retirement, Childs was succeeded by Agnes E. Howe, who funded a well-received local history program and in 1901 achieved the separation of history and geography into two disciplines.

During World War I, enrollment numbers for history courses dropped drastically and only two teachers remained to instruct the students. However, the discipline survived due to a renewed enthusiasm for local history and was quickly revived after the end of the war. In 1921, the San José State Normal School became San José State Teachers College and the history curriculum was extended to ten courses in the first year. In the second year, the discipline of history offered a four-year bachelor's degree under the guidance of the newly established Social Sciences Department.

During the years of Thomas W. MacQuarrie, the sixteenth president of the college, the discipline of history underwent manifold changes. After the uncertain times of the 1930s and World War II, enrollment quickly rose. The end of the war brought a heightened interest in history, leading to new ideas and inspiration for changes to the curriculum and the department, which were implemented over the course of the next decade. In 1957, under the presidency of John T. Wahlquist, the long-awaited separation of the Department of History, Economics, and Geography into individual departments was approved. During the 1960s and 1970s, enrollment in the department increased steadily. In 1971, the History Department played a major role in establishing the Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History on campus.

After its peak year in 1972, the department saw declining numbers in enrollment for the remainder of the 1970s. The same concerns were faced in the 1980s and persist to today.

Currently, San José State University's History Department offers a variety of programs for both undergraduate and graduate studies, including a B.A. in Social Science Teacher Preparation and a minor in Jewish Studies, as well as courses in the interdisciplinary field of Public History.

Acquisition 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 initially processed by Silke Higgins in 2009, reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen. Collection reprocessed with accruals by Alona Hazen in 2025.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into three series by subject and format: Series I. Administrative Materials, 1963-2013; Series II. Collected Materials, 1966, 1977, 1981, 1997; Series III. Photographs and Multimedia, Undated, 1951, 1967-2016.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Bibliography:

Gilbert, Benjamin F., and Burdick, Charles. <em> Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University</em>. San José, California: San José State University, 1980.

Walsh, James P. <em>San José State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000</em>. San José, California: San José State University, 2003.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid created by Silke Higgins. Extensively revised by Alona Hazen.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-08-13 19:36:55 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Note: This collection contains materials that are restricted because they contain sensitive personally identifiable information. Redacted copies of these materials are available in the collection, while the restricted originals are housed in sealed envelopes in the same boxes as their redacted copies.

Terms of access:

Copyright has been assigned to San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of 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.

Preferred citation:

San José State University History Department Records, MSS-2009-11-02, San José State University Library, Special Collections & Archives.

Location of this collection:
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0028, US
Contact:
408-808-2062
special.collections@sjsu.edu
Website