John H. Bunzel
20th President of San José State University
In office
1970–1978
Preceded byHobert W. Burns
Succeeded byGail Fullerton
Personal details
Born(1924-04-15)April 15, 1924[1]
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 19, 2018(2018-07-19) (aged 94)[2]
Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, U.S.[2]
Political partyDemocratic
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
Columbia University (MA)
University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
ProfessionAcademic

John Harvey Bunzel was an American academic. He served as president of San Jose State University from 1970 to 1978 and was a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution since 1978. He was formerly a member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.[3]

Early life and education

Bunzel graduated from Kent School in 1942, a AB in political science from Princeton University, an MA in sociology from Columbia University, and a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. He served in the United States Army 1943–1946.

Activism at Princeton

Upon returning from the Army in 1946, Bunzel helped found the Princeton Liberal Union and was its first president.[4][lower-alpha 1] An unaffiliated student organization active from 1946 to 1951, the Liberal Union adopted a platform that embraced several progressive positions but foremost among them was opposition to racial and religious discrimination, a cause which they actively and effectively pursued within Princeton itself. Fulfilling Bunzel's goal, in the fall of 1949 the Liberal Union worked with NAACP president Walter White to send recruitment letters to over 500 historically black high schools[lower-alpha 2] encouraging students to apply to Princeton,[5] after which three were accepted.[6][7]

John Bunzel ’46, whose education had been interrupted by his service in World War II, returned to campus in 1946 to finish his final two years of college. He later said his time in the Army had sparked a passion for civil rights. He led Princeton University students who shared Broderick’s commitments to form the Liberal Union in 1946 and served as its president until his graduation in 1948.[8]

San Jose State University Presidency

From 1970 to 1978, Bunzel was the president of San Jose State University. During his administration, he appointed a greater number of women to prominent administrative positions than any other California State University. His initiatives included expanding the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and opening the Steinbeck Center and Nuclear Science Facility. Additionally, under his leadership, programs in Religious Studies, Jewish Studies, and Women’s Studies were established.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Reagan, Ronald (December 6, 1983). "Appointment of Three Members of the Commission on Civil Rights". The American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "John "Jack" Bunzel Obituary". San Francisco Chronicle. July 22, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  3. ↑ Hoover Institution. "John H. Bunzel", hoover.org website. Accessed 18 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "New Platform Adopted by Liberal Union Party". Daily Princetonian. Vol. 70, no. 160. 12 December 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "Liberal Union Elects Rafner '51 President; Heads 8-Man Council". Daily Princetonian. Vol. 73, no. 160. 1 December 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  6. ↑ Armstrong, April C. (11 December 2019). "Debating Race at Princeton in the 1940s, Part II: Roundtable News and the Liberal Union". Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "Liberal Union Meets To Formulate Plans For Coming Season". The Daily Princetonian. Vol. 74, no. 108. 27 September 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Debating Race at Princeton in the 1940s, Part II: Roundtable News and the Liberal Union". 11 December 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  9. ↑ "Presidents | History". www.sjsu.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-21.

Notes

  1. ↑ Subsequent leadership of the Liberal Union (Rafner ’51) commented that the willingness to take on Princeton’s long history of racism was in part due to the age and military experience of students such as Bunzel.
  2. ↑ The Daily Princetonian notes the 500 figure; research by a Princeton archivist/researcher notes it as over 2000 high schools.
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