This dissertation examines a social policy exemplar case in New York State's education policy history, the legislation that established the NY State Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program. This presently upheld state legislation passed in July 1966 to increase college access, retention, and degree attainment of students of color by fully funding holistic, pipeline programming for City University of New York (CUNY) students. This historical case study explores how stakeholders, specifically CUNY staff and students, were involved in creating and preserving SEEK within state legislation. This dissertation uses Critical Race Theory and a social constructivist grounded theory and situational analysis approach to analyze and map multisite data, including: archived NY State and CUNY records and documents, newspaper articles, documentaries, autobiographies, and taped oral histories collected from key informants (including former CUNY employees, students, and elected officials) who participated in both the construction of SEEK and the protection of this state policy from conservative political threats in its early implementation years. The results that emerged from this study contribute to the theoretical development of the policymaking process by exploring elements of interest convergence and colorblind language in the development and preservation of a racially equitable education policy, despite political threats to erode it post-passage. Insights gathered also contribute to understanding how stakeholders within higher education institutions contribute to the policymaking process. These results bolster and expand the understanding of existing, yet colorblind, policymaking theories and the important role of education staff as policy creators and protectors. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]