John Harvey Bunzel was an American academic. He served as president of

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...

from 1970 to 1978 and was a senior research fellow at the

Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace and formerly The Hoover Institute and Library on War, Revolution, and Peace) is an American public policy think tank which promotes personal and economic ...

since 1978. He was formerly a member of the

United States Commission on Civil Rights The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility f ...

Early life and education

Bunzel graduated from

Kent School Kent School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Kent, Connecticut. Founded in 1906, it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. It educates around 520 boys and girls in grades 9–12. Kent was one of the first schools ...

in 1942, a AB in political science from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, an MA in sociology from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, and a PhD in political science from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. 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. 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 encouraging students to apply to Princeton, after which three were accepted.

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.

San Jose State University Presidency

From 1970 to 1978, Bunzel was the president of

. During his administration, he appointed a greater number of women to prominent administrative positions than any other

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

. His initiatives included expanding the

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories The Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) is a multi-campus marine research consortium of the California State University System, headquartered at Moss Landing, California. Organization Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is part of the Califor ...

, 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.

References

Notes

External links

Finding guide to Bunzel's papers at the Hoover Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunzel, John H. 1924 births 2018 deaths American male writers Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Presidents of San Jose State University Princeton University alumni Kent School alumni UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni United States Army soldiers United States Commission on Civil Rights members Writers from New York City California Democrats Stanford University faculty Michigan State University faculty San Francisco State University faculty Hoover Institution people