San José State University Academic Senate Records
Scope and Content of Collection
The SJSU Academic Senate Records, 1948-2011 (bulk 1970-2007), document the history and administrative responsibilities of the Academic Senate. The records consist of general, administrative and committee files, budget reports, and correspondence, as well as newspaper clippings and audio tape. In addition, the records document departmental and program controversies in the Economics and Athletics departments in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the Koehmstedt civil rights case, which challenged the university's accommodation policies for students with learning disabilities.
Dates
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1948-2011
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
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.
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 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 May of 1952, President John T. Wahlquist (1952-1964) authorized the formation of the Faculty Council against the advice of former SJSU President Thomas MacQuarrie (1927-1952). The Faculty Council was the first of its kind among the California State college campuses. Its purpose was to serve as the official channel to bring faculty opinion to the attention of the administration. The Faculty Council was renamed the Academic Council in 1963, and its new charter described the council as the official representative body of SJSU faculty. In 1974, the Academic Council became the Academic Senate.
Currently, the San José State University Academic Senate has fifty-four members including six students, and includes representation from the administration, including the president, provost and college deans. The Academic Senate's duties include formulating university policy, communicating recommendations to the university president on such matters as faculty affairs, curriculum, instruction, student affairs, and finances, and other matters relevant to the welfare of San José State University.
Extent
103 boxes (116.38 linear feet)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The SJSU Academic Senate Records, 1948-2011 (bulk 1970-2007), document the history and administrative responsibilities of the Academic Senate. The records consist of general, administrative and committee files, budget reports and correspondence, as well as newspaper clippings and audio tapes. The records also include files from the Academic Council, the forerunner to the Academic Senate. In addition, the Academic Senate files document the departmental and program controversies in the Economics and Athletic departments in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the Koehmstedt civil rights case, which challenged the university's accommodation policies for students with learning disabilities. This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. Administrative Files, 1948-2011 (bulk 1970-2007); and Series II. Economics Department, 1974-1979.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. Administrative Files, 1948-2011 (bulk 1970-2007); and Series II. Economics Department, 1974-1979.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Robert Donahue. Finding aid EAD encoded by Robert Donahue and Mary Ellen Petrich. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen.
Accrusals added to the collection by Samira Habibi on January 2020.
- Title
- Guide to the San José State University Academic Senate Records
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- © 2009
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the SJSU Special Collections & Archives Repository
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
(408) 808-2062
(408) 808-2063 (Fax)
special.collections@sjsu.edu