The collection consists of the vice provost's (1956-1965), vice chancellor's (1965-1998),
and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs' files. There are few records from the
vice provost tenures of George A. Parkinson (1956-1958) and Charles Vevier (1963-1965). The
number of records generated began increasing after Vevier became vice chancellor in 1965,
but most of the records were created between the 1970s and the 1990s by Vice Chancellors
William L. Walters, Norma S. Rees, John H. Schroeder, and Kenneth L. Watters. There are also
a number of records dating from the 1990s to the early 2010s from the tenure of John Wanat
and Rita Cheng.
The provost is the university's chief academic officer and is second in command to the
chancellor. All of the university's schools and colleges report to the provost, as well as
the Dean of the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education, the Director of the Golda
Meir Library, the Special Assistant for Student Academic Support Services, the Campus
Minority/Disadvantaged Student Coordinator, the Director of the Computing Services Division,
the Director of the Educational Communications Division, and the Coordinator of the Center
for the Improvement of Instruction. The collection provides evidence of the vice
chancellor's supervision of these entities during the years 1956 through 2002.
The collection documents the provost's primary responsibility for the administration of the
academic affairs of the university. In conjunction with the Academic Affairs office, the
vice chancellor's office oversees the university's academic units, including all centers,
colleges, schools, and other academic divisions and programs. The offices best documented in
the collection include Academic Affairs; Center for Great Lakes Studies; Center for Teacher
Education; College of Engineering and Applied Science; College of Letters & Science;
Computing Services Division; Division of Urban Outreach; Golda Meir Library; Graduate
School; International Business Center; International Studies and Programs; Office of
Institutional Studies; College of Health Sciences; School of Architecture and Urban
Planning; Lubar School of Business; School of Education; Peck School of the Arts; School of
Information Studies; College of Nursing; and School of Social Welfare.
The collection contains chronological and correspondence files which document the
activities of the associate, assistant, and special assistants attached to the vice
chancellor's staff. In addition to academic affairs, this support staff assists the vice
chancellor with academic and campus planning, budget planning, minority and disadvantaged
student affairs, personnel matters, and student affairs. There is extensive documentation
regarding several programs attached directly to the Academic Affairs office, including the
Center for the Improvement of Instruction, Learning Skills and Educational Opportunity, the
Pre-College Center, and Student Academic Support Services. Numerous files exist which
document the activities of, and programs administered by, the special assistant to the vice
chancellor for minority and disadvantaged student affairs.
The provost renders decisions on academic programs, including changes in curricula; the
establishment or termination of degree programs; personnel decisions involving unclassified
employees, including appointments, promotions, approvals for leaves of absence, and salary
rates and increases; budget decisions in the academic sector, including allocations and
reallocations; and long-range planning for academic affairs and academic subunits, including
academic programming, budgeting, and personnel. In addition, the vice chancellor has the
authority to approve or disapprove the formation of new schools, colleges, and degree
programs; curriculum revisions; opening of positions for recruitment and filling vacant
positions; tenure promotions; sabbatical leaves; and annual budgets, allocations, and
transfers. Evidence of these activities is provided in the files, which contain copies of
correspondence, reports, studies, arid background materials either created by the vice
chancellor or sent to the vice chancellor from other offices. The files also contain
agendas, memoranda, minutes, and supporting materials from ad hoc and standing
committees.
The collection contains numerous files regarding academic affairs, which document the
provost's involvement in administrative concerns related to academic programming,
accreditation, admissions, development of new courses and degrees, enrollment, policies and
procedures, and recruitment and retention of staff and students. In addition, the records of
the Academic Deans Council document the provost's involvement in general administrative
concerns such as the budget, relevant decisions of the University of Wisconsin regents, and
grading and salary policies. Other related records can be found in files on Academic
Affairs; Academic Planning Committee; Accreditation; Administrative Affairs; Admissions;
Assistant to the Vice Chancellor; Associate Vice Chancellor; Chancellor's Cabinet Meetings;
Chancellor's Staff Meetings; Chronological File; Correspondence; Enrollment; Policies and
Procedures; and University of Wisconsin System, Vice Chancellors' Meetings.
Extensive documentation exists which illustrates the provost's involvement in the
development of academic programs. Files related to this topic include Academic Majors and
Programs; Academic Planning Committee; Academic Program and Curriculum Committee; Academic
Program Audit; Accreditation; General Education Requirements; New Academic Program
Proposals; Program Audit and Review; Program Entitlements; Summer Sessions; Transfer of
Credits; and Undergraduate Program Reviews.
One of the principal concerns of the provost's office is the administration of affirmative
action for minority and disadvantaged students and employees on the UWM campus. The
Affirmative Action files contain detailed correspondence and reports concerning the early
development of hiring and retention plans. Related records can be found in files on the
Advanced Opportunity Program; Center for the Study of Minorities and the Disadvantaged;
Disabled Student Services; Equal Opportunity Office; Handicapped Students; the Minority
Affairs Administrative Committee; the Minority Affairs Council; Minority and Disadvantaged
Students; Minority/Disadvantaged Coordinator, Demonstration Retention Project, and Student
Programs; Minority High School Research Apprenticeship Program; Minority Student Recruitment
and Retention; Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity; and the Young Scholars
Program.
The collection contains various files concerning campus planning and development. Most
prominent are the files on the Caudill, Rowlett & Scott Master Plan for the UWM campus
(1969-1972), which include correspondence, minutes, and reports from UWM officials. Of
particular interest are the statements from the academic deans, which provide insight as to
their goals for UWM. Other files related to campus planning include Building Development and
Planning; Campus Master Plan; Campus Planning Process; Chapman Hall Building Committee;
Expansion Plans; Mission Statement; Planning and Development; Remodeling Projects;
Transportation Plan; and the Year 2000 Plan Committee.
The files concerning centers, colleges and schools contain the majority of the records in
the collection. These files include the provost's incoming and outgoing letters with
individuals on and off the campus, especially the academic deans; reports; minutes of
meetings; and other materials. The records usually concern accreditation, general policy
issues, funding, organizational structure, staffing, and other administrative affairs. Also
included are files regarding other academic departments and divisions.
The university's involvement in community and teacher education is well documented in the
provost's files. Files related to this topic include American Council on Education; American
Federation of Teachers; Center for Math and Science Education Research; Center for the
Improvement of Instruction; various files under Continuing Education; Educational
Communications Division; Experimental Program in Higher Education; Higher Education Act of
1965; Instructional Media Laboratory; various files regarding Learning Skills and
Educational Opportunity; Milwaukee Public Schools; various files regarding education
programs under Program Audits and Reviews; Remedial Education; School of Education; Task
Force on Teacher Education; various files under University of Wisconsin System; and
Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Grants.
The collection contains extensive files on the development of computing on the UWM campus.
The records include files on numerous related committees and task forces, such as the Ad Hoc
Committee on Academic Computing; Computer Policy Advisory Committee; Computer Policy
Committee; Computer Services Committee; Computer Technical Advisory Committee; Computer
Guidance Committee; IBM; Instruction and Research Computing Task Force; and University of
Wisconsin Computing Center Faculty Advisory Committee. Other records can be found in files
on Academic Computing; Administrative Computing; Computer and Management Services Division;
Computer Center; Computing Services Division; E-mail; and UWM Plan for Computing
Development.
The university's cooperative programs, including extramural programs with other campuses
and community outreach programs, are well documented in the files. Related records include
files on the Civic Center Campus; Committee on Institutional Cooperation; Division of Urban
Outreach; International Studies and Programs; Milwaukee Area Technical College; Milwaukee
Public Schools; Off Campus Credit Courses; University Extension; University/Industry
Relations; University of Wisconsin Centers; University of Wisconsin Extension; University
Relations; Urban Corridor Consortium; UWM/Milwaukee Public Schools Collaborative Programs
and Coordinating Committee; UWM/University of Wisconsin Extension Integration; and other
University of Wisconsin System campuses.
The provost's files provide documentation regarding ethnic studies and programs on the UWM
campus. Files related to this topic include the Asian Studies Committee; Center for Latin
America; Ethnic Studies; Hispanic History Conference; Language and Area Center for Latin
America; Midwest Consortium for Latino Research; Native American Studies Program; Polish
Studies; Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute; the University of Wisconsin System's Institute
on Race and Ethnicity; and the Urban Corridor Consortium's American Ethnic Studies.
The provost's office also deals with various faculty and academic staff issues, including
appointments, faculty development, leaves of absence, sabbaticals, salary and tenure. Files
related to this topic include various files under "Academic Staff," including Academic Staff
Committee, Academic Staff Issues, and Academic Staff Professional Development Program;
Employee Relation Committee; Faculty and Academic Staff; various files under "Faculty,"
including Faculty Development, Faculty Promotions and Faculty Workload; Inner City Faculty;
Limited Appointment Policies; various files under "Personnel," including Personnel
Administrative Services; Sabbatical Selection Committee; Salaries; and the University
Committee, which serves as the faculty's executive body. Also included in the collection are
grievance and search and screen committee files, which are permanently restricted per UWM's
Personnel File Policy.
There are numerous records concerning medical education at UWM and cooperative programs
with other institutions. Information on the proposed medical school and cooperative programs
can be found under: the Ad Hoc Medical School Committee on Program and Curriculum;
Communicating Group on Medical Affairs; Gerontology Center; Health Sciences Advisory
Council; Medical College of Wisconsin/UWM Liaison Committee; Medical Center of Southeastern
Wisconsin; Medical College of Wisconsin; Medical Education; Medical Education and Public
Health; Medical Education Task Force; Medical Records Administration; Medical School; School
of Allied Health Professions; School of Nursing; and the Wisconsin Regional Medical
Program.
The provost's office also monitors student affairs. Files related to this topic include
Disabled Student Services; Minority and Disadvantaged Students; Minority/Disadvantaged
Student Programs; Student Academic Misconduct Policy; Student Academic Support Services;
Student Affairs; Student Employment; Student Retention; Student Services; Transfer of
Credits.; and Work Study Program.
There are numerous, but scattered, records concerning the student protests during the
Vietnam War. Information on the protests and the effects on campus operations and the ROTC
program can be found in the files on Campus Disorders, Disruptions on Campus, Guidelines for
Meeting Academic Obligations During Special Periods and Circumstances, the Reserve Officer
Training Corps, Strike-1970, the Student Conduct Hearings Committee, and the Vietnam
Moratorium Committee.
The collection also contains files documenting women's issues on the UWM campus. These
files include Academic Staff Gender Equity; American Association of University Women; Center
for Women's Studies; Committee on the Status of Academic Women; Continuing Education Program
for Women; Non-Traditional Careers for Women; Office of Women's Studies; Regents' Task Force
on the Status of Women; Wisconsin Task Force on Comparable Worth; Women's Status; and
Women's Studies.
Likewise, the collection also contains some files dealing with LGBT issues on the UWM
campus. There are no separate files dedicated to this movement however.
