The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives Research Center
CredoResearch digital collections in Credo

Collections: arx

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Graduate School

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Graduate School

1896-2007
70 linear feet
Call no.: RG 010

The University of Massachusetts Amherst has offered graduate education since 1896, awarding more than 11,360 doctoral and 37,480 master’s degrees. With a graduate faculty of 1,100 (2006), the Amherst campus offers 50 programs leading to a doctorate and 68 programs toward a master’s degree.

Included in the records of the Graduate School are files related to the the Dean of the School, its graduate programs, and the records of the Boston Office of the University Press.

Subjects

Graduate students--Massachusetts

Contributors

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Graduate SchoolUniversity of Massachusetts Press
University of Massachusetts Amherst. Libraries

University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries Records

1876-2007
75 linear feet
Call no.: RG 008

Beginning in a room in the first South College building, filled with books donated by faculty, staff, and students, the University Library has grown to include over three million items. After expanding into larger quarters in the Old Chapel Building in 1884 (the first campus building designed as a library), the library was relocated to Goodell Hall (1935) and the University Library tower (1973), named the W.E.B. Du Bois Library in 1996. Other library facilities on campus have included libraries for the biological sciences, physical sciences, and the Music Library, as well as the Integrated Science and Engineering Library in the Lederle Graduate Research Center.

The collection consists of basic administrative records of many library departments, the records of the Library Director (1924-1975), other materials that document the library, its staff and activities, and information about the design, construction, and dedication of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library tower, the Hampshire Inter-Library Center (HILC), and Five College cooperation.

Subjects

Academic libraries--Massachusetts

Contributors

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Library
University of Massachusetts Amherst. Other UMass Campuses

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Other Campuses

1955-2007
Call no.: RG 055

The University of Massachusetts system now extends to five campuses: Amherst (the flagship, founded in 1863), Boston (1964), Lowell (1975, with predecessor institutions dating to the 1890s), Worcester (the medical school, 1962), and Dartmouth (1991, but with roots beginning in 1895 with the New Bedford Textile School).

The archives at UMass Amherst include information on the founding and early administration of each the younger UMass campuses, as well as the World War II-era campus at Fort Devens. Complete records for each UMass campus are maintained

Subjects

Fort Devens (Mass.)University of Massachusetts BostonUniversity of Massachusetts DartmouthUniversity of Massachusetts LowellUniversity of Massachusetts Worcester
University of Massachusetts Amherst. Photographs

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Photographs

ca.1867-2007
Call no.: RG 100-176

The archives of UMass Amherst contain tens of thousands of formal and informal photographic images of the campus community from its founding in the 1860s to the present. The collections have been organized into over twenty discrete series. Digitized version of approximately 13,000 of images are available online.

Subjects

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Types of material

Photographs
University of Massachusetts Amherst. Physical Plant

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Physical Plant

1884-2007
30 linear feet
Call no.: RG 036

The Physical Plant at UMass Amherst is responsible for the custodial, grounds, utilities, and building maintenance for nearly six million square feet of administrative, academic, and recreational space.

Record Group 36 documents the varied aspects of the built environment on campus, from public art through maintenance work, and an extensive series relating to the design, construction, and maintenance of individual campus buildings.

Subjects

Massachusetts Agricultural CollegeMassachusetts State CollegeUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst

Contributors

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Physical Plant Division

Types of material

Maps
University of Massachusetts Amherst. President

University of Massachusetts Amherst. President

1814-2007
129.5 linear feet
Call no.: RG 003

On November 29, 1864, the Board of Trustees for the Massachusetts Agricultural College created the Office of the President and elected Henry Flagg French as the first president of the newly created land grant institution. In 1970, the President’s office was relocated from the Amherst campus to separate offices in Boston, and the Office of Chancellor was established as the chief executive position at each of the five UMass campuses. The responsibilities of the President and of the central administrative staff are summarized in the University’s Governance Document of 1973: the president acts as the principal academic and executive officer of the University, presents policy recommendations to the Board of Trustees, keeps current a master plan of the University, prepares the annual budget, allocates the appropriated budget, appoints members of the faculty to tenure with the concurrence of the Board of Trustees, coordinates the work of all campuses of the University and promotes the general welfare of the University as a whole.

Containing the papers of individual presidents of UMass (1864-2007) and their Presidential Reports (1948-1984), the record group also includes records of central administrative offices, including the Secretary of the University, the Treasurer’s Office (1864-2007), and the Donahue Institute for Governmental Services (1970-2007). Collections for individual Presidents are filed separately in UMarmot under the President’s name.

Access restrictions: Access is restricted on some files of recent Presidents.

Contributors

University of Massachusetts Amherst. President
University of Massachusetts Amherst. Public Affairs

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Public Affairs

1866-2007
73.75 linear feet
Call no.: RG 005

Public relations efforts at UMass have shifted over the years from an early emphasis on education in agriculture and home economics to contemporary efforts to manage the torrent of information generated by a research university. The first news editor at UMass was not appointed until 1948, and as late as 1961, the entire central Public Relations staff consisted only of a news and publications editor, although the College of Agriculture hosted a separate staff of five. Since the 1960s, however, the public relations efforts have expanded as rapidly as the University as a whole. The position of Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Development was created in 1983, (called Vice Chancellor for University Advancement after 1993) to oversee public affairs, alumni relations, and development activities.

This record group consists of materials from the several offices concerned with the production of University publications and publicity. The records include press releases, brochures, guidebooks, newsclippings, newsletters, bulletins, weekly newspapers, semi-monthly feature publications, special publications and photographic negatives. Also included in this group are the following publications: Chancellor’s Monthly Press Briefings, Chancellor’s Annual Review of NewsClips, Commonwealth Research Reports, Campus Guidebooks, University Newsletter, Weekly Bulletin, Executive Bulletin, University Bulletin, brochures, Contact, UMass, Science Journal, University Notebook, Tips, News Summary, and the Commonwealth Journal.

Subjects

Public relations--Massachusetts

Contributors

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Office of Public Affairs
University of Massachusetts Amherst. Research and Engagement

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Research and Engagement Records

1984-2007
1 linear feet
Call no.: RG 009

The record group includes publications, organizational charts, and files from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Subjects

Graduate students--Massachusetts

Contributors

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Graduate School
University of Massachusetts Amherst. School of Public Health and Health Sciences

University of Massachusetts Amherst. School of Public Health and Health Sciences Records

1953-2007
5 linear feet
Call no.: RG 017

In response to an epidemic of scarlet fever at Massachusetts Agricultural College in 1912 and the death of four students, the Massachusetts Legislature finally appropriated funds to construct an infirmary. Staffed initially by a nurse, and later (1930) by a physician, the infirmary had grown sufficiently by the 1940s to require the creation of a separate department of Student Health. Formal instruction in public health began in 1939 and the first public health department, Bacteriology, was created one year later, followed by Nursing and other departments. In 1973, the School of Health Sciences was formed, comprised of the Division of Nursing, the Division of Public Health, and (after 1975), the Department of Communication Disorders. The School of Health Sciences split into the School of Public Health and the School of Nursing in 1989. In 1993, the School was renamed the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, which provides education for graduate and undergraduate students, as well as health professionals.

Record group consists of annual reports; department histories; accreditation reports; correspondence and memoranda; proposals; technical reports; faculty lists; course descriptions, course of study guides and syllabi; training handbooks and laboratory exercises; brochures and fliers; newsclippings, newsletters and articles; surveys; conference materials; and related materials.

Contributors

University of Massachusetts Amherst. School of NursingUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst. School of Public Health and Health Sciences
University of Massachusetts Amherst. Student Affairs and Campus Life

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Student Affairs and Campus Life Records

1867-2007
75.5 linear feet
Call no.: RG 030

This record group consists of materials gathered from university offices, units, and centers responsible for admissions, financial aid, and student services (including housing, health and religious services, disability services, academic support, transportation, and campus safety). Included in this record group are the records of Dean of Students, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, United Christian Foundation, Counseling Center Research Reports, Student Affairs Research and Evaluation Office and Student Affairs Research, Information and Systems (SARIS) reports, and Pulse Surveys.

Subjects

University of Massachusetts Amherst--Students

Contributors

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dean of StudentsUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst. Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life