Other
Ahlquist, Irving (audio interview #4 of 5)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the fourth of five interviews conducted in Ahlquist's office in the CSULB History Department. The audio quality of this interview is good. 4/14/1978
- Date
- 2021-08-31
- Resource Type
- Creator
- Campus
- Keywords
- Handle
- Language
- Notes
- SUBJECT BIO - Irving Ahlquist was among the first professors at South Los Angeles Orange County State College when it opened in 1949 on its apartment house campus. Even after he retired from teaching, he continued supervising student teachers. In these five interviews, Ahlquist discusses his observations of and participation in struggles to organize the curriculum and faculty on the campus and to include both administrators and faculty in campus governance. He was among those who developed and implemented the history curriculum and the training of secondary school teachers. He also had a reputation for teaching excellent and was in demand as a speaker in the local community. These interviews were conducted as part of a project to document the history of California State University, Long Beach. TOPICS - curriculum development; History Department; governance politics; P; Victor Peterson; Robert Rhodes; Roy Simpson; Ross Hardy; Black-Martin case; and Faculty Council;Topics in this side of the tape include: Ross Hardy ; Richard Wilde; Howard Kimble; governance politics; Roy Simpson; Richard Hanna; ACSCP; and P; Victor Peterson;
- File: uhiahlquist8.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-7:21)... The Interview does not begin until 0:53. The faculty's involvement in curriculum development began in the late 1950s. That's also the time when they began to organize into academic disciplines. Between 1956 and 1959, much of the faculty developed into a cohesive forced unified against the administration. (7:21-10:01)... Before formal grievance procedures were set up, the administration terminated faculty without cause. In the early days of the college. some faculty members were let go following an annual review. Aside from this annual review, there were no formal procedures for retention, and promotion. And the administration did not have to publicly state the reasons for their decisions. Roy Simpson, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, launched an investigation of matters at Long Beach, discovered a number of irregularities and P. Victor Peterson was reprimanded. At that time, Peterson agreed to the formation of a Faculty Council and several other committees. (10:01-14:17)... The problems between the administration and the faculty continued between 1956 and 1959. Faculty members expected to participate in campus governance especially in establishing and carrying out policies related to curriculum and personnel. They were not employees, but also professionals who were no more, or less, significant on campus than administrators. In 1957-58, Clyde Martin and Frank Black were dismissed from the faculty and the split between the faculty and the administration persisted. (14:17-17:54)... Some faculty members moved into administrative positions in the late 1950s. Robert Rhodes, for example, was made a dean, and, after that, he had a tendency to talk down to faculty members. His attitude was not well received. Some faculty members believed that Peterson was hiring more administrators with science backgrounds similar to Peterson's. There were few current faculty members appointed to administrative positions, and many faculty members believed that those who did join the administration, were invited to do so after they pledged their loyalty to Peterson. (17:54-24:47)... The Black-Martin case had an impact on the campus. The FARC was developed as a result of this incident in an attempt to establish a direct line of communication with the administration. (24:47-28:53)... The administration tried to force Ross Hardy's removal when students accused him of unprofessional behavior. There were rumors that administrators promised jobs to students who testified against Hardy. Ultimately, however, Hardy forced the administration to withdrawal its charges and reinstate him. Some faculty members were concerned about Peterson's morality and rumors that he used his position for personal gain. End of tape File: uhiahlquist9.mp3 (0:00-4:24)... Interview does not begin until 0:13 Faculty members raised money for Hardy's defense and 2 of the leaders in this struggle against the administration were History Department members Richard Wilde and Howard Kimball. Some faculty members who believed they had a right to participate in campus governance formed an informal planning committee. They visited other state college campuses and investigated their campus governance procedures. They also organized off campus supporters to help in the convince the state Board of Education and the state legislature to investigate how Long Beach State College was being run. (4:24-8:06)... Ahlquist believed that some faculty members deserved to be fired because they were poor teachers. He believed, however, that it was unprofessional to dismiss faculty without giving a reason. (8:06-12:08)... Some faculty members met with an off campus supporter who claimed to have access to Roy Simpson. They wanted to bring their problems to his attention. After this meeting, a professor from Stanford University visited the campus to assess the situation. Richard Hanna also played a role in bringing more attention to the campus governance problems. (12:08-17:52)... A number of faculty were involved in the Association of California State College Professors, a faculty organization comprised of chapters from different campuses in the area. This group formed Committees of Correspondence, which established a communication line between colleges on governance matters involving faculty. Peterson disliked the ACSCP and considered it a radical group similar in nature to the IWW. (17:52-22:18)... Many faculty attempts to organize off campus support were not successful. Faculty who contacted administrators on other campuses did not get sympathetic hearings. Administrators tended to support the administrators at Long Beach. Labor union leaders were more sympathetic to the faculty's problems. Some faculty members wrote to the state Board of Education asking them to investigate matters at Long Beach. When Peterson tried to dismiss Ross Hardy, many community members supported Peterson because they thought he was cleaning up the campus. Some in the community believed that the faculty who opposed Peterson were radicals and the campus was a "little red schoolhouse on the hill." Faculty members who opposed Peterson, however, included conservatives as well liberals. (22:18-27:20)... Peterson announced his retirement after a meeting with Simpson. The Hardy case seemed to bring the conflict between the administration and faculty to a head. Simpson found that the administration at Long Beach had not followed proper procedures when they tried to dismiss Hardy. Simpson was embarrassed by these events. At all of the hearings, students testified for both sides, which created a rift among students on campus. (27:20-31:29)... Once the faculty succeeded in getting Simpson to recognize the campus problems, the next logical step was Peterson's resignation. The faculty were frustrated because they did not have any power in making campus policy. (31:29-35:05)... Peterson's retirement was a bittersweet moment for many. Ahlquist felt for Peterson on a personal level. Peterson dedicated his life to education and his career ended in an unfortunate way. At the same time Ahlquist was enthusiastic about potential new campus new leadership and anticipated many changes. Peterson's staff was partly to blame for his administrative faults. (35:05-38:23)... When Simpson reversed Hardy's dismissal, Ahlquist assumed that there would be new procedures governing personnel issues. He did not think the changes would include Peterson's resignation. Ahlquist was not happy about the events involving Hardy, but believed the matter would pass, which was his general philosophy towards most of the political events on campus. End of tape
- Rights Note
- This repository item may be used for classroom presentations, unpublished papers, and other educational, research, or scholarly use. Other uses, especially publication in any form, such as in dissertations, theses, articles, or web pages are not permitted without the express written permission of the individual collection's copyright holder(s). Please contact the CSULB Library Administration should you require permission to publish or distribute any content from this collection or if you need additional information or assistance in using these materials: https://www.csulb.edu/university-library/form/questionssuggestions-the-digital-repository-group
Items
| Thumbnail | File information | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
8222549344905249-uhiahlquist8.mp3 Public
|
Download |
|
2804335239904682-uhiahlquist9.mp3 Public
|
Download |