University History
The materials which we list here are an attempt to provide a basis for studying the history of the university as a whole or any of its various programs. We will add to the items listed here as we become aware of other relevant materials as they become available. Please let us know if there are any records which you believe should be added to our list.
Because of the rapid growth of our university, as well as the technological changes in communication which accompanied that growth, only a few efforts were made to preserve records of our history. Periodic reorganization scattered records.
The development of electronic recordkeeping often resulted in the destruction of records which could not easily be digitized, and many were discarded as file cabinets filled up. Fortunately, some individuals were always interested in preserving evidence from the past.
One such effort has been the creation of a very useful oral history archive as well as many videos of faculty and administrators speaking about the major issues of their time on the campus. There are also now some valuable memoirs prepared by former faculty members and administrators which did not exist until quite recently.
The statistical record of the university’s development was created to satisfy the various needs of both university planners as well as external regulators. In addition, the types of data created were affected by the increase in the number of things that planners, accreditors and external regulators wanted to know. For example, demographic data as required by planners and regulators increased in its specificity over time as social and educational concerns broadened.
Simeon J. Crowther - simeon.crowther@csulb.edu - 3/1/16
Donald R. Gerth, James O. Haehn, and Associates, An Invisible Giant: The California State Colleges,
London: Jossey Bass, Inc., 1971.
Donald R. Gerth, The People’s University: A History of the California State University,
Berkeley: Berkeley Public Policy Press, 2010.
Barbara Kingsley-Wilson, °µÍøÊÓƵ State: A Brief History,
Charleston: The History Press, 2015.
David Bernstein and Kaye Briegel, "California State University °µÍøÊÓƵ:
A Historical Overview: 1949-1989", 1989, 43 pp.
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
Richard H. Wilde, "A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Richard Herbert Wilde", (363 pp.).
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
Dorothy Abrahamse and William Weber, History Department History.
In Progress.
Dorothy Deathridge, History of Women’s Physical Education, Unpublished Essay.
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
William Weber, "The Evolution of The History Teacher and the Reform of History Education". The History Teacher, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2012, pp. 329–357.
Retrieved from
Christian Soe, History of the °µÍøÊÓƵPolitical Science Department.
In Progress.
A large number of oral history interviews with °µÍøÊÓƵfaculty, staff and students. In addition, there are also a number of oral history interviews with members of the local community.
"If Memory Serves".
This is a collection of twenty-five filmed interviews with university faculty and some former students. °µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
"The Legacy Lectures".
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
"Convocation Speeches".
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
"Commencement Speeches".
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
Quantitative Materials
"The First Decade of °µÍøÊÓƵ State College, 1949 - 1959", September 1960.
Statistical material relating to the first decade of CSULB, which contains data on academic programs during that period. °µÍøÊÓƵSpe-cial Collections and University Archives.
"The First Twenty Years, 1949 - 1969", Office of Institutional Research, 1969.
An extension of "The First Decade" Report. °µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
"The mission of IR&A is to enhance University effectiveness with information and research to support academic planning, student success initiatives, program reviews and accreditation, and student perception of teaching. IR&A is also responsible for University compliance with mandated data requests from the California State University Office of the Chancellor, and State and Federal governments."
°µÍøÊÓƵProgram Review Quantitative Data.
°µÍøÊÓƵManagement Reports that show 5-year data reviews (1975 +). °µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
This annual compilation contains material on enrollments and staffing for the system as a whole and for individual campuses.
Qualitative Materials
Index to The Daily Forty-Niner Newspaper, 1949 - Present.
An index of Issues of The Daily Forty-Niner Student Newspaper from its earliest year of publication. °µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
A Complete Run of °µÍøÊÓƵPrinted Annual Catalogs.
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
°µÍøÊÓƵProgram Reviews.
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
"The California State University at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Meeting the Needs of the People of California", 2007.
Other Written Materials
°µÍøÊÓƵAcademic Senate.
Minutes of Senate meetings, materials relating to the Standing Committees of the Senate, and other reports prepared by the Senate.
Early materials - °µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
Recent materials –
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) .
The Papers of President Stephen Horn.
This is a large volume of material which is not yet fully indexed but can be accessed with the assistance of library staff in Special Collections.
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
Other Materials
Photographic Materials, 1970’s through 1990’s.
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
Maps and Plans.
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
List of Buildings.
°µÍøÊÓƵSpecial Collections and University Archives.
