Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

The University of Michigan's highest governing body is the Board of Regents. The Regents deal with virtually every aspect of university policy and campus life. The records of the Regents reflect this broad range of interests and authority. This record group contains exhibits from meetings beginning in 1899. These exhibits are the most complete record of the actions of the Regents, supplementing and detailing the published minutes Proceedings of the Board of Regents. Additional documentation in this record group includes manuscript minutes, 1837-1870, correspondence, material by and about the Regents, photographs, audio recordings of meetings, 1977-2011, and material on recent presidential searches.

As the official governing body of the university, the Regents deal with virtually every aspect of university policy and life. The records of the Regents--which includes exhibits of Regents' meetings, topical files, correspondence files, audio and visual material, and archived web content--reflect this broad range of interests and authority. But while the documentation is wide-ranging, it is not continuous. Certain types of records are continually before the Regents, particularly information regarding salaries, leaves of absence, appointments to faculty positions, and formal approval of degrees conferred upon students. More often, however, the Regents are presented with a specific problem and asked to resolve it through the creation of policy. After the creation and successful implementation of a policy, the situation which caused the issue to arise is usually no longer a matter of Regental concern. The Regents' records reflect this pattern of action. Issues arise, are resolved, and then are supplanted by new concerns.

Bright Sheng, a composer born in China, is also renown as a conductor, pianist, and researcher. The Bright Sheng Collection contains the papers of University of Michigan composition professor Bright Sheng. In addition to Sheng's own files and correspondence, it includes manuscript, printed, and published versions of his scores (printed scores are for musicians' use, while published scores are for a wider audience), published and unpublished recordings of his works, interviews, programs and reviews featuring his works, and work from Sheng's students. Also included are field recordings and an audio diary from the 2000 Silk Road project in China.

The Bright Sheng Collection contains the papers of University of Michigan composition professor Bright Sheng. It is comprised of 17 series: Biographical, 1982-c2000; Correspondence, 1962-2004; Professional, 1997-1998; Career, 1988-1995; Program Notes [undated]; Awards and Citations, 1984-2003; Photographs, 1985-2004; Reviews, 1986-2004; Programs, 1973-2003; Libretti, 1999-2003; Published Scores, 1988-1999; Printed Scores, 1982-2002; Manuscripts and Revised Scores, 1985-2004; Audio Recordings [undated]; Student Works, 1996-2004; Silk Road Trip, 2000; and Moving Images, 1985-2003. Together, these series document Sheng's career from his early days as a student to his current status as world-renowned composer and professor.

The first six series in the Bright Sheng Collection are extremely short, with a combined physical extent of approximately .5 linear foot. The Biographical, 1982-c2000 series is comprised of a single folder containing biographical material about Sheng. The Correspondence, 1962-2004 series contains topical files of Sheng's correspondence with colleagues in China, with his professors, and with his family, as well as a partial chronological file of correspondence falling outside of those three categories. The Professional, 1997-1998 series includes an article written by Sheng, as well as articles in Chinese about Sheng's music. The Career, 1988-1995 series contains materials related to Sheng's various appointments and positions over the years. The Program Notes series contains an article about the Sung Dynasty and the work Two Poems from the Sung Dynasty. The Awards and Citations, 1984-2003 series includes materials related to various honors Sheng has received in the course of his career, including a MacArthur 'Genius' grant and the University of Michigan's Leonard Bernstein Distinguished University Professorship.

Professor of anatomy in the University of Michigan Medical School, 1941-1978. Correspondence and other materials relating to his research activities, the publication of books and articles, and the teaching of anatomy.

The papers which survive Dr. Baker reflect only the latter part of his life, primarily 1970 to 1978. They are arranged in a single Alphabetical Subject File. Most of the material is of a routine nature. Those research notes which remain are primarily drafts of published articles, often with a copy of the article and correspondence with the publisher filed with the research. The collection does include files from Dr. Burton's class in anatomy.

Industrial hygienist, consultant and lecturer in environmental and industrial health in the School of Public Health of the University of Michigan. Logs of daily activities, 1936-1961, correspondence relating to consulting projects, speech and lecture material, and research files on lead poisoning and the effects of air conditioning on workers; history of occupational health at the University of Michigan, 1873-1970, history of the American Academy of Occupational Medicine, 1946-1956; history of the Bernardino Ramazzini Society, 1942-1978; study of automobile body industry in Detroit, 1936; and related photographs.

The papers of Carey Pratt McCord represent only a fragment of what once must have been a larger body of papers and consequently document only a small portion of his varied and active career. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Personal; Correspondence; Speeches and lectures; Writings and related; Research files; Miscellaneous; and Photographs.

Professor of Philosophy at The University of Michigan; correspondence; records of University of Michigan and other organizational activities; articles, books, and speeches; and topical files.

The Carl Cohen papers is comprised of correspondence, memoranda, writings, and topical files reflecting his teaching and other responsibilities as a member of the faculty of the University of Michigan. In addition, other files document his activities in other organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union and as a labor and grievance arbitrator. Many of the files concern his continuing interest in such contemporary issues as affirmative action and the use of animals in medical research.

Professor of actuary mathematics and of insurance at the University of Michigan from 1941 until 1974. Papers concern his teaching career at Michigan and consulting work on pension and social security matters.

The Carl H. Fischer collection dates from 1936 until 1985, but primarily documents the period from 1950 until 1970. The papers mainly reflect the Dr. Fischer's professional activities within the University of Michigan School of Business, as a consultant to various organizations both American and foreign, on pension and social security matters, and as a participant in professional organizations and societies. There are thus few personal materials in the papers.

The collection is arranged into four series: University of Michigan, Consulting, Professional Organizations, and Conference Papers/Other writings. Additional information on Dr. Fischer may also be found in the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs record group of which he was director in the year 1952, and in the records of the University of Michigan School of Business Administration. Published work may be found in the University of Michigan on-line catalog.

Professor of English at University of Michigan. Correspondence, diaries, and topical files relating to his interest in English grammar and usage, his evaluation of various dictionaries, his interest in Polish-American relations, and the controversy surrounding Henshaw Ward's denial of Peary's discovery of the North Pole.

The Wells collection is comprised of the following series: Subject file; Personal diaries; Robert E. Peary; and Other papers.

Interdisciplinary area studies center at the University of Michigan. Records include material from the Department of Near Eastern Studies predating the founding of the center as well as files on center directors, conferences, seminars, and lectures. Administrative files include executive committee minutes beginning in 1971, center reviews and evaluations, and records on funding and funding agencies.

The records of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies document the founding and functioning of the center, from the 1960s to the 1990s, and include historical materials about the Department of Near Eastern Studies dating from the 1940s and 1950s. The records cover the center's history fairly evenly, but document the period from the 1970s to the 1990s in greater depth than the center's first decade. While the 1960s are documented in correspondence, funding reports, and press clippings, records from the later decade also include executive committee minutes, material from conferences and lectures, and photographs. The CMENAS records cover a variety of topics related to the history, politics, economy, literature and art of the Middle East. Furthermore, the records document how American universities studied those topics from the 1940s to the 1990s.

The records are arranged in twelve series: Area Centers Material, Executive Committee, Evaluation, Funding, Historical Material, Intra-University Programs, Name File, National Organizations, Outreach, Publications Related Files, Special Activities, and Photographs.

Minutes, correspondence, audiovisual materials, and other records documenting the founding, public programs, research projects, day-to-day administrative activities, and individual staff members of the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women.

The Center for Education of Women collection consist of minutes, correspondence, audiovisual materials, and other records documenting the founding, public programs, research projects, day-to-day administrative activities, and individual staff members of the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women. It is divided into four broad subgroups: Central Office Files, 1961-2009; Individual Staff Files, 1919-1999; Audiovisual Materials, 1963-1997; and Website. The current CEW collection is the result of a major reprocessing project that combined several new accessions with the pre-existing record group--itself the accumulation of several accessions--and which has resulted in a re-figured collection nearly double the size of the original. The first three subgroups and their major series have been retained, but some of the lower-level organization has been updated to reflect the fuller picture of the Center that the combined set of materials affords.

Documents within folders may be arranged either chronologically or reverse chronologically, based on the existing arrangement of the majority of materials (in both the pre-existing collection and in the new accessions), and in some cases may adhere to the original filing order. Also, some files (e.g. most correspondence) were filed by calendar year (Jan-Dec.), while others (notably budgets, staff meetings, and program files) were filed by fiscal year. Unless otherwise noted, files arranged by academic year (indicated in the box list by dates such as '1990/91') run from July of the first year through June of the second year.

Researchers examining the CEW collection may also be interested in related files in the following other Bentley University of Michigan record groups: Institute on Gerontology, Michigan Initiative on Women's Health, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Additionally, researchers should note the following overlaps between the 'Topical' series in the 'Central Office Files' subgroup and the files of CEW staff members in the 'Individual Staff Files' subgroup:

1. Counseling: Myra Fabian, Dorothy McGuigan, Vivian Rogers, and Patricia Wulp
2. Evening Program (especially 1982 and later): Patricia Wulp
3. Group Counseling and Workshops (e.g., Career Decision Making, Assertiveness, the Step Before the Job Search, etc.): Myra Fabian, Barbara Anton, and Patricia Wulp
4. Programs by Academic Year: Patricia Wulp
5. Publicity: Louise Cain, Patricia Wulp and Dorothy McGuigan
6. Research (including: non-traditional student surveys, Women in Science (and Engineering) studies, participant data, and especially Ford Grants): Jean Campbell, Carol Hollenshead, Jean Manis, Hazel Markus, and Dorothy McGuigan
7. Sexual Harassment Implementation Team and other Sexual Harassment materials: Sue Kaufmann
8. Women's Initiative Group (WING): Myra Fabian, Sue Kaufmann, Vivian Rogers, and Patricia Wulp

Due to the decentralized nature of the CEW records, researchers are encouraged to check for headings in each of the subgroups and series, even for subjects not listed above.

Acronyms used frequently in the records and in this finding aid include:

1. CFW / COW -- UM Commission for Women (prior to 1972, the name was the Commission on Women)
2. CURIES -- Cross-University Research in Engineering and Science
3. GEO -- UM Graduate Employees' Organization
4. IOG -- Institute of Gerontology (Joint UM/Wayne State program)
5. LSA / LS&A -- UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
6. MAWDAC -- Michigan Association of Women Deans, Administrators and Counselors
7. MSA -- Michigan Student Assembly (UM student government)
8. NAWDAC -- National Association of Women Deans, Administrators and Counselors
9. NACME -- National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
10. NSF -- National Science Foundation
11. OVPR -- UM Office of the Vice President for Research
12. UM -- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor campus unless otherwise noted)
13. WING -- UM Women's Initiative Group
14. WIS / WISE -- Women in Science / Women in Science and Engineering, originally a CEW project that later spun off into its own unit)

University of Michigan unit established in 1990 in part to collect and disseminate information regarding the history of health sciences in Michigan. Records include newsletter of the Center; collected historical manuscripts, photographs, and motion pictures relating to the development of health sciences at the University of Michigan; include notebooks of medical school students, account book, 1831-1839, of Berrien Springs, Michigan physician, and miscellaneous materials relating to the medical school and to medical practice.

The records of the Center for the History of Medicine (CHM) records include administrative records documenting operation of the center and archival material collected by the center. The materials have been divided into three subgroups: Administrative, Collections, and Center for the History of Medicine Website.