Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (University of Michigan) Records, 1879-1998

Summary

Creator:

University of Michigan. Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.

Abstract:

Department of Biology (established 1986) of the University of Michigan, and of its predecessor unit, the Division of Biological Sciences, and the departments (Botany and Zoology) that comprised the division. In 2001, the unit name was changed to Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Records include minutes, correspondence, course materials, and various subject files.

Extent:

20 linear feet

Language:

English.

Call Number:

861034 Bimu C26 2

Authors:

Finding aid prepared by: Daniel Cole and Karen Mason, July - August 1986. Karen Jean Hunt, August 1993

Background

Scope and Content:

The Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, 1879-1992, measure 5 linear feet and include minutes, correspondence, course materials, and various subject files. The records are organized into ten series: Departmental and Divisional Records, Printed Material, Divisional Administration, Staff, Academics, Students, Logistics, Biological Units, Outside Relations, and Promotions.

Biographical / Historical:

The beginnings of the Department of Biology can be traced to 1875, when separate lectures in biology evolved from the Departments of Botany and Zoology. Instruction in botany and zoology at the University of Michigan began in the 1840s, several years after the appointment of the university's first professor of botany and zoology in 1838. Botany and zoology were initially taught by the same professors, but separate departments were established in 1879. In order to promote closer communication between members of the biology faculty and the administration of the University, an informal group called the Division of the Biological Sciences was formed in 1948. The division helped to coordinate research and other activities of related departments, schools, and colleges. In 1975, the Regents authorized the formal creation of the Division of Biological Sciences, as an administrative unit within the College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts. The new division was responsible for the coordination of curricula and research in the various disciplines of the biological sciences. On July 1, 1986, the Division of Biological Sciences became the Department of Biology. In 2001, the Department of Biology was succeeded by the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Chairs of the Department of Botany

Date	Event
1855-1873	Alexander Winchell
1874-1879	Mark W. Harrington
1879-1905	Volney M. Spalding
1905-1923	Frederick C. Newcombe
1923-1947	Harley Harris Bartlett
1947-1950	William Campbell Steere
1950-1963	Kenneth Jones
1963-1968	Alfred Sussman
1968-1971	Erich Steiner
1971-1974	Charles Beck

Chairs of the Department of Zoology

Date	Event
1894-1925	Jacob Ellsworth Reighard
1925-1927	A. Franklin Shull
1927-1929	Alexander G. Ruthven
1929-1933	Peter O. Okkelberg
1937-1949	George R. La Rue
1949-1965	Dugald Brown
1965-1971	John Allen
1971-1974	Carl Gans

Chairs of the Division of Biological Sciences

Date	Event
1975-1982	William Dawson
1982-1985	Michael Martin
1985	Charles Yocum

Chairs of the Department of Biology

Date	Event
1986-1991	Charles Yocum
1991-1996	Wesley Brown
1996-2001	Julia Adams

Chairs of the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Date	Event
2001-2003	Eran Pichersky
2003-2008	Richard Hume
2008-2014	Pamela Raymond
2014-2019	Robert Denver
2019-	Kenneth M. Cadigan

Acquisition Information:

The record group was donated by the Department of Biology (Donor No. 7328 ).

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Minority college students -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor.

Names:

University of Michigan. Dept. of Botany.
University of Michigan. Dept. of Zoology.
University of Michigan. Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
University of Michigan. Great Lakes Research Division.
University of Michigan. Institute of Human Biology.
University of Michigan. Laboratory of Vertebrate Biology.
University of Michigan. Biological Station.
University of Michigan -- Students.
University of Michigan. Dept. of Biology.