History of San Jose State University

Classes were only held once a week, and only graduated 54 female students across its existence, however the program proved to be enough of a success for increased funding to be approved.

Minns and Swett were among several Evening School faculty appointed to the committee, which presented its report to the California State Legislator in January 1862.

[7] In 1864, Principal Ahira Holmes went as far as to suggest that the cold, damp, and unventilated rooms of the Old Assembly Hall were responsible for a diphtheria outbreak among that year's students.

Because of these issues, the Normal School moved sites six times while in San Francisco, citing noise complaints, sanitary concerns, and lack of access to proper facilities and materials.

After its destruction, Principal Charles H. Allen journeyed to Sacramento to request the California State Legislator for emergency funds for a new building.

The southern branch campus was initially under administrative control of the San Jose campus, however southern Californians found the arrangement unsatisfactory, claiming, that the original goal of creating a normal school was to train teachers to work in local schools and serve local needs.

In 1922, the State Teachers College at San Jose adopted the Spartans as the school's official mascot and nickname.

A stone monument and plaque are displayed close to the site of the original police school near Tower Hall.

[21] In 1963, in an effort to save Tower Hall from demolition, SJSU students and alumni organized testimonials before the State College Board of Trustees, sent telegrams and provided signed petitions.

As a result of those efforts, the tower, a principal campus landmark and SJSU icon, was refurbished and reopened in 1966.

Despite opposition, the $177 million project proceeded, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library opened on time and on budget in 2003.

The school's athletic teams initially played under the "Normal" identity as indicated in the 1910 football team photo on this page, but they gradually shifted to the State Normal School identity, as evidenced by images of the SNS football and basketball squads from this era.

Dashaway Hall, one of six sites in San Francisco that housed the State Normal School before a permanent location was chosen in San Jose. [ 1 ]
George W. Minns , the first principal of what would become San Jose State University . [Note 1]
The first building on Washington Square, which was destroyed in a fire in 1880.
Initially built to replace the building that was destroyed in 1880, the second State Normal School Building was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake [ 9 ]
The California State Normal School Bell, forged in 1881, still graces the San Jose campus.