Preface

Preface The 50th anniversary year of Ohlone College in 2017 has prompted this look back at how the District and the college actually came to be and what took place during the first year of classes (1967-68).

Prior to World War II a firm legislative foundation was set for junior college development, albeit mainly within the context of high school districts. After the war, two major forces propelled significant growth of the junior college system. One was the large population of veterans looking to use their GI Bill benefits. The other was the baby boom that swelled elementary and high school enrollment and further drove the need to create more junior colleges.

In the early 1960s California enacted the comprehensive Master Plan for Higher Education. The plan envisioned an integrated system of free (or very low cost) public college and university opportunities for all Californians. The number of junior colleges, California State College campuses, and the University of California campuses grew significantly. The campus building and enrollment booms were impressive. The resulting system of public higher education became a model for the entire United States, and the world for that matter.

The Fremont-Newark Junior College District/Ohlone College was a product of this revolutionary experiment in higher education opportunity. This history will explore the state developments in higher education in the early to mid-20 th century; and junior college development in particular. This will lead to the local efforts to form junior colleges in the Alameda County area and ultimately to the efforts leading specifically to the formation of the junior college district for Fremont and Newark, along with the activities of the first year of Ohlone College (1967-68).