Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

In 1955, the University of Michigan suspended three professors (H. Chandler Davis, Mark Nickerson and Clement Markert) for their refusal to give testimony before a U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities group. In 1990, the Academic Freedom Lecture Fund (AFLF) was established to honor those professors. Since 1991, AFLF has organized the annual University of Michigan Senate's Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom. Documentation begins with the 2000 symposium and includes programs, transcripts, and videotaped lectures. Also included is an upgraded videotape of the documentary Keeping in Mind.

The records of the Academic Freedom Lecture Fund (AFLF) begin in 2000, and mainly consist of videotapes of lectures from the University of Michigan Senate's annual Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom. There is no documentation of the fund itself.

The annual Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lectures on Academic and Intellectual Freedom are organized chronologically. In addition to the videotapes, documentation includes some transcripts of the lectures, and event programs. The printed program contains background on the lectures, including the resolution establishing the lecture and biographies of the three professors. The 2000 lecture folder also contains a memorial for Clement L. Markert which appeared in The Journal of Heredity.

Adam Kulakow's undergraduate documentary Keeping in Mind, focusing on the University of Michigan's handling of the Davis, Markert, Nickerson cases in the 1950s during the McCarthy era, contributed greatly to the development of the AFLF and the annual lectures. The video was shown publicly for the first time on April 9, 1989. An upgraded 2001 copy of this video is included in these records. For more information about the documentary, and the interviews conducted in support of the project, researchers may consult the Adam Kulakow Papers. The Kulakow collection consists of interview transcripts and videos, and notes which Kulakow generated while producing the documentary. It also includes a copy of the original documentary. Note: The 1989 conditions governing access to "Keeping in Mind" are presumed to remain in force. Please see the finding aid for the Adam Kulakow papers for access and use conditions.

In 2000, the University of Michigan Press published Unfettered Expression: Freedom in American Intellectual Life. The book, edited by Peggie J. Hollingsworth, contained essays originally given as lectures in the annual Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom series at the University of Michigan from 1991 to 1999.

The Office of the President records group includes the records of University of Michigan Presidents Robben Fleming, 1968-1978 and 1988 (interim); Allan Smith, 1979 (interim); Harold T. Shapiro, 1980-1987; James J. Duderstadt, 1988-1996; Homer Neal, 1996-1997 (interim); Lee C. Bollinger, 1997-2001; B. Joseph White, 2002 (interim); Mary Sue Coleman (2002-2014); and Mark Schlissel (2014-present). The record group includes annual files from the Office of the President, which include topical files and schools and colleges files. Other series in the record group include supplemental files for each president, search files, committee appointment files, audio and visual materials, development files, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) files, and ephemera.

The records of the University of Michigan President contain the central files created and collected by the President and members of the President's staff. There is some content inherited from earlier presidents, but the record group effectively begins in 1967 with the administration of Robben W. Fleming and continues through successive administrations. (Records of Presidents prior to Fleming are cataloged under the name of the individual office holder).

The University of Michigan President's records are organized into the following series: Topical Files; Schools and Colleges Files; Supplemental Files; Search Files; Committee Appointment Files; Development; Facilities; Freedom of Information Act; Audio-Visual Material Files; Ephemera; Archived Website. Three first three series are major recurring series (Topical, Schools and Colleges, and Supplemental Files). The additional series (Committee Appointment; Searches; Development; Facilities; Freedom of Information Act; Audio-Visual Material Files; Ephemera; Archived Website) are not consistently created or predictably transferred.

Although the series are collectively described, the actual ordering of the boxes in the contents listing are not necessarily consecutive given the timing and sequence of transfers. For a summary bringing all boxes together under a particular series, see the Summary Contents list for a collective representation of boxes.