The majority of the collection consists of the assistant chancellor's files concerning the
operations of departments, offices, and programs within Student Affairs. The files contain
copies of correspondence, reports, and background materials either created by the assistant
chancellor or sent to him from other offices. The files also contain agendas, minutes, and
supporting materials from ad hoc and standing committees within the office of Student
Affairs. The files created by Assistant Chancellor Spaights often contain especially frank
correspondence, memoranda, or reports.
The collection contains numerous files on general administrative operations within Student
Affairs. Excellent summaries can be found in the annual reports, and in the audit files of
the various departments and programs, which usually include detailed analyses of programs,
budgets, work loads, and other issues. Among the most well documented operations are the
following departments or programs:
- Department of Admissions and Records
- Department of Financial Aid
- Department of High School and College Relations
- Department of Housing
- Department of International Scholars
- Department of Learning Skills
- Department of Placement and Career Development
- Department of Registration and Records
- Department of Student Health
- Experimental Program in Higher Education
- Student Accessibility Center
The Administrative Council was a "decision-making/information sharing group" within Student
Affairs which usually met weekly, chaired by the assistant chancellor. The files include
agendas, background materials, correspondence, and minutes, which document the assistant
chancellor's involvement in general administrative concerns such as the budget, procedures,
and program development.
There are numerous records concerning the recruitment, retention, and quality of African
American student life at UWM. Materials related to this topic can be found in files on:
- Advisory Committee on Minority/Disadvantaged Student Life
- Affirmative Action Advisory and Oversight Committee (AAAOC)
- Black Students Programs
- Black Students' Union
- Center for the Study of Minority and Disadvantaged Students
- Central City Scholarship Committee
- Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Minority Issues
- Future Black Nurses Association
- Minority Academic Achievement Scholarship Committee
- Minority and Disadvantaged Programs
- Minority Census
- Minority/Disadvantaged Planning Task Force
- Minority/Disadvantaged Students
- Minority Enrollment
- Minority Student Recruitment and Retention
- Subcommittee for the Review of Minority/Disadvantaged Project Proposals
- University of Wisconsin System Assessment and Evaluation of Minority/ Disadvantaged
Services Programs
The collection contains a variety of files concerning student housing at UWM. The records
of the Department of Housing include correspondence and reports on the development of on-
and off-campus housing services, residence regulation, and costs of services. The files on
Sandburg Commons and the Sandburg Halls provide similar information on UWM's main residence
dormitories.
The correspondence files contain the assistant chancellor's incoming and outgoing letters
with individuals on and off campus, usually concerning general policy issues, funding,
staffing, and other administrative concerns. Some of the correspondence can also be found in
the files on committees, departments, and programs.
The files on the Dean of Women, which date back to 1936, document the development of
policies concerning housing and sorority regulations for female students at the Wisconsin
State College, Milwaukee and UWM. The files do not include any information explaining the
changes in the function of the Dean of Women in the 1960s, although the general 1936-1968
file does contain a document from 1968 which provides a history of the office, and an
explanation of job duties.
The collection contains extensive documentation on the Experimental Program in Higher
Education (EPHE), which began in September 1968 to admit "culturally distinct" students into
UWM who were denied entry into the university because they did not fulfil the regular
requirements and to retain those students until they graduated. The files include a useful
semester summary of "Characteristics and Performance of the Participants," which contain
analyses of scholastic performance, ethnic group, residence, age, sex, and marital status.
No personally identifiable information is provided. The EPHE files include records of the
Upward Bound Program, which began in July 1972 as a tutoring and college preparatory program
for high school students with "disadvantaged backgrounds." The files include semi-annual
reports which provide information on academic program structure; curriculum; plans and
projections; community, recreational, and cultural programs; and statistical data.
The development of UWM's policies and programs on student health are well documented in the
collection. The files on the Department of Student Health include documentation on efforts
to improve health services, including immunization of students, improvements at the Student
Health Center, and the development of psychological services. Of particular interest in a
1978-1979 survey of student health needs using an "ecosystem model," which stressed that
program and policy changes were predicated on a systematic survey of the students
perceptions of their needs. Information on the survey can be found in the Department of
Student Health's 1979 general files and the records of the Student Health Ecosystem
Evaluation Project.
The Department of Placement and Career Development conducted an annual survey of graduates,
which provide data on placement rates; geographic location of placement; types and
activities of employers; salaries; and background of the students, including ethnic
heritage, sex, and grade point average. No personally identifiable information is
provided.
The files on veterans at UWM include correspondence, grant proposals, and reports on
programs which provided academic and financial assistance.
The collection also includes files on the Pre-College Academy and its successor, the
Pre-College Program, both of which outreach programs administered by the Division of Student
Affairs to expose high school students to UWM's academic and social environment. These
programs were usually administered to Milwaukee students during the summer session, and also
provided tutoring services and the academic underpinning for UWM's College for Kids
program.
No records exist from the tenures of Robert E. Norris and David W. Robinson as Deans of
Student Affairs (1956-1970). The head of Student Affairs was officially called the Dean of
Student Affairs, but was often informally called the Dean of Students until 1974. The
official office of the Dean of Students was established in 1974 following the resignation of
David W. Robinson as Dean of Student Affairs, and reported to the Assistant Chancellor.
