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. The Office of Public Relations and Publications was created in 1953 under the leadership of President John T. Wahlquist (1952-1964). The department created and disseminated news releases and announcements to the university community, including specific academic departments and the general public. The Public Relations and Publications Department is now known as San José State University's Office of Public Affairs and it continues to serve as the communication link to the campus and external community.

The University Photographer’s Office was created by staff and students under Media Services, which was under the Media Production Unit; prior to that it was known as Photographic Production Services. There was an A/V Producer, the position of which evolved into Video Production. Video Production ran an on campus Media Services department, which changed its name to Academic Technology and is currently known as Information Technology. Media Services used to be part of the University Library from the 1950s-1970s, and was a part of Academic Affairs.