Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Harlan Henthorne Hatcher (1898-1998) was president of the University of Michigan from 1951 to 1967. The papers span the years 1837-1998 and document Dr. Hatcher's University of Michigan presidency, Ohio State University career, literary career, organizational involvement, personal life, and family history. Includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, speeches, yearly datebooks, oral history interview transcripts, magnetic audio tape recordings, an audiocassette recording, and photographs.

The Harlan Henthorne Hatcher Papers document his University of Michigan presidency, Ohio State University career, literary career, organizational involvement, personal life, and family history. The collection spans the years 1837-1998, with the bulk of the materials covering 1891-1986. It includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, speeches, yearly datebooks, oral history interview transcripts, magnetic audio tape recordings, an audiocassette recording, and photographs. The collection is strongest in its documentation of Dr. Hatcher's presidency at the University of Michigan, especially in correspondence and speeches. Documentation is weakest on the subjects of his Ohio State University career before 1944 and organizational involvement before 1967. The collection may be useful to researchers interested in the history of the University of Michigan from 1951-1967, the duties of university administrators and their spouses, authors of the 1920's to 1950's, and environmental activism in Michigan in the 1970's and 1980's.

The Harlan Hatcher collection has been divided into two subgroups of files: those which were created or accumulated from his tenure as president of the University of Michigan (1951-1967) and those materials (mainly personal) dated either prior to or subsequent to Hatcher's presidential years.

The library, as archives of the University of Michigan, is the repository for all of the files of its presidents. For historic reasons, all of the papers of presidents up to and including Harlan Hatcher have been treated as personal collections and cataloged under the name of the president. Beginning with Hatcher's successor - Robben Fleming - and continuing to the present, the files of individuals occupying the president's office have been considered both personal and institutional. Records created from an individual's responsibility as president, usually materials from the years when he was president, are treated as office files and have been cataloged as part of the University of Michigan President's Office record group. Materials from either before or after an individual's tenure as president have been treated separately and have been cataloged under that president's name.

Records generated by administrators and offices charged with the financial activities of the University, including Secretary and Vice-President Shirley W. Smith and Controller and Assistant Secretary John C. Christensen; include general University financial records; records of land; trust fund records; proposed development and construction projects; operating records of buildings, divisions and other units.

The records of Financial Operations date from 1837 to 1982, primarily after 1910. The 27 linear feet of manuscript material, 52 oversized volumes and one reel of microfilm reflect not only the financial records normally associated with an accounting office, but also the broad range of subjects which became a concern under the leadership of Shirley Smith. What would eventually become Financial Operations may have served as a records storage office for many of the other units under Smith's control. In any event, Financial Operations became the guardian of a wide variety of records, documenting the University in a number of ways not normally expected of an accounting service.

Of particular note, the collection contains a variety of different record formats. Bound materials, in the form of books, are included in the boxes and when numbering more than one, are listed in the finding aid as multiple volumes. The collection also contains oversized volumes, in the form of large accounting books. These oversized volumes are numbered and stored separately. They are listed in the finding aid where intellectually appropriate, and designated by volume number. Enclosed in this finding aid is an index of the oversized volumes, organized by number, and their contents.

The collection is divided into six series: General University Financial Records; Trust Fund Records; Records of Land, Proposed Development and Construction; Operating Records of Buildings, Divisions and other Units; Miscellaneous Reports, Studies and Volumes; and Accounting Office Records.

Photographs collected from various sources, depicting buildings, faculty, students, and other topics relating to the University of Michigan.

The University of Michigan Photographs Vertical File represents a miscellaneous assemblage of U of M-related photographs from many different sources, mainly prior to 1950. The vertical file is especially strong on the earliest photographic images of the campus, university buildings, and class activities. While the vertical file contains many images of individuals, researchers should first consult the library's on-line catalog for images of faculty, administrators, and other University personalities. Most photographs originally accumulated by a University department or other unit are kept with that unit's records.

The arrangement of the photographic images was intended to parallel the classification used with University of Michigan published materials and with manuscript materials. Both of these used a classification system using letters of the alphabet (A through N only) for groupings of published or manuscript material. This system was carried over for use with the library's photographic images though there are certain categories for which images are unlikely to be found (Category A, for example, which pertains to legislation affecting the University or Category I which is reserved for university publications of a scientific or literary nature). The classification is further broken down under each letter by a number code which refers to a more specific subdivision. The heaviest concentration of images will be found under C (for U-M schools and colleges, departments, and other units), D (for university buildings and views), and F (for class pictures, photos of student organizations, and images detailing aspects of student life and customs).

Each heading in this finding aid includes the letter classification plus a numbered subdivision. In addition, the individual envelopes are numbered sequentially. Headings for which there are oversized images (usually larger than 8x10) will be indicated by reference to medium or large size photographs. When requesting material, researchers must specify the heading and the classification and folder number.

This finding aid describes only a small portion of the Bentley Library's U-M visual images. The on-line catalog will direct the researcher to additional images.

General secretary of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan and editor of the Michigan Alumnus; correspondence, drawings and etchings, photographs and other visual materials

The Shaw collection is an assemblage of personal materials such as correspondence, essays and student notebook, and of Shaw's work as an artists including drawings, etchings, and other examples of artistic expression that he used in connection with his work with the University's Alumni Association and its publications. Records of Shaw's activities with the university will be found in the record groups for the Alumni Association and the Bureau of Alumni Relations also located at the Bentley Library. The collection has been divided into five series: Correspondence, Essays, Drawings and Etchings, Miscellaneous, and Photographs and other Visual Materials.

The School of Dentistry is a teaching and research unit of the University of Michigan. Records include administrative files, faculty meeting minutes, curriculum and education, subject files relating to dentistry and to the professional interests of the school's faculty; and photographs and films.

The School of Dentistry record group spans the years from 1873 to 2010, but does not comprehensively document the entire span. The records are fragmentary, providing only a partial picture of the School of Dentistry. Documentation reflects the tenures of various deans with scattered documents from the late 1800s and more detail in the period 1920-1990. The records give some insight into the development of dentistry as a profession, and the training and education of dental students. The records, comprised of 40.5 linear feet, 1 oversize volume, 1 oversize folder, and 1.3GB, have been divided into 10 series: Educational Information, Administration, Black Dentistry Conference, Organizations, Surveys, Photographs and Audiovisual Materials, Department Chairpersons' Meetings, Faculty Meetings, American Dental Association Accreditation, Dental Research Institute, and Website.

University of Michigan chapter of a fraternal organization with an academic orientation. Constitution, minute books, treasurer's books, pledge class yearbooks, and visual materials.

The records of Delta Upsilon have been divided into three series: Organizational Materials, Scrapbooks, and Photographs.

Professor of law and president of the University of Michigan. Papers include correspondence, reports, and speeches relating to all aspects of his University activities; and visual materials.

The Harry B. Hutchins papers cover the years 1879 through 1929, and include records generated during his years as professor and dean of the law department, President of the University of Michigan, and in retirement. Boxes 1-18 are primarily comprised of correspondence. Reports of the departments, schools, and other units of the university are contained in box 19, folders 30-32, and box 20, folders 1-13. As president, Hutchins did not regularly submit annual reports to the Board of Regents. Additional materials include speeches, photographs, and biographical material.

Institution representing the university faculty and providing an oppertunity for shared governance and a collective voice surrounding university conerns. Minutes, correspondence, committee files, publications, and institutional history.

The Senate (University of Michigan) records contains 12.4 linear feet (in 13 boxes) of correspondence, minutes, committee files, publications, and papers recording the history of the University Senate and its branches.

The Nu Sigma Nu Fraternity was founded at the University of Michigan in 1882 and is the oldest medical fraternity in the United States. It was created to promote cooperation and fellowship among medical men and to raise medical education and scholarship to a higher level. These records document the creation of the Nu Sigma Nu fraternity and the history of the Alpha Chapter from its inception in 1882 to its termination in 2008.

The Nu Sigma Nu, Alpha Chapter collection contains records that relate to both the local chapter of Nu Sigma Nu as well as the founding of the national organization. Information within these records reveals the history of the fraternity, the daily business of the Alpha Chapter throughout its existence, and the interaction between the Alpha Chapter and the University of Michigan. These records are divided into eight series: Administration, Correspondence, Financial Records, History, Housing, Nu Sigma Nu Medical Scholarship Fund, Photographs, and Publications.

National dental fraternity founded at University of Michigan. Constitution and by-laws, minutes, financial records, fraternity newsletter, memorabilia and artifacts, textbooks, citations and plaques, photographs, and miscellaneous manuscripts.

The records of Delta Sigma Delta provide an interesting view into the organization of a professional fraternity, and into the activities and personalities of those individuals drawn to such a social organization. Because it is such a visual collection, with many photographs, scrapbooks, and artefactual items, the Delta Sigma Delta collection provides a varied source of information about the affairs of a distinguished professional fraternity.

The Delta Sigma Delta collection includes both the records of the fraternity as well as related materials collected over the years by fraternity historian, Dr. Frank O. Clifford, and as such, there is a wide diversity of materials spanning more than a century of activity, 1882 to 1992.

The records of Delta Sigma Delta, at the request of the fraternity, are divided between those records stored archivally and other materials on display in the Delta Sigma Delta Room of the library. This finding aid will describe both sets of records with indications where they might be found.

University of Michigan sorority, records include a history, minutes of meetings, records of Sorosis House, scrapbooks, printed matter, and photographs.

The records of the Collegiate Sorosis document one of the oldest secret societies for women at the University of Michigan. The record group has been divided into five series: Minutes, Alphabetical, Finances, Photographs, and Scrapbooks.

Fraternity for undergraduate students at the University of Michigan; financial records.

The record group consists of various financial records (ledgers, cash books, etc.) and one roll book. There are also yearbooks from the national fraternity entitled The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta.

Gamma Deuteron Charge (chapter) of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity, instated at the University of Michigan in 1889. Records include original and digital copies of annual composite photographs of the members of the University of Michigan chapter, as well as drawings of an unbuilt fraternity house designed by Alden B. Dow. Also included are a volume of meeting minutes; an oversize ledger detailing per person costs; and an alumni register.

The Theta Delta Chi Gamma Deuteron Charge records consist of yearly composite photographs of the members of the chapter; a ledger detailing per person costs of fraternity life; and an alumni register. Particularly of note is a volume of handwritten meeting minutes which date from 1947-1956. The minutes detail the "Meetings of the Charge" and cover house events, planning, and finances, house morale and interpersonal conflicts, and other issues related to the running of the Gamma Deuteron Charge chapter. Also included in the minutes volume are treasurer notes from 1951-1972.

The collection also contains the original copies of the composite photographs, as well as digital copies. Also included are a small number of drawings of an unbuilt fraternity house that were designed by Alden B. Dow.

Zoologist, college professor, president of University of Michigan, 1929-1951. Professional files relating to his career with the University Museum and as a professor of zoology, and presidential files containing correspondence, reports, speeches, and other University materials, including budget and legislative files, material relating to changes in University administration, his relationship with faculty, students and alumni, and photographs.

The Alexander Ruthven papers consists of two series of records. The first is the papers of Ruthven as president of the University of Michigan, 1929 to 1951. The second, and smaller, series is the files maintained by Ruthven as a zoologist with the University Museum and as professor of zoology. This latter series dates largely from 1908 to 1929 but also includes collected earlier files from the 1870s.

University of Michigan chapter of a national women's medical sorority. Minute books, publications and other organizational records.

The record group includes minute books, publications and other organizational records.

University of Michigan chapter of Greek letter fraternity. Meeting minutes and financial records, pledging and initiation records, alumni records, visual materials and miscellaneous.

Sigma Nu records have been divided into the following series: Meeting Minutes and Financial Records, Pledging and Initiation Records, Alumni Records, Visual Materials, and Miscellaneous. These materials describe the history of the Gamma Nu chapter of Sigma Nu at the University of Michigan, and the national fraternity as well.

University of Michigan administrative office, established as the Dean of Student Affairs in 1921, responsible for overseeing many aspects of non-academic student services and activities including at various times: counseling, financial aid, student housing, student activities and organizations, health services, student discipline, and fraternities and sororities. Records provide extensive documentation of student life.

The records of the Vice President for Student Life provide a unique perspective to the extracurricular life and customs of students at the University of Michigan and an insight to the development of the office of the Vice President. The records span the years 1908-2005 with the bulk of the material covering 1941-1995. The material from the early years is especially rich in documenting student life from the 1920s to the 1950s. The strongest feature of this collection is in documenting the administration's response to the needs and to the demands of student, ranging from disciplining drinkers during Prohibition, dealings with fraternities up to 1960, reacting to student protests in the 1960s to the 1988 debate over the Student Code for Non-Academic Conduct, and the 2000 protest against Michigamua. The records also contain materials related to students' health, housing, organizations, and activism. The coverage of these areas varies across administrations as office reorganizations altered the focus and functions of Student Services.

This uneven documentation reflects the fact that, over time, different offices were created to handle more narrowly-defined areas of responsibility. Areas which had originally been handled by Dean Bursley under his broad conception of control over non-academic student life came to be administered by separate offices. Frequently the records of these administrative units were not included with the Vice President for Student Life records. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of student life, as refracted through the lens of University Administration, one should also refer to the records of the Housing Office and Student-Community Relations Office, and the papers of Peter Ostafin, director of housing.

The Vice President for Student Life collection consists of correspondence, reports, memos, minutes, and financial reports generated by both the University Administration and students. These materials are arranged in chronological series by the administrative head in charge of students' extracurricular affairs. Nine series represent records of Vice Presidents of the office: Joseph A. Bursley, 1913-1950; Erich A. Walter, 1925-1959; James A. Lewis, 1908-1964; Richard L. Cutler, 1950-1969; Barbara W. Newell, 1965-1970; Robert L. Knauss, 1962-1973; Henry Johnson, 1950-1985; Mary Ann Swain and Maureen Hartford, 1990-2005; and E. Royster Harper, 2000. In addition, the collections includes a Topical Files series, 1953-1995 (records of several Vice Presidents that have been received by the Bentley in various accessions); as well as a Printed Materials series. This organizing scheme required some manipulation of the files, but it best enables the researcher to trace the changing nature of the student body concerns and the development of the office itself.

The researcher should note that the strict chronological sequencing of the series was not possible. This was due in large part to a series of office reorganizations which resulted in some files created during Bursley or Walter's tenure ending up in later series. The most significant move here resulted in Lewis' series containing a good deal of Bursley and Walter materials on fraternities and student organizations. Lewis created the fraternities subseries in 1959 and compiled the student organization subseries during a May 1963, office reorganization. The researcher should also be conscious that early series contain a variety of materials which may not reflect the full scope of Bursley, Walter, or Lewis' responsibilities. Gaps are also discernible in the later series, but these are more readily fleshed out by referring to other University collections.

University of Michigan chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for Black college students. The Epsilon chapter was founded in April 1909. History, administrative records, topical files, reports, and photographs largely relating to the chapter and activities of African American students at the University of Michigan. Also included is some material related to the chapter's 2009 centennial celebration.

The records of the Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha include correspondence, minutes, photographic material, publications, reports, and topical files.

The records—which document the activities and experiences of African Americans at the University of Michigan—also provides a rich source of information about the history, activities, and administration of the Epsilon Chapter, particularly during the 1920's, 1980's, and 1990's. Also documented is the chapter's centennial celebration in 2009.

The Inter-fraternity Council (IFC) is the administrative and organizing body for the undergraduate social fraternities at the University of Michigan. Records include meeting minutes, officers reports, newspaper clippings, photographs, printed materials. One bound volume of handwritten meeting minutes from 1912-1930, provides the only record of earliest activities of the IFC.

The records of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) measure 3 linear feet and date from 1912 to 1994, with the bulk of records falling between 1960 and 1994. The records consist of meeting minutes, officer's reports, newspaper clippings, photographs, and printed materials. Despite the range of years covered by the collection as a whole, no one time period is completely documented. For additional information on the IFC, the researcher should consult the record groups under "University of Michigan Fraternity Office" and "University of Michigan Housing Division" and the "University of Michigan Vice President for Student Affairs" at the Bentley Historical Library.

The records of the IFC are divided into five series: President's Notebooks, Fraternity Membership Selection Files, Topical Files, Photographs, and Printed Materials.

University of Michigan Class of 1917 graduate, member of the Druids, the University of Michigan honorary society, and of the Alpha Phi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. Scrapbook containing photographs, dance cards, and event programs.

Scrapbook contains photographs of the Alpha Phi chapter house exterior and of its interiors, group portraits and photographs taken during social and sporting events, and chapter activities; also select chapter publications, dance cards, event programs, and other ephemera. The scrapbook also contains Smith's portrait and his U.S. Army Signal Corps enlistment papers.