Day 5

4.4 miles

San Jose State University 

My Alma Mater '94

What is now San José State University was originally established in 1857 as the Minns' Evening Normal School in San Francisco. The school was founded by George W. Minns.^[11]

An 1880s lithograph of the original California State Normal School campus in San Jose.

In 1862, by act of the California legislature, Minns' Evening Normal School became the California State Normal School and graduated 54 women from a three-year program.^[11]
The school eventually moved to San Jose in 1871 and was given Washington Square Park at Fourth and San Carlos Streets, where the campus remains to this day.
In 1881, a large bell was forged to commemorate the school. The bell was inscribed with the words "California State Normal School, A.D. 1881," and would sound on special occasions until 1946 when the college obtained new chimes.^[12] The original bell appears on the SJSU campus to this day, and is still associated with various student traditions and rituals.

The California State Normal School Bell, forged in 1881, still graces the San Jose campus.

In August 1882, a southern branch campus of the California State Normal School opened in Los Angeles, which later became the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).^[13] The southern branch campus would remain under administrative control of the San Jose campus until 1919, when by act of the California state legislature the school merged with the University of California in Berkeley, California, and was renamed the Southern Branch of the University of California.^[14]
In 1921, the California State Normal School changed its name to the State Teachers College at San José. In 1935, the State Teachers Colleges became the California State Colleges, and the school's name was changed again, this time to San Jose State College. In 1972, upon meeting criteria established by the Board of Trustees and the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, SJSC was granted university status, and the name was changed to California State University, San Jose.^[15]
Finally, in 1974, the California legislature voted to change the school's name to San Jose State University.^[15]