The records of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs date from 1947 to 1997 and total more than 675 linear feet. The records are a rich source of information on the University of Michigan from the 1960s to the present. They contain a wide variety of material documenting the concerns of the administration and, to a lesser extent, the faculty and students regarding academic programs, student and faculty activities, and the administrative operations of the University of Michigan.
The records, which include the provost's files as well as the files of associate and assistant vice presidents, are arranged in three subgroups: Central Files, Staff Files, and Supplemental Files. The Central Files subgroup consists of the records maintained by the provost's office and is discussed in greater detail below. The Staff Files subgroup includes the records of assistant and associate vice presidents and of the assistants to the provost. The Supplemental Files subgroup contains material on specific topics to which a number of academic affairs staff contributed their efforts, including retreats, unit reviews, and searches. Each of the subgroups is fully described in a separate finding aid.
It should be noted that some of the records in the record group predate the founding of the Office of Academic Affairs. Such records were generally brought by vice presidents or staff members from previous positions or inherited from persons who formerly performed their duties.
The Central Files subgroup consists of 605 linear feet dating from the creation of the Office of Academic Affairs in the academic year 1961/1962 to 2012/2013. The records consist primarily of correspondence, minutes and other committee files, reports, and budget materials, reflecting the broad range of responsibilities and functions of the provost. Whereas the records of the Staff Files subgroup tend to document the process of policy formation and decision-making functions, the Central Files records more often contain finished products, such as reports and policy statements. For the researcher interested in the provost's views on a particular topic or issue, or the Office of Academic Affairs involvement in the academic and financial life of various schools and colleges, the Central Files subgroup is the single best starting point.
The records of the Central Files subgroup are broken into series by academic year, and each series consists of one or more of the following subseries: Alphabetical Files, Schools and Colleges Files, and Chronological Files. From 1961/1962 through 1973/1974 the series each consist of one subseries of Alphabetical Files. The Alphabetical Files are arranged alphabetically and include topical files as well as files regarding university academic, research, and service units.
From 1974/1975 to 1983/1984 the series are split into two subseries, Alphabetical Files and Schools and Colleges Files. The Alphabetical Files remain similar in content to previous years with the exception that files relating to academic units, namely schools, colleges, and their departments, now comprise the subseries Schools and Colleges Files. Records concerning centers, special libraries, museums, institutes, and interdisciplinary programs are filed in the Alphabetical Files subseries. The Schools and Colleges Files are arranged alphabetically by academic unit and contain materials relating to the annual budget requests, promotion and tenure decisions, internal and external reviews, dean evaluations, and changes in academic programs.
For the years 1974/1975 to 1981/1982, with the exception of 1976/1977, there is an "Index to Correspondence" located at the end of the Alphabetical Files which lists in chronological order the letters written by the vice president, the name of the recipient, the subject of the letter, and the heading under which it is filed.
From 1984/1985 to 1993/1994, 1998/1999-2008/2009 and 2010/2011-2011/2012 the series consist of three subseries: Alphabetical Files, Schools and Colleges Files, and Chronological Files. The Alphabetical Files and the Schools and Colleges Files, while becoming more voluminous over the years, remain similar in nature. The Chronological Files consist of all outgoing correspondence from the vice president and are arranged by month. The Chronological Files are useful if the researcher knows the date the vice president might have corresponded on a particular topic but is unsure of the heading used for filing in the Alphabetical Files.
The Alphabetical Files, as mentioned above, are a strong source of information on a variety of topics relating to the administration of a large university, including the university's relationship with state and federal governments, issues confronting institutions of higher education at various points in time (student unrest and affirmative action, for example), collaborative efforts with other Big Ten and area colleges and universities, and the creation and revision of university policies. The minutes of the Academic Affairs Advisory Council (AAAC) are an especially good source of information on the activities of the Office of Academic Affairs. The AAAC, composed of the deans of the schools and colleges, directors of institutes, centers, and special libraries, and the staff of the Office of Academic Affairs, was established to hold monthly meetings to discuss educational policy, planning for growth, and special studies.
Because folder titles on a particular subject may vary from year to year, researchers are advised to be imaginative in searching for information in the topical files. It should also be noted that information on any given subject can probably be found in various places in the collection.
The 2010 and 2011 series feature the addition of the Archived Website subseries. These were created to preserve the office's public website over time. The subseries document the mission, activities, policies, and individuals involved in the operation of the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs as they are presented on its public website. Content includes important news and announcements, publications (such as reports and administrative documents), and information about committees, initiatives, and events. This archived website will be captured on a regular, ongoing basis as part of the University of Michigan Web Archives, hosted at https://archive-it.org/organizations/934.
As of 1995 the office represented by this record group is officially titled the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Previous titles of the office were: Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and Provost, 1983-1995; Vice President for Academic Affairs, 1962-1983; and Provost, 1938-1962.
Provost
The origins of this office date back to 1938, during President Ruthven's administration, when the position of provost was created by a bylaw of the Board of Regents to "aid the President by performing such of the President's functions as shall from time to time be delegated by him or by the Board of Regents" (Regents' Proceedings, March 1938, p. 505). E. Blythe Stason, the dean of the Law School who had already been performing many of these functions, was appointed the first provost. Stason resigned as provost in November 1944 to devote his attentions to the leadership of the Law School, and James P. Adams, vice president of Brown University and former University of Michigan economics professor, assumed the post of provost and professor of economics in January 1945. At the Regents' meeting of January 1945 the bylaw establishing the provost's position was amended to include the statement that the provost "shall be the chief executive officer of the University next to the President" (Regents' Bylaw 2.02). Adams remained the provost until his resignation in July 1951. A successor to Adams was not named, and the responsibilities of the provost were absorbed by the newly created vice president and dean of faculties, Marvin Niehuss.
Vice President for Academic Affairs
In 1962 two new positions were created in the university administration: executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs.
Marvin Niehuss, vice president for university relations since 1945 and the vice president and dean of faculties since 1951, was promoted to the position of executive vice president in 1962. As vice president and dean of faculties, Niehuss had coordinated university relations with the state legislature and had overseen the administration of the schools, colleges, and other units (including institutes, Extension Service, summer session, and the Reserve Officers' Training Corps), reporting on enrollment, teaching loads, research, and faculty salaries. In his new position as executive vice president, Niehuss continued to supervise legislative relations and served as the University's contact with the state board of education. In addition, the executive vice president was the chief executive assistant to the president and assumed the duties and powers of the president in his absence. (When Niehuss retired in 1968 the position of executive vice president was abolished and a vice president for state relations and planning was established in its place.)
Roger Heyns, a member of the Psychology Department and since 1959 dean of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, was appointed to the position of vice president for academic affairs in 1962. Heyns assumed many of the duties previously performed by the vice president and dean of faculties. He was given general executive responsibility for the faculty and for the academic programs of the schools, colleges, and other educational units. He reviewed recommendations of deans, directors, and department heads with regard to appointments, promotions, leaves of absence, and salaries of faculty members and special service personnel. In addition, the Offices of Admissions, and Registration and Records--previously under the jurisdiction of the vice president for student affairs--were brought under the vice president for academic affairs.
This reorganization of administrative responsibilities was intended as a means of unifying planning in a period of rapid growth of the University. In actual practice, the duties associated with planning remained dispersed and were shifted from one office to another in the 1960s and 1970s. When a vice presidency for state relations and planning was established in 1968, some of the responsibility for academic program planning was transferred to that office. The Office of Institutional Research, which collected and analyzed data on enrollment trends, faculty characteristics, funding, and related subjects, was transferred in 1969 from Academic Affairs to State Relations and Planning. In 1974 the Office of Institutional Research was renamed the Office of Academic Planning and Analysis and was returned to Academic Affairs, reflecting the assignment of additional evaluation and planning responsibilities under the vice president for academic affairs. Over the course of the 1960s and 1970s, the vice president for academic affairs gradually assumed greater responsibility for budget preparation.
In addition to program and budget planning, the Office of Academic Affairs was involved in implementing affirmative action plans, overseeing the Opportunity Program and Tuskegee-Michigan exchange program, and coordinating support services for minority students.
When Roger Heyns left the university in 1965 to become chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, he was succeeded by Allan F. Smith, the dean of the Law School. Smith held the post of vice president for academic affairs for nine years and in 1974 was followed by Frank H. T. Rhodes, a professor of geology and since 1971 dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Rhodes resigned in 1977 to assume the presidency of Cornell University.
Harold T. Shapiro, chairman of the Economics Department, was appointed vice president for academic affairs in 1977 and held the position until 1980, when he became president of the University of Michigan. Alfred Sussman, dean of Rackham School of Graduate Studies, served as acting vice president for academic affairs from November 1, l979 through July 1, l980, when Billy E. Frye, professor of Zoology and dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, assumed the position.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
At its February 1983 meeting, the Regents of the University of Michigan changed the title of the position to Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost (hereafter referred to as "provost"). The move to include "provost" in the title was taken in part because of the increased responsibility of the vice president within the university's administration and because of the need to assist the president as he moved into state and national projects, notably the management of the capital campaign fund-raising effort.
In 1986, Billy E. Frye resigned and was replaced by James J. Duderstadt, dean of the College of Engineering, who served as provost until he became the president of the university in September 1988. Robert Holbrook served as interim provost until December 1988. In January 1989, Charles Vest, dean of the College of Engineering, became provost and remained until July 1990, when he left to assume the presidency of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Holbrook served as interim provost for the month of August, after which Gilbert Whitaker, dean of the School of Business Administration, began his tenure as provost.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
In September 1993 the Regents approved a change in title to provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. This title was intended to reflect more accurately the responsibilities of the provost and to "bring Michigan into line with the administrative structures of other universities" (The University Record 49(3), 1993 September 20: 4). The new designation came about when President Duderstadt recommended a change in title for Whitaker. In 1995 Whitaker returned to teaching and was succeeded by J. Bernard Machen, dean of the School of Dentistry. Machen initially served on an interim basis before agreeing to accept a two-year appointment. He did not seek an extension and was succeeded by Nancy Cantor, dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies in 1997.
The position vice provost for academic affairs was created in 1990 to recognize university-wide activities in which John H. D'Arms, dean of Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, was engaged that were beyond the scope of his decanal responsibilities. Such responsibilities included overseeing the Bentley Historical Library and the Clements Library, evaluating promotion and tenure dossiers, and serving as liaison between the university and major foundations (The University Record 45(24), 1990 March 26: 1). With the appointment of new provosts the functional responsibilities and reporting relationships of the vice provost have frequently changed.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
| Date |
Event |
| 1993-1995 | Gilbert R. Whitaker, Jr. |
| 1996 | J. Bernard Machen (interim) |
| 1996-1997 | J. Bernard Machen |
| 1997-2001 | Nancy Cantor |
| 2001 | Lisa Tedesco (interim) |
| 2002 | Paul N. Courant (interim) |
| 2002-2005 | Paul N. Courant |
| 2005-2006 | Edward M. Gramlich (interim) |
| 2006-2010 | Teresa A. Sullivan |
| 2010-2013 | Philip J. Hanlon |
| 2013-2017 | Martha E. Pollack |
| 2017- | Martin A. Philbert |
Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and Provost
| Date |
Event |
| 1962-1965 | Roger W. Heyns |
| 1965-1974 | Allen F. Smith |
| 1974-1977 | Frank H.T. Rhodes |
| 1977-1979 | Harold T. Shapiro |
| 1979-1980 | Alfred S. Sussman (Interim) |
| 1980-1986 | Billy E. Frye |
| 1986-1988 | James J. Duderstadt |
| 1988 | Robert S. Holbrook (Interim) |
| 1989-1990 | Charles M. Vest |
| 1990 | Robert S. Holbrook (Interim) |
| 1990-1993 | Gilbert R. Whitaker, Jr. |
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
| Date |
Event |
| 1990-1995 | John H. D'Arms |
Vice Provosts for Academic Affairs – Graduate Studies
| Date |
Event |
| 1995-1997 | Nancy Cantor |
| 1998-2004 | Earl Lewis |
| 2004 | Steven L. Kunkel (interim) |
| 2005- | Janet Weiss |
Senior Vice Provosts
| Date |
Event |
| 2001- | Lester Monts |
Vice Provosts for Academic and Faculty Affairs
| Date |
Event |
| 2007- | Lori J. Pierce |
| 2009-2014 | Christina L. B. Whitman |
| 2014 | Sara B. Blair |
Vice Provosts for Academic and Budgetary Affairs
| Date |
Event |
| 2007-2010 | Philip J. Hanlon |
| 2010-2013 | Martha E. Pollack |
| 2013-2016 | Alfred Franzblau |
| 2016- | Amy Dittmar |
Associate Provosts
| Date |
Event |
| 1993-1997 | Robert Holbrook |
| 1993-1997 | Susan Lipschutz |
| 1997-2002 | Pamela A. Raymond |
| 1997-2001 | Lester P. Monts |
| 1998-2002 | Paul N. Courant |
| 2001-2005 | James L. Hilton |
| 2002-2005 | Valerie P. Castle |
| 2002-2005 | Janet Weiss |
| 2004-2007 | Philip J. Hanlon |
| 2005-2007 | Lori J. Pierce |
Associate Vice Presidents
| Date |
Event |
| 1971-1975 | John Romani |
| 1974-1981 | Richard English |
| 1975-1981 | Carolyne K. Davis |
| 1981-1993 | Robert S. Holbrook |
| 1981-1983 | W. Allen Spivey |
| 1983-1993 | Mary Ann Swain |
| 1984-1986 | Niara Sudarkasa |
| 1988-1989 | John H. Jackson |
Administrative Deans
| Date |
Event |
| 1962-1974 | Robert L. Williams |
Assistant Vice Presidents
| Date |
Event |
| 1974/75-1982 | Edward A. Dougherty |
| 1965-1982 | Ernest R. Zimmermann |
| 1983-1995 | Robert B. Holmes |
Associate Vice President
| Date |
Event |
| 2002 | Marilyn G.Knepp |
Assistant Provost
| Date |
Event |
| 1997-2000 | Marilyn G. Knepp |
| 1999-2008 | Linda H. Gillum |
| 1999-2002 | K. B. Soper |
| 2002-2011 | Glenda Haskell |
| 2011- | Philip R. Hughes |
Associate Vice Provost
| Date |
Event |
| 2002 | Glenna Schweitzer |
Chief of Staff
| Date |
Event |
| 1998-2013 | Karen L. Gibbons |
| 2013- | Stephanie Riegle |
| 2014- | Erin Fluharty |
