California State Colleges

Administrative History

The California State University originated from the Donahoe Act (SB33, Chapter 49, Statues of 1960) authored by State Senator George Miller, which enacted certain suggestions from the California Master Plan for Higher Education: 1960-1975 (Master Plan). The act united the State Colleges into the California State Colleges as a public trust, created the California State Colleges Board of Trustees, and moved authority over the nineteen state colleges from the State Board of Education to the Board of Trustees. Even though the Master Plan recommended legislative independence similar to the University of California Board of Regents, the Board of Trustees reported to the legislature on budget allocation and various state agencies concerning such topics as employment and campus expansion. Despite this restriction, the Trustees centralized the diverse and independent campuses into a unified system.

The Donahoe Act created a three-tier, statewide postsecondary education system. The CSU occupied the middle tier and functioned as the teacher education school. The University of California (UC) occupied the top tier and the California Community Colleges (CCC) occupied the bottom tier.

The California State University Board of Trustees (the Trustees) governed the California State University (CSU) and coordinated the various university campuses. Prior the CSU system, the colleges that would form the university system were known variously as: Normal Schools, 1862-1921; State Teachers Colleges from 1921-1935; State Colleges from 1935-1960; California State Colleges from 1960-1972; California State University and Colleges from 1972-1982; and The California State University from 1982-1996. The first campus established was the State Normal School in San Francisco, which moved to San Jose in 1871 and became California State University, San Jose in 1972. Additional normal schools included the State Normal School in Los Angeles in 1881, which later joined the University of California, and the State Normal School in Chico in 1887.

Before 1960, the State Colleges had no single unifying plan or organization preparing for California's educational needs. Additionally, each campus retained authority and responsibility over expansion. The Donahoe Act centralized authority and granted the CSU the ability to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in liberal arts and applied science. Furthermore, individual campuses could now create Ph.D. programs through a joint project with the University of California.

The Trustees initially consisted of sixteen Governor-appointed trustees with four ex-officio members and one non-voting officer named by the chancellor. Subsequent additions to the Trustees included faculty and student representatives, bringing the total to twenty-three members as of 1996. In 1960, the system included eighteen campuses, which increased by 1996 to twenty-two campuses, including California State University, Maritime Academy.

As the chief executive officer, the Chancellor carried out the Board of Trustees administrative functions and enjoyed authority to take actions necessary to fulfill the CSU's Constitutional mandate. One of the offices answering to the Chancellor was the Government Affairs office, which presented the Chancellor with bill file analysis.

Chancellor Barry Munitz became chancellor in 1991. The CSU had four previous chancellors starting with Buell Gallagher from 1961-1962, followed by Glenn S. Dumke from1962-1982, W. Ann Reynolds from 1982-1990, and Ellis E. McCune from 1990-1991. Glenn Dumke appeared prominently in the collection and established early policies for the Chancellor's office.

From the guide to the California State University Records, 1957-1996, (California State Archives)