The John H. Bunzel papers, which document Bunzel's career in education and his activities concerning civil rights, are available for research.
Hoover senior research fellow John Bunzel, was a professor at San Francisco State University (SFSU) during the 1960s, an era that saw student unrest and protests. During a strike at the university, Bunzel became the target of student protesters. After leaving his position at SFSU, Bunzel was the president of San Jose State University from 1970 to 1978. Under his leadership, the university established several new area studies programs, hired more women into high-level administrative positions than any other California state university at the time, and prioritized faculty research and publication. In 1983, Bunzel was appointed to the United States Commission on Civil Rights by President Reagan.
The papers include correspondence, meeting minutes, course materials, reports, and hearing transcripts related to political science, the administration of San Jose State University, student radicalism at SFSU, activities of the Institute for Educational Affairs, and activities of the Civil Rights Commission in monitoring the status of civil rights in the United States. The papers contain many of Bunzel's speeches and writings, which discuss his views on such civil rights issues as affirmative action programs.
