Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

As the provost's chief of staff, Karen Gibbons served as an advisor to the provost; acted as a liaison to the deans, executive officers, and Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA); and managed the provost's staff. She also administered executive searches in the provost's office, and coordinated development-related matters. Gibbons also provided staff support for the Academic Program Group and served as the contact person on publicity matters under the purview of the provost. Gibbons holds her B.A. in human resource administration and began her employment at the University of Michigan in 1970 and in the provost's office in 1990, where she remained until her retirement in 2012.

Gibbons's records comprise 31 linear feet and are divided into seven subseries. Her Committees, 1990-1998 and 1992-2011 subseries contains records she maintained for several important university committees. The provost's key staff regularly met in a group variously called 4+1, 5+1, 6+1, 7+1 and 8+1. The numbers refer to the quantity of the provost's staff in attendance, plus the provost, who is the "one." Generally the associate provosts attended, augmented by the chief of staff and assistant provosts. The records include agendas, supporting materials, and some notes, but no regular minutes.

The Academic Program Group (APG) is a regular meeting of the Provost's staff with the deans and directors of the various schools. For these meetings there are regular minutes, as well as agendas and supporting reports and memoranda. Within the APG records are the records of a retreat on the Future of the Faculty, hosted by Nancy Cantor in October of 1998. Faculty members gathered to discuss issues of faculty governance, non-tenured faculty, and balancing work and family.

The Foundations Fund Raising Committee was made up of selected deans, university officers, and provost staff. It was created to coordinate the university's communications with large foundations, such as the Ford Foundation and the WK Kellogg Foundation. The records are filed by meeting date, and include agendas, reports, and sometimes meeting summaries.

Gibbons' records also include materials on emergency planning at the University, which document plans for dealing with pandemic and flu outbreaks, active shooters, and other emergency situations. Other committees represented in Gibbons' files include several student-administrator committees, miscellaneous Office of Academic Affairs staff meetings, Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA) and the Senate Assembly, and other project and task force committees.

Other series in Gibbons' papers contain her Correspondence Chronological Files, 1992-1996 and Correspondence Targeted Emails, 2004-2013. The targeted emails are correspondence sent out to the entire University population, including students, faculty, and administrators. Her papers also include Budget/Long-Range Planning Files, 1996-1997 , Personnel Files, 1988-2010, including staff searches for the Provost's Office; Reports, 1989-2006, and Topical, 1986-2013.

In 2004, Philip J. Hanlon was appointed as Associate Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs, taking on the responsibilities previously belonging to Paul Courant in this position. Hanlon joined the University of Michigan Mathematics Department in 1986. He became a Thurnau Professor in 1992, and the Donald J. Lewis Professor of Mathematics in 2001 and was founder and the first executive director of the Michigan Math and Science Scholars. From 2001-2004, he served as Associate Dean for Planning and Finance in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts after which he became an associate provost, then Vice Provost in 1997. In 2010, he was selected as Provost for Academic Affairs, a position he occupied until 2013, when he became President of Dartmouth College. His records as provost may be found in the provost's office "Central Files" record group.

During his term as Associate Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs. Hanlon worked with several other staff members on budget matters. Marilyn Knepp worked with Hanlon for the fiscal year 2007, before moving to the Rackham Graduate School. The Philip Hanlon and Marilyn Knepp files (4.0 lin. ft.) also include master files for the University Press. The following two years, FY 2008 and FY 2009, budget planning was managed by Hanlon, Teresa Sullivan (Provost), and Anne Berens, Assistant Vice Provost. The Philip Hanlon, Teresa Sullivan, and Anne Berens files measure 5.85 lin. ft. For fiscal year 2010, this work was handled by Hanlon and Berens. Files for this year measure 2.5 lin. ft. Budgets for fiscal year 2011 were managed by Philip Hanlon and Teresa Sullivan, and measure 1 lin. ft. The Philip Hanlon, Martha E. Pollack, and Anne Berens files measure 5 linear feet and consist of budget materials for 2011-2012. Martha Pollack served as Vice Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs from 2010-2013. For 2012-2013, Philip Hanlon, Lori Haskins, and Ron Fitzgerald handled the Schools and Colleges budget files (3.5 lin. ft.). Lori Haskins served as Assistant Vice Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs in 2011, and Ron Fitzgerald served as Assistant Vice Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs from 2011-2012. Philip Hanlon, Martha E. Pollack, Lori Haskins, and Ron Fitzgerald managed Executive Officer budget files from 2012-2013 (2 lin. ft.), and Philip Hanlon and Martha E. Pollack handled budget files for Academic Affairs Units (1 lin. ft.) in 2012-2013.

Starting with FY 2007, budget files are arranged in three subseries: Schools and Colleges Budget, Executive Officers Budget, and Unit Budget Files. This arrangement reflects the organization of the files as they were received by the Bentley. The content, however, is the same as that included in previous budget years.

As well as budget files, there is also a series of Committees Files belonging strictly to Hanlon documenting his activities on committees related to his work in budgetary affairs and in the Provost's office. In addition, there is a series of Philip Hanlon Town Hall Meetings from Fall 2009 to Spring 2010, as well as a series on UM's Financial Position from 2009-2010. The Philip Hanlon records include 1.65 lin. ft. of minutes, agendas, and other materials from the various committees Hanlon was involved in and span the years 2005-2006. There is also an additional 0.3 lin. ft. of records detailing Hanlon's town hall meetings and UM's financial position from 2009-2010. His records as provost may be found in the provost's office "Central Files" record group.