Dr. Charles Lourie McLane was born on April 4, 1862 in Memphis, Scotland County, Missouri. He obtained his undergraduate education at Valparaiso University and later took graduate work at the University of California, the University of Chicago and Harvard University. He also studied law and was a member of the bar in both Missouri and California.
Following experience as an educator in the schools of Missouri, Iowa and Nevada, Dr. McLane came to Fresno in 1891 to practice law, but it was no long before he returned to the field of education. He became principal of the C Street School and later Central School on the site of the Memorial Auditorium. In 1896 he became principal of Fresno High School.
From 1899-1914 he served as the fourth Superintendent of Fresno City Schools; he established free kindergartens, a parent school, and extension classes in conjunction with the University of California. He also introduced industrial arts, agriculture and physical education as integral parts of the school curriculum.
It was McLane's vision to bring higher education to the Central Valley. He recognized the need for an affordable way for students to begin their higher education while remaining at home. However, the politics of the day thwarted McLane in his efforts to establish a normal school -- a school for training teachers -- in Fresno.
Dr. McLane, a skilled and tireless lobbyist, was a national leader in the junior college movement. He utilized the Upward Extension Act of 1907, which permitted local high schools to provide the first two years of university instruction, or local school districts to form a junior college on their own, without the imprimatur of politicians in Sacramento, so he turned his attention to establishing the state's first junior college.
In the spring of 1910, McLane sent a circular to the community to find out what kind of interest existed in establishing a junior college. He surveyed patrons of Fresno High School and local principals. He received over 200 responses which were all favorable. He received not one objection. With these results in hand, he then reported to the Board of Education the need to have a junior college in Fresno to serve the Central Valley.
McLane explained that the nearest universities, the University of California and Stanford University, were 200 miles away and it was too much of a hardship for those who couldn't afford to attend a college that far away from home. He wanted to ensure that Fresno students had access to a college education close to home. He pointed out that these students were only seventeen or eighteen years of age and their parents were hesitant to send them so far away from their families. Having the junior college in Fresno would allow these students to take classes through the first two years of college while still being able to live at home.
McLane received welcomed endorsements from the authorities at the University of California and Stanford University. In fact, Stanford president, David S. Jordan, is credited with originating the term "junior college." Both universities were consulted and both offered assistance in helping plan classes and hiring instructors. McLane received commitments from the universities that any work done by the students in Fresno would be accepted and recognized by the universities. In Fresno, students studied mathematics, English, Latin, modern languages, history, economics and technical work. After completing their freshman and sophomore years, students could earn a "junior certificate" and transfer to the University of California or Stanford.
The new junior college would also provide vocational training in areas such as agriculture, the industries, commerce, applied civics and domestic science that the neither the high school nor the four-year universities could adequately offer.
On May 8, 1910, the Board of Education adopted the report and authorized the opening of Fresno Junior College in September of that year. McLane made sure the new junior college had its own faculty and its own student body separate from the high school "to impress upon students and the public at large the fact that serious work of distinctive college standards is being undertaken," he noted.
So, on September 10, 1910, Fresno City College opened its doors as Fresno Junior College. So through his efforts while serving as superintendent, Dr. McLane established the first public junior college in California in Fresno. Fresno City College is California's first community college and the second oldest in the nation. The new junior college became an extension of Fresno High School, which at the time was located at Stanislaus and O streets in downtown Fresno
The college opened with 20 students and three new faculty members. Five other faculty members from the high school brought the total number of instructors to eight. The curriculum for those 20 students was designed in partnership with Stanford and the University of California. All credits earned at Fresno Junior College by this first generation of transfer students were accepted towards degree completion at the universities. By the end of the third year, the enrollment at Fresno Junior College had doubled.
On September 11, 1911, Dr. McLane was finally successful in founded the Fresno Normal School, the forerunner to California State University, Fresno, for teacher training. McLane, who served as the first president of Fresno State Normal School from 1911 to 1927, oversaw both the Fresno Normal School and Fresno Junior College which were both housed at Fresno High School, in addition to his work as school superintendent. In 1911, Fresno Normal School had an enrollment of 150 students, most of whom were women. By 1940 enrollment had increased to 2,000 students, and in 1968 enrollment surpassed 10,000. By fall of 1994, more than 17,200 students registered at California State University, Fresno. For the 2009-2010, the university enrolled more than 21,500 students, and approximately 4,400 students completed work for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees by Commencement 2009. (Information provided by the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning.)
In 1913, the Fresno Normal School moved to its own campus on University Avenue. From 1921 to 1948, Fresno Junior College was also located at the University Avenue location where the two schools shared staff and facilities.
In 1921, the Fresno Normal School became Fresno State Teachers College, authorized to offer a four-year program and grant bachelor of arts degree in teaching. It later changed to Fresno State College and finally California State University, Fresno. McLane gave up his post as superintendent to accept full time appointment as president of both Fresno State College and the Fresno Junior College. He held these posts until 1927 when he retired.
On June 19, 1931, a foundation was established to promote the welfare of Fresno State College. But its roots go back a decade earlier, when an advisory committee was created by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce to discuss ways to resolve problems caused by a lack of housing at what was then Fresno State Teachers College. (Charles L. McLane Hall, an on-campus student housing facility, was named after Dr. McLane.)
The committee, initiated by college president Charles L. McLane, included McLane and other figures well-known in Fresno history: Edwin Einstein, W.B. Holland, George Osborn and state Sen. M.B. Harris.
The committee evolved in 1923 into an Advisory Board for the college, the first of its kind for teacher colleges in California. Its work included ways and means of encouraging fiscal support and recommending to the college a program for land acquisition.
One major accomplishment was the purchase of the land on which Ratcliffe Stadium now stands. In 1925, according to its minutes, the board purchased for $35,000 "fourteen lots east of the campus [today Fresno City College] and a block northeast of the campus for an athletic field."
By 1931, the scope of the committee's interests and activities had grown enough to incorporate the organization, establishing the Foundation, now known as The California State University, Fresno Foundation, a nonprofit education corporation created to provide private support to the university. Its projects and developments since then include: Agriculture as a field of study and acquisition of land for the Fresno State farm; a baseball park (today Euless Park at Fresno City College); fraternity and sorority row; memorial court and fountain; establishment of the President's Club.
The Foundation is the principal repository for private gifts and governmental grants that enhance the academic mission of Fresno State. A 21-member board of governors leads the organization and manages the Foundation's $60 million endowment.
In 1934, Fresno State Teachers College becomes Fresno State College.
In 1948, Fresno Junior College returned to its original site at Stanislaus and O Street, which was by then Fresno Technical High School. Fresno Technical High School closed in 1950 and Fresno Junior College remained at that location until earthquake damage forced the junior college to find a new home in the late fifties. In 1956, the Normal School, which was now called Fresno State College, was being relocated to a new campus in northeast Fresno. In 1958, the Board of Education approved a name change to Fresno City College. By 1959, Fresno City College completed its move to 1101 E. University Avenue, where it is located today. In 1961, Fresno State College becomes a charter institution of the California State University System. In 1972, Fresno State College becomes California State University, Fresno.
Dr. McLane served as the first president of the California State Board of Education from 1926 through 1932, and also held many other posts of importance in Education, including president of the California Teachers Association, the State Teachers Retirement Fund and others.
Dr. McLane was always very active in local civic and business affairs in Fresno. McLane, a proud Scotsman, was affiliated with the Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie; a member of the Fresno Rotary Club; chairman of a Board of Free-holders, which prepared a charter for Fresno County in 1933 and was a member of the Board of Trustees of Security-Pacific National Bank, to name but a few.
Dr. McLane was a distinguished educational and civic leader throughout his long life. He passed away on August 17, 1949 in his Fresno home at age 87.
Sources: California State University, Fresno websites: University's History, University Communications: Fast Facts About Fresno State, University Relations by Shirley Melikian Armbruster; Fresno State Centennial, Historical Timeline. Fresno City College Centennial History; Fresno City College's Centennial Commemorative Book: "Fresno City College: California's First Community College" by Russ Minick; SCCCD: Front & Center; A Short History of McLane High School; various other sources.
Following experience as an educator in the schools of Missouri, Iowa and Nevada, Dr. McLane came to Fresno in 1891 to practice law, but it was no long before he returned to the field of education. He became principal of the C Street School and later Central School on the site of the Memorial Auditorium. In 1896 he became principal of Fresno High School.
From 1899-1914 he served as the fourth Superintendent of Fresno City Schools; he established free kindergartens, a parent school, and extension classes in conjunction with the University of California. He also introduced industrial arts, agriculture and physical education as integral parts of the school curriculum.
It was McLane's vision to bring higher education to the Central Valley. He recognized the need for an affordable way for students to begin their higher education while remaining at home. However, the politics of the day thwarted McLane in his efforts to establish a normal school -- a school for training teachers -- in Fresno.
Dr. McLane, a skilled and tireless lobbyist, was a national leader in the junior college movement. He utilized the Upward Extension Act of 1907, which permitted local high schools to provide the first two years of university instruction, or local school districts to form a junior college on their own, without the imprimatur of politicians in Sacramento, so he turned his attention to establishing the state's first junior college.
In the spring of 1910, McLane sent a circular to the community to find out what kind of interest existed in establishing a junior college. He surveyed patrons of Fresno High School and local principals. He received over 200 responses which were all favorable. He received not one objection. With these results in hand, he then reported to the Board of Education the need to have a junior college in Fresno to serve the Central Valley.
McLane explained that the nearest universities, the University of California and Stanford University, were 200 miles away and it was too much of a hardship for those who couldn't afford to attend a college that far away from home. He wanted to ensure that Fresno students had access to a college education close to home. He pointed out that these students were only seventeen or eighteen years of age and their parents were hesitant to send them so far away from their families. Having the junior college in Fresno would allow these students to take classes through the first two years of college while still being able to live at home.
McLane received welcomed endorsements from the authorities at the University of California and Stanford University. In fact, Stanford president, David S. Jordan, is credited with originating the term "junior college." Both universities were consulted and both offered assistance in helping plan classes and hiring instructors. McLane received commitments from the universities that any work done by the students in Fresno would be accepted and recognized by the universities. In Fresno, students studied mathematics, English, Latin, modern languages, history, economics and technical work. After completing their freshman and sophomore years, students could earn a "junior certificate" and transfer to the University of California or Stanford.
The new junior college would also provide vocational training in areas such as agriculture, the industries, commerce, applied civics and domestic science that the neither the high school nor the four-year universities could adequately offer.
On May 8, 1910, the Board of Education adopted the report and authorized the opening of Fresno Junior College in September of that year. McLane made sure the new junior college had its own faculty and its own student body separate from the high school "to impress upon students and the public at large the fact that serious work of distinctive college standards is being undertaken," he noted.
So, on September 10, 1910, Fresno City College opened its doors as Fresno Junior College. So through his efforts while serving as superintendent, Dr. McLane established the first public junior college in California in Fresno. Fresno City College is California's first community college and the second oldest in the nation. The new junior college became an extension of Fresno High School, which at the time was located at Stanislaus and O streets in downtown Fresno
The college opened with 20 students and three new faculty members. Five other faculty members from the high school brought the total number of instructors to eight. The curriculum for those 20 students was designed in partnership with Stanford and the University of California. All credits earned at Fresno Junior College by this first generation of transfer students were accepted towards degree completion at the universities. By the end of the third year, the enrollment at Fresno Junior College had doubled.
On September 11, 1911, Dr. McLane was finally successful in founded the Fresno Normal School, the forerunner to California State University, Fresno, for teacher training. McLane, who served as the first president of Fresno State Normal School from 1911 to 1927, oversaw both the Fresno Normal School and Fresno Junior College which were both housed at Fresno High School, in addition to his work as school superintendent. In 1911, Fresno Normal School had an enrollment of 150 students, most of whom were women. By 1940 enrollment had increased to 2,000 students, and in 1968 enrollment surpassed 10,000. By fall of 1994, more than 17,200 students registered at California State University, Fresno. For the 2009-2010, the university enrolled more than 21,500 students, and approximately 4,400 students completed work for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees by Commencement 2009. (Information provided by the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning.)
In 1913, the Fresno Normal School moved to its own campus on University Avenue. From 1921 to 1948, Fresno Junior College was also located at the University Avenue location where the two schools shared staff and facilities.
In 1921, the Fresno Normal School became Fresno State Teachers College, authorized to offer a four-year program and grant bachelor of arts degree in teaching. It later changed to Fresno State College and finally California State University, Fresno. McLane gave up his post as superintendent to accept full time appointment as president of both Fresno State College and the Fresno Junior College. He held these posts until 1927 when he retired.
On June 19, 1931, a foundation was established to promote the welfare of Fresno State College. But its roots go back a decade earlier, when an advisory committee was created by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce to discuss ways to resolve problems caused by a lack of housing at what was then Fresno State Teachers College. (Charles L. McLane Hall, an on-campus student housing facility, was named after Dr. McLane.)
The committee, initiated by college president Charles L. McLane, included McLane and other figures well-known in Fresno history: Edwin Einstein, W.B. Holland, George Osborn and state Sen. M.B. Harris.
The committee evolved in 1923 into an Advisory Board for the college, the first of its kind for teacher colleges in California. Its work included ways and means of encouraging fiscal support and recommending to the college a program for land acquisition.
One major accomplishment was the purchase of the land on which Ratcliffe Stadium now stands. In 1925, according to its minutes, the board purchased for $35,000 "fourteen lots east of the campus [today Fresno City College] and a block northeast of the campus for an athletic field."
By 1931, the scope of the committee's interests and activities had grown enough to incorporate the organization, establishing the Foundation, now known as The California State University, Fresno Foundation, a nonprofit education corporation created to provide private support to the university. Its projects and developments since then include: Agriculture as a field of study and acquisition of land for the Fresno State farm; a baseball park (today Euless Park at Fresno City College); fraternity and sorority row; memorial court and fountain; establishment of the President's Club.
The Foundation is the principal repository for private gifts and governmental grants that enhance the academic mission of Fresno State. A 21-member board of governors leads the organization and manages the Foundation's $60 million endowment.
In 1934, Fresno State Teachers College becomes Fresno State College.
In 1948, Fresno Junior College returned to its original site at Stanislaus and O Street, which was by then Fresno Technical High School. Fresno Technical High School closed in 1950 and Fresno Junior College remained at that location until earthquake damage forced the junior college to find a new home in the late fifties. In 1956, the Normal School, which was now called Fresno State College, was being relocated to a new campus in northeast Fresno. In 1958, the Board of Education approved a name change to Fresno City College. By 1959, Fresno City College completed its move to 1101 E. University Avenue, where it is located today. In 1961, Fresno State College becomes a charter institution of the California State University System. In 1972, Fresno State College becomes California State University, Fresno.
Dr. McLane served as the first president of the California State Board of Education from 1926 through 1932, and also held many other posts of importance in Education, including president of the California Teachers Association, the State Teachers Retirement Fund and others.
Dr. McLane was always very active in local civic and business affairs in Fresno. McLane, a proud Scotsman, was affiliated with the Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie; a member of the Fresno Rotary Club; chairman of a Board of Free-holders, which prepared a charter for Fresno County in 1933 and was a member of the Board of Trustees of Security-Pacific National Bank, to name but a few.
Dr. McLane was a distinguished educational and civic leader throughout his long life. He passed away on August 17, 1949 in his Fresno home at age 87.
Sources: California State University, Fresno websites: University's History, University Communications: Fast Facts About Fresno State, University Relations by Shirley Melikian Armbruster; Fresno State Centennial, Historical Timeline. Fresno City College Centennial History; Fresno City College's Centennial Commemorative Book: "Fresno City College: California's First Community College" by Russ Minick; SCCCD: Front & Center; A Short History of McLane High School; various other sources.
Dr. Charles Lourie McLane was born on April 4, 1862 in Memphis, Scotland County, Missouri. He obtained his undergraduate education at Valparaiso University and later took graduate work at the University of California, the University of Chicago and Harvard University. He also studied law and was a member of the bar in both Missouri and California.
Following experience as an educator in the schools of Missouri, Iowa and Nevada, Dr. McLane came to Fresno in 1891 to practice law, but it was no long before he returned to the field of education. He became principal of the C Street School and later Central School on the site of the Memorial Auditorium. In 1896 he became principal of Fresno High School.
From 1899-1914 he served as the fourth Superintendent of Fresno City Schools; he established free kindergartens, a parent school, and extension classes in conjunction with the University of California. He also introduced industrial arts, agriculture and physical education as integral parts of the school curriculum.
It was McLane's vision to bring higher education to the Central Valley. He recognized the need for an affordable way for students to begin their higher education while remaining at home. However, the politics of the day thwarted McLane in his efforts to establish a normal school -- a school for training teachers -- in Fresno.
Dr. McLane, a skilled and tireless lobbyist, was a national leader in the junior college movement. He utilized the Upward Extension Act of 1907, which permitted local high schools to provide the first two years of university instruction, or local school districts to form a junior college on their own, without the imprimatur of politicians in Sacramento, so he turned his attention to establishing the state's first junior college.
In the spring of 1910, McLane sent a circular to the community to find out what kind of interest existed in establishing a junior college. He surveyed patrons of Fresno High School and local principals. He received over 200 responses which were all favorable. He received not one objection. With these results in hand, he then reported to the Board of Education the need to have a junior college in Fresno to serve the Central Valley.
McLane explained that the nearest universities, the University of California and Stanford University, were 200 miles away and it was too much of a hardship for those who couldn't afford to attend a college that far away from home. He wanted to ensure that Fresno students had access to a college education close to home. He pointed out that these students were only seventeen or eighteen years of age and their parents were hesitant to send them so far away from their families. Having the junior college in Fresno would allow these students to take classes through the first two years of college while still being able to live at home.
McLane received welcomed endorsements from the authorities at the University of California and Stanford University. In fact, Stanford president, David S. Jordan, is credited with originating the term "junior college." Both universities were consulted and both offered assistance in helping plan classes and hiring instructors. McLane received commitments from the universities that any work done by the students in Fresno would be accepted and recognized by the universities. In Fresno, students studied mathematics, English, Latin, modern languages, history, economics and technical work. After completing their freshman and sophomore years, students could earn a "junior certificate" and transfer to the University of California or Stanford.
The new junior college would also provide vocational training in areas such as agriculture, the industries, commerce, applied civics and domestic science that the neither the high school nor the four-year universities could adequately offer.
On May 8, 1910, the Board of Education adopted the report and authorized the opening of Fresno Junior College in September of that year. McLane made sure the new junior college had its own faculty and its own student body separate from the high school "to impress upon students and the public at large the fact that serious work of distinctive college standards is being undertaken," he noted.
So, on September 10, 1910, Fresno City College opened its doors as Fresno Junior College. So through his efforts while serving as superintendent, Dr. McLane established the first public junior college in California in Fresno. Fresno City College is California's first community college and the second oldest in the nation. The new junior college became an extension of Fresno High School, which at the time was located at Stanislaus and O streets in downtown Fresno
The college opened with 20 students and three new faculty members. Five other faculty members from the high school brought the total number of instructors to eight. The curriculum for those 20 students was designed in partnership with Stanford and the University of California. All credits earned at Fresno Junior College by this first generation of transfer students were accepted towards degree completion at the universities. By the end of the third year, the enrollment at Fresno Junior College had doubled.
On September 11, 1911, Dr. McLane was finally successful in founded the Fresno Normal School, the forerunner to California State University, Fresno, for teacher training. McLane, who served as the first president of Fresno State Normal School from 1911 to 1927, oversaw both the Fresno Normal School and Fresno Junior College which were both housed at Fresno High School, in addition to his work as school superintendent. In 1911, Fresno Normal School had an enrollment of 150 students, most of whom were women. By 1940 enrollment had increased to 2,000 students, and in 1968 enrollment surpassed 10,000. By fall of 1994, more than 17,200 students registered at California State University, Fresno. For the 2009-2010, the university enrolled more than 21,500 students, and approximately 4,400 students completed work for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees by Commencement 2009. (Information provided by the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning.)
In 1913, the Fresno Normal School moved to its own campus on University Avenue. From 1921 to 1948, Fresno Junior College was also located at the University Avenue location where the two schools shared staff and facilities.
In 1921, the Fresno Normal School became Fresno State Teachers College, authorized to offer a four-year program and grant bachelor of arts degree in teaching. It later changed to Fresno State College and finally California State University, Fresno. McLane gave up his post as superintendent to accept full time appointment as president of both Fresno State College and the Fresno Junior College. He held these posts until 1927 when he retired.
On June 19, 1931, a foundation was established to promote the welfare of Fresno State College. But its roots go back a decade earlier, when an advisory committee was created by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce to discuss ways to resolve problems caused by a lack of housing at what was then Fresno State Teachers College. (Charles L. McLane Hall, an on-campus student housing facility, was named after Dr. McLane.)
The committee, initiated by college president Charles L. McLane, included McLane and other figures well-known in Fresno history: Edwin Einstein, W.B. Holland, George Osborn and state Sen. M.B. Harris.
The committee evolved in 1923 into an Advisory Board for the college, the first of its kind for teacher colleges in California. Its work included ways and means of encouraging fiscal support and recommending to the college a program for land acquisition.
One major accomplishment was the purchase of the land on which Ratcliffe Stadium now stands. In 1925, according to its minutes, the board purchased for $35,000 "fourteen lots east of the campus [today Fresno City College] and a block northeast of the campus for an athletic field."
By 1931, the scope of the committee's interests and activities had grown enough to incorporate the organization, establishing the Foundation, now known as The California State University, Fresno Foundation, a nonprofit education corporation created to provide private support to the university. Its projects and developments since then include: Agriculture as a field of study and acquisition of land for the Fresno State farm; a baseball park (today Euless Park at Fresno City College); fraternity and sorority row; memorial court and fountain; establishment of the President's Club.
The Foundation is the principal repository for private gifts and governmental grants that enhance the academic mission of Fresno State. A 21-member board of governors leads the organization and manages the Foundation's $60 million endowment.
In 1934, Fresno State Teachers College becomes Fresno State College.
In 1948, Fresno Junior College returned to its original site at Stanislaus and O Street, which was by then Fresno Technical High School. Fresno Technical High School closed in 1950 and Fresno Junior College remained at that location until earthquake damage forced the junior college to find a new home in the late fifties. In 1956, the Normal School, which was now called Fresno State College, was being relocated to a new campus in northeast Fresno. In 1958, the Board of Education approved a name change to Fresno City College. By 1959, Fresno City College completed its move to 1101 E. University Avenue, where it is located today. In 1961, Fresno State College becomes a charter institution of the California State University System. In 1972, Fresno State College becomes California State University, Fresno.
Dr. McLane served as the first president of the California State Board of Education from 1926 through 1932, and also held many other posts of importance in Education, including president of the California Teachers Association, the State Teachers Retirement Fund and others.
Dr. McLane was always very active in local civic and business affairs in Fresno. McLane, a proud Scotsman, was affiliated with the Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie; a member of the Fresno Rotary Club; chairman of a Board of Free-holders, which prepared a charter for Fresno County in 1933 and was a member of the Board of Trustees of Security-Pacific National Bank, to name but a few.
Dr. McLane was a distinguished educational and civic leader throughout his long life. He passed away on August 17, 1949 in his Fresno home at age 87.
Sources: California State University, Fresno websites: University's History, University Communications: Fast Facts About Fresno State, University Relations by Shirley Melikian Armbruster; Fresno State Centennial, Historical Timeline. Fresno City College Centennial History; Fresno City College's Centennial Commemorative Book: "Fresno City College: California's First Community College" by Russ Minick; SCCCD: Front & Center; A Short History of McLane High School; various other sources.
Following experience as an educator in the schools of Missouri, Iowa and Nevada, Dr. McLane came to Fresno in 1891 to practice law, but it was no long before he returned to the field of education. He became principal of the C Street School and later Central School on the site of the Memorial Auditorium. In 1896 he became principal of Fresno High School.
From 1899-1914 he served as the fourth Superintendent of Fresno City Schools; he established free kindergartens, a parent school, and extension classes in conjunction with the University of California. He also introduced industrial arts, agriculture and physical education as integral parts of the school curriculum.
It was McLane's vision to bring higher education to the Central Valley. He recognized the need for an affordable way for students to begin their higher education while remaining at home. However, the politics of the day thwarted McLane in his efforts to establish a normal school -- a school for training teachers -- in Fresno.
Dr. McLane, a skilled and tireless lobbyist, was a national leader in the junior college movement. He utilized the Upward Extension Act of 1907, which permitted local high schools to provide the first two years of university instruction, or local school districts to form a junior college on their own, without the imprimatur of politicians in Sacramento, so he turned his attention to establishing the state's first junior college.
In the spring of 1910, McLane sent a circular to the community to find out what kind of interest existed in establishing a junior college. He surveyed patrons of Fresno High School and local principals. He received over 200 responses which were all favorable. He received not one objection. With these results in hand, he then reported to the Board of Education the need to have a junior college in Fresno to serve the Central Valley.
McLane explained that the nearest universities, the University of California and Stanford University, were 200 miles away and it was too much of a hardship for those who couldn't afford to attend a college that far away from home. He wanted to ensure that Fresno students had access to a college education close to home. He pointed out that these students were only seventeen or eighteen years of age and their parents were hesitant to send them so far away from their families. Having the junior college in Fresno would allow these students to take classes through the first two years of college while still being able to live at home.
McLane received welcomed endorsements from the authorities at the University of California and Stanford University. In fact, Stanford president, David S. Jordan, is credited with originating the term "junior college." Both universities were consulted and both offered assistance in helping plan classes and hiring instructors. McLane received commitments from the universities that any work done by the students in Fresno would be accepted and recognized by the universities. In Fresno, students studied mathematics, English, Latin, modern languages, history, economics and technical work. After completing their freshman and sophomore years, students could earn a "junior certificate" and transfer to the University of California or Stanford.
The new junior college would also provide vocational training in areas such as agriculture, the industries, commerce, applied civics and domestic science that the neither the high school nor the four-year universities could adequately offer.
On May 8, 1910, the Board of Education adopted the report and authorized the opening of Fresno Junior College in September of that year. McLane made sure the new junior college had its own faculty and its own student body separate from the high school "to impress upon students and the public at large the fact that serious work of distinctive college standards is being undertaken," he noted.
So, on September 10, 1910, Fresno City College opened its doors as Fresno Junior College. So through his efforts while serving as superintendent, Dr. McLane established the first public junior college in California in Fresno. Fresno City College is California's first community college and the second oldest in the nation. The new junior college became an extension of Fresno High School, which at the time was located at Stanislaus and O streets in downtown Fresno
The college opened with 20 students and three new faculty members. Five other faculty members from the high school brought the total number of instructors to eight. The curriculum for those 20 students was designed in partnership with Stanford and the University of California. All credits earned at Fresno Junior College by this first generation of transfer students were accepted towards degree completion at the universities. By the end of the third year, the enrollment at Fresno Junior College had doubled.
On September 11, 1911, Dr. McLane was finally successful in founded the Fresno Normal School, the forerunner to California State University, Fresno, for teacher training. McLane, who served as the first president of Fresno State Normal School from 1911 to 1927, oversaw both the Fresno Normal School and Fresno Junior College which were both housed at Fresno High School, in addition to his work as school superintendent. In 1911, Fresno Normal School had an enrollment of 150 students, most of whom were women. By 1940 enrollment had increased to 2,000 students, and in 1968 enrollment surpassed 10,000. By fall of 1994, more than 17,200 students registered at California State University, Fresno. For the 2009-2010, the university enrolled more than 21,500 students, and approximately 4,400 students completed work for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees by Commencement 2009. (Information provided by the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning.)
In 1913, the Fresno Normal School moved to its own campus on University Avenue. From 1921 to 1948, Fresno Junior College was also located at the University Avenue location where the two schools shared staff and facilities.
In 1921, the Fresno Normal School became Fresno State Teachers College, authorized to offer a four-year program and grant bachelor of arts degree in teaching. It later changed to Fresno State College and finally California State University, Fresno. McLane gave up his post as superintendent to accept full time appointment as president of both Fresno State College and the Fresno Junior College. He held these posts until 1927 when he retired.
On June 19, 1931, a foundation was established to promote the welfare of Fresno State College. But its roots go back a decade earlier, when an advisory committee was created by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce to discuss ways to resolve problems caused by a lack of housing at what was then Fresno State Teachers College. (Charles L. McLane Hall, an on-campus student housing facility, was named after Dr. McLane.)
The committee, initiated by college president Charles L. McLane, included McLane and other figures well-known in Fresno history: Edwin Einstein, W.B. Holland, George Osborn and state Sen. M.B. Harris.
The committee evolved in 1923 into an Advisory Board for the college, the first of its kind for teacher colleges in California. Its work included ways and means of encouraging fiscal support and recommending to the college a program for land acquisition.
One major accomplishment was the purchase of the land on which Ratcliffe Stadium now stands. In 1925, according to its minutes, the board purchased for $35,000 "fourteen lots east of the campus [today Fresno City College] and a block northeast of the campus for an athletic field."
By 1931, the scope of the committee's interests and activities had grown enough to incorporate the organization, establishing the Foundation, now known as The California State University, Fresno Foundation, a nonprofit education corporation created to provide private support to the university. Its projects and developments since then include: Agriculture as a field of study and acquisition of land for the Fresno State farm; a baseball park (today Euless Park at Fresno City College); fraternity and sorority row; memorial court and fountain; establishment of the President's Club.
The Foundation is the principal repository for private gifts and governmental grants that enhance the academic mission of Fresno State. A 21-member board of governors leads the organization and manages the Foundation's $60 million endowment.
In 1934, Fresno State Teachers College becomes Fresno State College.
In 1948, Fresno Junior College returned to its original site at Stanislaus and O Street, which was by then Fresno Technical High School. Fresno Technical High School closed in 1950 and Fresno Junior College remained at that location until earthquake damage forced the junior college to find a new home in the late fifties. In 1956, the Normal School, which was now called Fresno State College, was being relocated to a new campus in northeast Fresno. In 1958, the Board of Education approved a name change to Fresno City College. By 1959, Fresno City College completed its move to 1101 E. University Avenue, where it is located today. In 1961, Fresno State College becomes a charter institution of the California State University System. In 1972, Fresno State College becomes California State University, Fresno.
Dr. McLane served as the first president of the California State Board of Education from 1926 through 1932, and also held many other posts of importance in Education, including president of the California Teachers Association, the State Teachers Retirement Fund and others.
Dr. McLane was always very active in local civic and business affairs in Fresno. McLane, a proud Scotsman, was affiliated with the Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie; a member of the Fresno Rotary Club; chairman of a Board of Free-holders, which prepared a charter for Fresno County in 1933 and was a member of the Board of Trustees of Security-Pacific National Bank, to name but a few.
Dr. McLane was a distinguished educational and civic leader throughout his long life. He passed away on August 17, 1949 in his Fresno home at age 87.
Sources: California State University, Fresno websites: University's History, University Communications: Fast Facts About Fresno State, University Relations by Shirley Melikian Armbruster; Fresno State Centennial, Historical Timeline. Fresno City College Centennial History; Fresno City College's Centennial Commemorative Book: "Fresno City College: California's First Community College" by Russ Minick; SCCCD: Front & Center; A Short History of McLane High School; various other sources.
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