Presidents’ Reports to the Indiana University Board of Trustees, 1881-1947
A Guide to the Records at the Indiana University Archives
Finding aid prepared by Madison Chartier and Anna
Lucas
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Indiana University.
Trustees.
TitlePresidents’ Reports to the Indiana
University Board of Trustees, 1881-1947
Collection No.
C654
Extent
9 cubic feet
(18 boxes)
Language
Materials are in English
Abstract
The Board of Trustees was established in
1820 with the founding of Indiana Seminary, and the first president was appointed in
1829. These presidents’ reports to the Board of Trustees date from 1881-1947 and
include recommendations, financial statements, correspondence, and other documents
pertaining to various construction projects, academic department needs and
developments, student welfare, finances, and the overall management of the
university. The collection also includes one volume of reports (1902-1914) from
Indiana University to the state Legislative Visiting Committee.
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.
Administrative History
Indiana University’s Board of Trustees was created in 1820 by the Indiana General
Assembly. Six men were named as trustees, and provision was made for four additional
trustees in 1821, and for three more in 1826. Throughout its history, the size of
the Board has varied from six to twenty-one members; it consisted of eight members
from 1855-1975 and nine members from 1975 to present.
The following are among the chief responsibilities historically held by the Board of
Trustees: setting tuition and fees; prescribing curricula; determining student
admission standards; buying, selling, leasing, and determining use of property;
investing funds; awarding financial aid; appointing university presidents and other
officers; hiring and approving promotion and tenure of faculty; determining codes of
conduct; and prescribing disciplinary measures when codes of conduct are violated.
The board’s functions, abilities, and qualifications for membership continue to be
defined and governed by the Indiana Code.
Meetings of the Board of Trustees have historically included reports from the
university president and other officers, faculty, and staff in order to apprise the
trustees of developments and points of concern at the university and to inform
decisions on academic programs and policies and other university business.
Arrangement
This collection consists of one series of bound volumes and is arranged
chronologically, with duplicates appearing at the end of the series.
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Indexing Terms
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The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries'
online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by
searching the catalog using these terms.
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Scope and Content Note
This collection holds fifty-five volumes of presidents’ reports to the Indiana
University Board of Trustees. Dated 1881-1947, these reports were written
consecutively throughout the respective presidencies of Lemuel Moss (1875-1884),
David Starr Jordan (1884-1891), John Merle Coulter (1891-1893), Joseph Swain
(1893-1902), William Lowe Bryan (1902-1937), and Herman B. Wells (1937-1962).
Beginning in 1902, a formal numbering system was applied to the bound volumes.
The presidents’ reports help detail the administrative functions and responsibilities
of the university president as well as the interaction between the President’s
Office and the Board of Trustees in terms of university governance and development.
They also document information flow from academic departments and lower levels of
university administration to the trustees.
Often in the form of lists of recommendations and queries to be considered by the
Board of Trustees, the presidents’ reports include such documents as building and
research project proposals, recommended faculty promotions and appointments,
salaries and financial records, topics of concern, and various correspondences
relevant to the presidents, the board, and topics of consideration (e.g. letters of
recommendation). Also included in earlier reports are professors’ reports outlining
the needs, requests, and outstanding accomplishments of each department.
The collection also includes one volume of Indiana University reports to the state
Legislative Visiting Committees. These reports contain information on the state of
the university and its finances. Additionally, the spine titles of the volumes
dating from 1881-1902 indicate that the reports contained within may have been
presented in some form to the visiting committees as well.
Related Material
The
Indiana University Board of Trustees minutes, Collection C218, include
records of discussions of presidents’ reports and approvals of recommendations
contained therein. These minutes are also accessible online through the
Indiana University Board of Trustees Minutes project.
Additional records such as newsletters, annual reports, bulletins, and publications
may be accessed in the
Archives of Institutional Memory.
Transcripts of the minutes of the Board of Trustees can be accessed
here.
Administrative Information
Usage RestrictionsCopyrights for records originating with Indiana University administrative units, departments, and other offices are held by
the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], Presidents’ Reports to the Indiana University Board of Trustees, Collection C654, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Processing InformationProcessed by Madison Chartier and Anna Lucas.
Completed in February 2017
Container List
Series:
Presidents’ Reports to the Board of Trustees, Indiana University,
1881-1947
Box 1
President’s Reports and Reports to the Legislative Visiting
Committee, 1881-1891
November 1,
1881
Historical note
President Lemuel Moss’s tenure
![[image]](images/image_icon.gif)
View item(s)
April 1885
Historical note
President David Starr Jordan’s tenure
View item(s)
November 1887
Includes a loose insert dated November 4, 1887
View item(s)
President’s Reports and Reports to the Legislative Visiting
Committee, 1891-1895
November 3,
1891
Historical note
Beginning of President John Coulter’s tenure
View item(s)
November 2,
1893
Historical note
Beginning of President Joseph Swain’s tenure
View item(s)
March 15,
1894
Includes correspondence letters between President Joseph Swain and
architect contractors: R. P. Daggett & Co., W. Scott Moore, and
Hall.
View item(s)
June 13,
1894
Includes letters from Robert E. Lyons and Bert Fesler and the 1894
Indiana University commencement program
View item(s)
November 1, 1894
Includes letter from Madame Dailey
View item(s)
President’s Reports and Reports to the Legislative Visiting
Committee, 1895-1898
June 10,
1896
There is a loose page titled “9 April, 1896” adjacent to page
22
View item(s)
March 20,
1897
Includes a letter from Chairman of the Chapel Committee, W. P.
Rogers
View item(s)
President’s Reports and Reports to Legislative Visiting
Committees, 1898-1902
November 1,
1901
Includes “10 Years of Growth at Indiana University, Bloomington”
flyer
View item(s)
Box 2
Indiana University Reports to Legislative Visiting Committees,
Volume 1, 1902-1912
Historical note
Beginning of President William Lowe Bryan’s tenure
December
1912
Includes Report of Indiana University School of Medicine, December 2,
1912
View item(s)
November
1914
Report is loose and was formerly stored as an insert at the end of
the volume. It has been removed to a separate folder for
preservation purposes.
View item(s)
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 1, 1902-1904
President’s Reports Professor’s Reports, Volume 2, 1904-1905
November 14,
1904
Includes attached “First Year of Medical Work: Fall Term” and “First
Year of Medical Work: Fall Term” course cards
View item(s)
President’s Reports Professor’s Reports, Volume 3, 1905-1906
January 4, 1906
Includes the “Course of Study Required for the Degree of B.S. in
Architectural Engineering in University of Illinois”
View item(s)
Box 3
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 4, 1906-1907
November
1906
Includes a small, printed brochure of the revised announcement from
the Department of English
View item(s)
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 5, 1907-1908
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 6, 1908-1909
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 7, 1909-1910
Box 4
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 8, 1910-1911
October 18,
1910
Contains “Report for the Year Ending September 30th, 1910”
There is an extensive section for the “Report of Graduate School
Department”
View item(s)
President’s Reports Professor’s Reports, Volume 9, 1911-1912
November 1,
1911
Includes “Letter of Transmittal” by C.H. Eigenmann and “Report for
Year Ending September 30th. 1911”
View item(s)
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 10, 1912-1913
Box 5
President’s Reports Professor’s Reports, Volume 11, 1913-1914
June 19,
1914
Includes “Indiana University: Statistics of Attendance and Degree
Granted” and a map of Indiana titled, “Map Showing 66 Counties
Finished 205 Lectures” on p.109
View item(s)
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 12, 1914-1915
November 30,
1914
Includes “Indiana University: Statistics of Attendance and Degree
Granted”
View item(s)
March 11,
1915
Includes “Indiana University: Statistics of Attendance and Degree
Granted”
View item(s)
June 18,
1915
Includes “Indiana University: Statistics of Attendance and Degree
Granted”
View item(s)
Box 6
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 13, 1915-1916
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 14, 1916-1917
Box 7
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 15, 1917-1918
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 16, 1918-1919
November 14,
1918
Includes report requested by the Social Service Department of Indiana
University for the period between September 30, 1917, and October 1,
1918
View item(s)
Box 8
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 17, 1919-1920
October 27,
1919
Includes “Indiana Historical Survey,” detailing the acquisition of
Gen. William Henry Harrison’s papers
View item(s)
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 18, 1920-1921
June 3,
1921
Includes “President’s Supplemental Report to the Trustees, June 3,
1921
View item(s)
Box 9
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 19, 1921-1922
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 20, 1922-1923
April 23,
1923
Includes Miscellany “Steele Paintings,”
View item(s)
Box 10
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 21, 1923-1924
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 22, 1924-1925
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 23, 1925-1926
Box 11
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 24, 1926-1927
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 25, 1927-1928
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 26, 1928-1929
May 16,
1929
Includes “Proposed Salary Roll, 1929-1930”
View item(s)
June 6,
1929
Includes an insert for “Statistics of Attendance and Degrees
Granted”
View item(s)
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 27, 1929-1930
February 17, 1930
Includes “Contract” issued from Board of Trustees to W. L. Bryan,
February 15, 1930
View item(s)
July 8,
1930
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 28, 1930-1931
May 18,
1931
Includes “Statistics of Attendance and Degrees Granted”
View item(s)
July 23,
1931
Box 12
President’s Reports Professors’ Reports, Volume 29, 1931-1932
Items to be Presented to the Board of Trustees – W. L.
BryanJune 13,
1932
President’s Reports, Volume 30, 1932-1933
President’s Reports, Volume 31, 1933-1934
January 23,
1934
Includes “Special Report: Athletic Problems”
View item(s)
President’s Reports, Volume 32, 1934-1935
Box 13
President’s Reports, Volume 33, 1935-1936
President’s Reports, Volume 34, 1936-1937
July 12,
1937
Historical note
Beginning of President Herman B Wells’ tenure.
View item(s)
President’s Reports, Volume 35, 1937-1938
May 9,
1938
Includes the petition from the American Association of University
Professors to establish a system of sabbatical leaves, April 25,
1938
View item(s)
President’s Reports, Volume 36, 1938-1939
June 1,
1939
Includes supplementary papers regarding issues discussed over the
course of the meeting
View item(s)
Box 14
President’s Reports, Volume 37, 1939-1940
President’s Reports, Volume 38, 1940-1941
President’s Reports, Volume 39, 1941-1942
President’s Reports, Volume 40, 1942-1943
Box 15
President’s Reports, Volume 41, 1943-1944
President’s Reports, Volume 42, 1944-1945
September 2,
1944
Notice only of a special meeting to discuss housing for African
American female students. There is no president’s report for this
date.
View item(s)
Box 16
President’s Reports, Volume 43, 1945-1946
June 27,
1946
Notice only of a special meeting in Indianapolis. There is no
president’s report for this date.
View item(s)
President’s Reports, Volume 44, 1946-1947
Box 17
President’s Reports Duplicate, Volume 1, 1902-1904 – W. L.
Bryan
President’s Reports Duplicate, Volume 2, 1904-1908 – W. L.
Bryan
President’s Reports Duplicate, Volume 3, 1908-1912 – W. L.
Bryan
President’s Reports Duplicate, Volume 4, 1912-1916 – W. L.
Bryan
Box 18
President’s Reports Duplicate, Volume 5, 1916-1920 – W. L.
Bryan
President’s Reports Duplicate, Volume 6, 1920-1924 – W. L.
Bryan
