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The Information Technology Division, formed in 1985, consolidated academic and administrative computing at the University of Michigan. Douglas Van Houweling was named head of the unit and at the same time appointed to the new position of Vice Provost for Information Technology. During the 1980s, the unit oversaw a shift away from Michigan Terminal System (MTS) mainframe computing to a distributed, networked environment. The Information Technology Division record group documents the development of networked computing at the University of Michigan as it evolved from 1979 to 1995, mainly during the tenure of Douglas Van Houweling. The records include historical data, internal and external committee material, correspondence, and topical files and visual material.

The records of the Information Technology Division measure 23.5 linear feet and date from 1976 to 1998; the bulk of the material represents the years 1985 to 1997. The records consist of correspondence, meeting minutes, electronic mail, newspaper clippings, and reports. They document the administration of ITD, the development of computing on campus, UM's role in the development and management of local, regional, and national computer networks, and ITD's participation, largely in the person of Douglas Van Houweling, in a number of computing organizations, most notably EDUCOM and CIESIN (Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network).

The ITD record group is divided into fourteen series including Central Files, Divisions, Networks, University Files, Vendors, Organizations, Deputy Vice-Provost for Information Technology, Vice-Provost for Information Technology, Virginia Rezmerski Files, Computer Sales Program, Computing Sites, Dean's Partnership Program, Software, and Photographs.

The NSFNET 20th anniversary celebration, held November 29-30, 2007, recognized the impact and achievements of the NSFNET program. The conference featured keynote speeches and panel discussions from participants who worked directly on NSFNET, and also from those whose work it benefited. The collection contains print and digital media documenting the event: program of event proceedings, video recordings of panel discussions, video recordings of oral history project interviews, 35 mm color slides.

The NSFNET 20th Anniversary collection documents the event, "NSFNET: The Partnership that Changed the World. Celebrating 20 Years of Internet Innovation and Progress," held November 29-30th, 2007, in Arlington, Virginia. Consisting of website printouts, event program, archived websites, DVD-R discs, DVCAM tapes, and 35 mm color slides, the collection provides historic information regarding the foundation and progress of NSFNET over the past twenty years. The collection consists of two series: Event Information and Oral History Project.