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 the Vice President reports directly to the President of the University. In the 1960s this office was known as the Office of the Executive Vice President, and had responsibility over the Director of Admissions and Records, Director of Public Relations, and the Executive Dean. The Academic Administration, composed of the Academic Vice President (AVP) and college deans, was responsible for policies, procedures, and programs related to the educational mission of the university. Today the Executive and the Academic branches consist of the following: President, Chief of Staff, Intercollegiate Athletics Director, Special Assistant to the President, and the Director of Sustainability; Academic Affairs--Provost and Vice President; Administrative and Finance Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Information Technology Vice President, Student Affairs Vice President, and University Advancement Vice President.