Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

The Topical Files series comprises the majority of the records received from the Office of the President and document the many issues with which the president must deal on a daily basis. The series are arranged chronologically by academic year, and within each series folders are arranged by topic.

When researching any aspect of a particular administration's history, the researcher should begin by searching these files. When looking for materials on a given individual, the researcher is advised to search under the last name, or, when applicable, the name of office, firm, or organization with which he/she worked. If nothing is found, the researcher should try searching under the subject matter heading that the materials concern. It is often helpful to look at files from both the academic year in question and the following year. There are times when materials from one year will have materials attached from a previous year, copies of which may or may not be in that previous year's files. For example, researchers interested in the major issues of the Fleming administration will find interesting materials under such headings as "Affirmative Action," "Disruptions," "Residential College," and "Women." Documents pertaining to the BAM III protest can be found under the 1987 heading "Racism," and a review of the "Budget" files from the years of Harold Shapiro's tenure is the best introduction to the fiscal crisis of the 1980s. (For additional information on the fiscal crisis, the researcher should consult the record group University of Michigan Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.)