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This incomplete collection is composed of historical materials donated by the CMU Department of Mathematics in 2024 and department materials previously housed in the CMU Vertical Files collection.

This incomplete collection is composed of historical materials donated by the CMU Department of Mathematics in 2024 and department materials previously housed in the CMU Vertical Files collection. The collection includes departmental and assessment committee meeting minutes, correspondence, including some with CMU President Charles L. Anspach, brochures, fliers, posters, publications, including New Letters with a note from CMU President Eugene C. Warriner, clippings, and photographic materials documenting staff, students, Richtmeyer Mathematics Award winners and runners up, mathematics conferences, and staff and students events held at CMU. The collection is organized alphabetically and chronologically and is in good physical condition.

Researchers may be interested in the papers of CMU Mathematics professors Cleon C. Richtmeyer, Richard J. Fleming, which are also housed in the Clarke Historical Library. Richtmeyer (died 1975) began as a CMU mathematics professor in 1924 and became Acting Head of the department in 1933. In 1960 he created a departmental History, a series of News Letters [sic], which includes a note from CMU President Eugene C. Warriner, which are housed in this collection. In 1947 he became Director of Instruction, a position he held until 1956 when he became Dean of Faculty. In 1959 Richtmeyer became the inaugural dean of the School of Arts and Sciences in 1959, serving until he retired during the 1968/1967 academic year. Fleming was hired as professor and department Chair in 1982, serving until he retired in August 1997. A mathematics lecture series was started and named in his honor. James K. Bidwell (1934-) was hired as a professor of mathematics at CMU in 1966. By 1973 he was full professor. Bidwell researched Mathematics in Michigan Colleges and wrote a history of the department, 1892-1992, which is separately cataloged. He retired from CMU in 1997.

Processing Note: 1.25 cubic feet of the collection was withdrawn during processing, mostly duplicates and inaccessible storage media, such as floppy and hard discs, cassettes, and zip drives. Acidic correspondence was photocopied and the copies were retained in the collection. A few CMU college-level fliers were added to the CMU Vertical Files and two issues of two serials were cataloged.

This collection consists of James K. Bidwell’s notes and research of mathematics programs through 1840-1970 of Michigan colleges, records related to his research, 1969-1974, and undated, and a teaching manual he wrote, 1986.

This collection consists of James K. Bidwell's notes and research of mathematics programs through 1840-1970 of Michigan colleges, records related to his research, 1969-1974, and undated, and a teaching manual he wrote, 1986. Records include: correspondence, expenses, the teaching manual, miscellaneous, references, textbooks, and a published article of his research with a photograph is included in the collection (see Mathematics in Michigan-folder). The collection is organized in alphabetical and original order.

Processing Note: During processing .25 cubic foot of duplicates, publications, miscellaneous notes were removed from the collection.

Papers include Personal Materials, Central Michigan University (CMU) Materials, and CMU Department of Mathematics Materials.

The Personal Materials, 1960-2007 (approximately 1 cubic foot in 2 boxes) include Fleming’s resumes, biographical materials, academic and personal (mostly mathematics related) correspondence, publications, awards, notes he took as a student, and teaching and test materials he used before coming to CMU.

CMU Materials, 1982-2005 (Scattered, approximately .5 cubic ft. in 2 boxes) include meeting minutes and reports of various university committees on which Fleming served.

CMU Department of Mathematics material (1.5 cubic ft. in 3 boxes) is divided into Departmental Materials and Teaching Materials. Departmental Materials, 1973-2003 (Scattered), and undated (1.25 cubic ft. in 3 boxes), include departmental procedures, reviews, reports, meeting minutes, and related materials. The strength of this series is the Area Coordinators, Agendas, Meeting Minutes, and Related Materials, 1982-July 1995 (10 folders). The material in these folders actually is departmental correspondence. Teaching Materials, 1965-1968 and 1982 (.25 cubic ft. in 1 box), include syllabi, tests, teaching notes, and related materials for all of the Mathematics courses Fleming taught at CMU.

The collection includes Miles' Personal Materials, Central Michigan University (CMU) Materials, and documentation of the CMU Mathematics Department, 1970-2007.

The Personal Materials, 1970-2007 (.5 cubic ft. in 1 box) includes Miles’ resume, academic correspondence, awards, and personal information, such as academic and other correspondence, programs, notices, and clippings in which he is named.

The CMU Materials, 1977-2006 (Scattered, .5 cubic ft. in 1 box) includes meeting minutes and reports of various university committee and task force of which Miles was an active member or served as chair. The series has three sub-series: Materials, Related Materials, and Teaching Materials. The Materials, 1970-2005 and 2007 (.75 in 2 boxes) include departmental procedures, reviews, reports, correspondence, meeting minutes, and awards. The Related Materials includes enrollment data, 1975, and meeting minutes of two mathematics committees, 1975-2001 (scattered), which are indirectly related to the department.

Teaching Materials, 1970-2007 (2.75 cubic ft. in 6 boxes) include: Miles’ syllabi, tests, teaching notes, and related materials for all of the Mathematics, Statistics, and Honors courses he taught at CMU, 1970-2007. Miles filed them in chronological order, which is how they were maintained during processing.

There are three photographs in the entire collection: one of CMU orientation staff, 1984 (Box 2), and two of CMU Dept. of Mathematics chairmen, 2007 (Box 3).

Processing Note: All student lists and grades with social security numbers and student papers were removed from the collection during processing due to privacy laws.