The records of the College of Racine cover the years from 1936 to 1975, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1960, when the college moved to its new campus. Materials concerning the earlier period are scattered throughout the collection. The records provide comprehensive documentation of the growth and development of a small private college, its relationship with the Racine community, the initiation of educational reforms and innovations during the 1960s and early 1970s, and its financial difficulties. Most of the records concern the academic and financial operation of the college from the perspective of administrators and officers. Records generated by the faculty and students are scarce.
The records are arranged in eight series: Files of the Office of the President, Files of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Files of the Office of the Vice President for Administration, Files of the Office of the Vice President for Development and Public Relations, Student Records, Publications, Records of Related Institutions, and Non-Text Materials. The series reflect the arrangement of the records when they were received by the State Historical Society, with the exception of Publications and Non-Text Materials, which are grouped in separate series.
The FILES OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT document activities of the administration, president, deans, and other officers; various college committees; and the Admissions Office. This series contains very little correspondence and most of the records are minutes, agenda, reports, and mailings. The FILES OF THE OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS is the largest and most comprehensive series. The records in this series were created by the vice-president for academic affairs, the academic dean, the graduate dean, the faculty, and the registrar. They include materials on accreditation, the curriculum, numerous educational and religious organizations with which the college was associated, and various governmental education programs. The registrar's files contain the most complete numerical data on the student body.
The FILES OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADMINISTRATION contain the college's financial records including some post-bankruptcy records. The FILES OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC RELATIONS document fundraising efforts, the publicity and public relations programs, and the activities of the Alumni Association. STUDENT RECORDS concentrate primarily on student government and organizations. The PUBLICATIONS series contains college bulletins, promotional materials and various in-house manuals. The RECORDS OF RELATED INSTITUTIONS include records of the administration, officers, faculty and students of Mt. St. Paul College as well as a small amount of material on the Salvatorian Community, St. Catherine's Female Academy, St. Catherine's High School, and the Sisters of St. Dominic of Racine. NON-TEXT MATERIALS include photographs, blueprints and architect's drawings, and five films.
Detailed series descriptions precede the contents list for each series.
