President Johnson Signing the Higher Education Act
11/8/1965
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This photograph shows President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Higher Education Act. Lady Bird Johnson, Congressman Jake Pickle, and others look on.
Johnson signed the Act at his alma mater, Southwest Texas State College, now Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas. Inside a packed gymnasium, he spoke of the lessons he learned in college and his experiences as a teacher, and called education the key to the future.
The Act, which is the major law that governs federal student aid, was intended "to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education." It increased federal money given to universities, created scholarships, gave low-interest loans to students, and established a National Teacher Corps. The original law, which was part of Johnson's "Great Society" domestic agenda, has been reauthorized nine times through the years.
Johnson signed the Act at his alma mater, Southwest Texas State College, now Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas. Inside a packed gymnasium, he spoke of the lessons he learned in college and his experiences as a teacher, and called education the key to the future.
The Act, which is the major law that governs federal student aid, was intended "to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education." It increased federal money given to universities, created scholarships, gave low-interest loans to students, and established a National Teacher Corps. The original law, which was part of Johnson's "Great Society" domestic agenda, has been reauthorized nine times through the years.
This primary source comes from the Collection LBJ-WHPO: White House Photo Office Collection.
Full Citation: Photograph 854-2a-WH65; President Johnson Signing the Higher Education Act; 11/8/1965; Johnson White House Photographs, 11/22/1963 - 1/20/1969; Collection LBJ-WHPO: White House Photo Office Collection; Lyndon Baines Johnson Library, Austin, TX. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/lbj-signing-higher-education-act, June 12, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
