Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

As associate provost, Susan S. Lipschutz conducted a study of the training of graduate student instructors that resulted in stronger, departmentally based programs. She also examined the experiences of first year students, assisted deans with faculty recruiting and developed programs in support of faculty teaching, leadership skills and career development. She played key roles in the creation of the University Wallenberg Lecture in 1985 and was chair of the selection committee for several years. Four U-M units -- the Office of the Registrar, the Bentley and Clements Libraries, and the Center for the Education of Women -- reported to her.

Lipschutz received her PhD from the University of Michigan in philosophy in 1969 and taught at the University of Denver and Albion College before being recruited by President Harold Shapiro to be his assistant in 1981. In 1986 she became an associate dean of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies under Dean John D'Arms and became the associate provost for academic affairs in 1993, succeeding Mary Ann Swain. She died at the age of 54 in 1997.

Her records comprise 14.5 linear feet and are arranged into six subseries. Her Topical Files, 1977-1998 (bulk 1990-1997) (9.0 lin. ft.), arranged alphabetically by topic, contain evidence of Lipschutz's focus on the study of teaching and learning. Her task forces on the First Year Experience at the University of Michigan and TA Training generated informative studies and reports about the learning environment at the University of Michigan. Her files also reflect her interest in fostering the careers of women faculty and graduate students. Other topics of particular interest include Faculty Governance (see, the various "Faculty" files and "Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA)" file) and the development of technological support systems relating to the admissions and the registrar's offices. Her "Funded Projects" file contains proposals for and evaluations of programs she supported.

The Unit Assessments, 1993-1996 (3 lin. ft.) records contain evidence about evaluation of programs and schools, and consist largely of self-study and long-range planning reports. Lipschutz's Grants, 1995-1997 (1 lin. ft.) series contains proposals, both funded and not funded, for the Service Learning Initiative and the Whitaker Fund. Her Presentations and Remarks 1987-1995 (0.3 lin. ft.) series is arranged in alphabetical order by speech title. Her Supervision of Units, 1977-1999, bulk 1992-1997 (0.7 lin. ft.) series contains materials regarding her oversight of units such as the Communicative Disorders Clinic, the Bentley Historical Library and the Clements Library. Finally, her Assessment, 1991-1996 (0.3 lin. ft.) series contains materials regarding the metrics by which university performance can be evaluated.

Lipschutz's records contain substantial material Lipschutz inherited from her predecessor, Mary Ann Swain. Swain left in 1993 to become Provost of SUN Binghamton. This Staff Records sub-group also includes a Swain series, and many of her other records may be found there.