Higher Education Act Plaque

Signing of the Higher Education Act by Lyndon B Johnson on TXST Campus

On November 8, 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson arrived in San Marcos to sign the Higher Education Act (HEA). This act gave millions of young Americans the possibility of experiencing higher education. The HEA enabled more Americans to enroll in college with the existence of federal grants and loans. 

In 2005, this plaque commemorated the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson and designated the actual site of the signing near what is now the Music Building. The Higher Education Act was the second piece of education legislation that Johnson brought to Texas to sign. 

 “Here the seeds were planted from which grew my firm conviction that for the individual, education is the path to achievement and fulfillment; and for the nation, it is the path to a society that is not only free but civilized; and for the world, it is the path to peace — for it is education that places reason over force.” -Lyndon B. Johnson