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A number of subject oriented files have been brought together in the Topical File series (3 linear ft., 1960-1986). The series, which is arranged alphabetically, includes files on a variety of internal and external projects, various ad-hoc committees and task forces, and Computing Center relationships with other university units. Among the more significant are: Computing Center Policy, Ford Foundation "Computers in Engineering" Grant, MAD (Michigan Algorithm Decoder), MIDAC (Michigan Digital Automatic Computer), Software Engineering Institute, and Supercomputing.

The Computing Center Policy files, 1979-1985, contain documentation on the development of the "Conditions of Use," "Authorization and Charge," and other policies. The Ford Foundation Grant file provides information on a major grant to the College of Engineering, which funded a three year project to teach engineering faculty about digital computing and develop course curricula incorporating use of computing technology. The project was directed by professors Bruce Carnahan and James O. Wilkes.

MAD files, 1961-1964, include correspondence relating to development of MAD and training material for use of MAD and UMES (University of Michigan Executive System), an early operating system developed for use on the IBM 704 in cooperation with General Motors. The MIDAC file consists of a photocopy of a brochure on the university's first computer, which was developed by the Willow Run Laboratory in 1952.

The Software Engineering Institute was a proposed collaborative software development laboratory among several Big Ten Universities. The Institute, which ultimately was not established, was in large part a response to the software development needs of the federal government's "Star Wars" program. The files, 1983-1984, offer some insight into the perceived capabilities of programmers and scientists at the Computing Center and the university, and more broadly on the feasibility and reliability of "structured" and "automatic" programming.

The Supercomputing Files, 1983-1985, are divided into: General, Institute for Computational Studies (ICS), and NSF Supercomputing Sites. The General files include correspondence and reports on the supercomputing needs of the university and proposals for developing such capabilities on campus. The ICS files document the Computing Center's participation in a supercomputing consortium based at the University of Colorado. The NSF Supercomputing Site files document the university's unsuccessful effort to be named host for one of the six National Science Foundation Supercomputing Sites. The records include the UM proposal, comments of the review panel, and material on the NSF site visit.

Other items of interest include documentation on the Computing Center relationships with the Medical School, College of Literature, Science and Arts, and the Institute for Social Research, an Executive Officers Seminar on the Impact of Computing on Research, a 1985 report on High Speed Computational Facilities at the university, and files on the development of UMNet, the campus computing network.