Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Albert Easton White was a professor of Metallurgical Engineering and Director of the Engineering Research Institute. The collection consists of about 75 items of correspondence and about 10 photographs from events throughout his career.

The collection consists of two series, Correspondence and Photographs.

Correspondence includes primarily letters two Professor White, especially around the time of his retirement in 1953. The series also contains a few reports on the research activities in engineering at the University of Michigan.

Photographs contains images from different stages of Professor White's career, including the groundbreaking of the Engineering building on North Campus, and social events associated with the American Society of Metals.

Records of the University of Michigan College of Engineering include histories, correspondence and topical files of deans; minutes of the executive and other committees; faculty records, including minutes of meetings and faculty biographies; miscellaneous student and alumni records; photographs, microfilm, digital files, and archived website.

The College of Engineering records date from 1860 to 2014 and measure 118.5 linear feet, 3 oversize folders, and 1,196 GB. The records document the internal activities of the College of Engineering, both administrative and academic, the role of the college as a unit of the University of Michigan, and research developments and trends over the years. Correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, financial records, and other material reflect changing research interests within the field of engineering as well as the curriculum development that has accompanied technological advances. Of particular interest are the files relating to outside work by faculty members, a question of enduring concern within the college. The records reflect the relations of the College of Engineering with private industry, especially through the documentation of funding from outside sources and the involvement of professors in outside research.

Collected material relating to the debate over the University of Michigan's participation in genetic research, mainly recombinant DNA, and broader issues of ethics and values in scientific research.

The records of the Collegiate Institute for Values and Science document the activities and programs of the institute and several campus issues involving ethics and scientific research, most notably the debate over research on Recombinant DNA in the 1970s. The records are organized into four series; Recombinant DNA Controversy, Topical File Audiotapes and Alan Price records.

Electrical engineering was established as a department in the College of Engineering in 1895. In 1971 it was renamed as the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Department of Computer and Communication Science was transferred from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts in 1984. The faculties and courses were merged under new designation Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Departmental records include administration material relating to policies and budget, annual reports and reviews, topical files, photographs, and personnel files of inactive faculty and research scientists. Records describe the facilities, curriculum, and teaching and research activities within the department.

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science records contain correspondence, departmental review reports, committee minutes, faculty and student surveys, personnel records and photographs. The records span the years 1920-1997.

The records are arranged in seven series: Administrative Budget/ Financial, Department Review and Report, Histories, Topical, Photographs, and Personnel.

Collected historical information, including record of faculty research, 1890-1970, history of the department, and faculty bibliography; and correspondence and memoranda of chairmen, Walter J. Nungester and Frederick C. Neidhardt; also administrative files concerning faculty activities, fellowships, research projects, and student affairs.

The bulk of the papers are from 1959-1970, years during which Dr. Nungester was chairman of the department. The papers have been arranged into three series; materials relating to the history and development of the department, correspondence and memoranda, and administrative files.

Materials relating to the development of the department include a history written by Dr. Novy, a biographical sketch of Dr. Novy, and summaries of data relating to faculty, students, course offerings, seminars, research and publications.

Correspondence and memoranda cover the years 1959-1971. Dr. Nungester's correspondence relates to the administration of the department and research in microbiology. Dr. Neidhardt's correspondence deals mainly with the transition period between his appointment as chairman and the actual beginning date of his tenure.

In the administrative files, the researcher will find copies of the alumni newsletter, annual reports, completed questionnaires, and financial records. There are also materials relating to faculty, students, research, outside speakers, and distinguished visitors to the department.

Correspondence and other papers dealing with departmental plans, reviews and organization, buildings and laboratories, staff recruitment, research, impact of World War I and personal affairs of various staff members especially when they were studying in Europe. Correspondence includes letters of John W. Langley, Robert A. Millikan, Harrison Randall, James M. Cork, Ernest Lawrence, Walter Stevens, John O. Reed, Henry Carhart, Karl Guthe, Fred Hodges, Horace R. Crane, and others. Also includes correspondence of chairmen Daniel Sinclair, Richard H. Sands, and Lawrence W. Jones. Efforts to locate a superconducting super collider in Michigan in the 1980s are well documented in these records.

The Department of Physics records contain budget sheets, clippings, committee minutes, correspondence, departmental review reports, organizational charts, personnel records, and photographs. The records are most informative in the administrative proceedings of the department. They are least informative in curricular and research areas. The records span the years 1873-1995 and are arranged into four series: Administrative Files, Undergraduate and Graduate Programs, Research, and Awards and Special Events and L3 Project. Although there are 19th century records present, the bulk of the records cover the period from 1954 to 1991.

The records of the Division of Research Development and Administration (1919-1996) encompass the DRDA and all of its predecessor organizations, including the Department of Engineering Research, the Engineering Research Institute, the University of Michigan Research Institute, and the Office of Research Administration. Record types include correspondence, topical subject files, research grant files, meeting minutes, financial records, and photographs.

The records of the Division of Research Development and Administration (1919-1996) encompass both the DRDA and all of its predecessor organizations. The papers have been divided into seven major series: Governing and Oversight Bodies (1919-1964), Staff and Committee Records (ca. 1922-1979), Administrative Files (1922-1972), Correspondence Files (1943-1972), Willow Run Laboratories (1946-1966), Directors' Files, and several boxes of Research Grant Files on microfilm. There are also four smaller series: the Engineering College Research Council (1959-1961), Review of the DRDA - Report to Harold Shapiro, 1980, Engineering Research Institute - miscellaneous research reports, Photographs, and Programmed Research Information System at Michigan (PRISM) Reports.

Professor of biochemistry at the University of Michigan. Files related to civic activities and participation in University-wide debates on issues of public policy; include files from work on Citizens' Advisory Committee on Racial Balance and Equal Opportunity in Ann Arbor Schools, 1979; also papers dealing with debate within the University over classified and non-classified research sponsored by U.S. Department of Defense, 1968-1986.

The Donald E. Hultquist papers contain material pertaining to Professor Hultquist's professional and civic activities from 1962-1999, in particular, his work on behalf of racial desegregation in Ann Arbor Schools and his involvement in the University's debate over classified research. The collection is divided into three series: Academic accomplishments; Citizens' Advisory Committee on Racial Balance and Equal Opportunity in Ann Arbor Schools; and Classified Research at the University of Michigan.

Regent of the University of Michigan. Topical files relating to his activities as a regent and the issues and problems affecting the University of Michigan.

The Gerald R. Dunn collection consists of those materials accumulated as regent of the University of Michigan, 1969 to 1985. The files have been arranged into two alphabetical subseries: 1969-1976 files and 1977-1984 files. The files relate to such issues as affirmative action, the Black Action Movement, the discussion over the University's participation in DNA research, the development of the Flint and Dearborn campuses, student activism, and other issues during the presidencies of Robben W. Fleming and Harold Shapiro.

Graduate School of the University of Michigan. Records include dean's topical files, 1892-1996; files of associate deans; minutes of the executive board; project and grant files detailing faculty and student research; lists of degrees granted; records of fellowships and awards granted by the graduate school and university; and files relating to academic departments and programs, including reviews of degree programs.

The records of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies document the administration of the school, its academic programs and research projects and fellowships funded by the school and outside sources. The records include Dean's Files, minutes of the Executive Board and Administrative Council, Academic Unit and Program Evaluation files, and grants administration records.

Records of the Graduate School have been received by the library in numerous accessions, some large others quite small. Some accessions represent continuations or complements to previously received materials. This finding attempts to intellectually integrate continuing or similar record series received in multiple accessions.

The records are organized into a number of series. Among the more significant are:

1. Deans' Topical File
2. Research Records
3. University Units
4. Program Evaluations
5. Faculty Research Grants
6. Degree Lists
7. Faculty Fellowships, Grants and Awards
8. Graduate School Executive Board and Administrative Council

In 2008, the Rackham School of Graduate Studies announced that it would become a 'paperless' office and that future accessions to the Bentley Library would be electronic. The materials from 1990 to 2003 were thus digitized by Rackham staff (from the original paper records) and saved as PDF (Portable Document Format) files. As of 2012, these digital accessions comprise two subseries within the Graduate School Executive Board and Administrative Council series and Program Evaluation series.