Central Files
The Central Files series (93 linear feet) is a topical arrangement of files maintained centrally by the staff in the OVPR. The Central Files are divided in two subseries: Awards and Topical Files. The records reflect in a general nature, the changing research environment both nationwide and at the University of Michigan. The wide range of areas in which the OVPR had a role and influence is also evident.
Of particular note are files related to the issue of Indirect Costs, which came to the national forefront in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Central Files series includes approximately 1 linear foot of records relating to indirect costs from the period of 1988 to 1996. Also of note are files relating to emerging national topics like Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the preservation of intellectual property, as seen in records related to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), and a growing concern for undergraduate research and education, as evidenced in the several related National Science Foundation (NSF) files.
The Central Files also provide a varying degree of detail on the various subunits within the OVPR. Of particular strength are files related to the Biophysics Research Division (BRD), the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science (CUOS), the Institute for Social Research (ISR), and the Institute of Science and Technology (IST). Among the Michigan initiatives that are well documented is the Committee on a Multicultural University.
An addition of files from 1997-2000 continued the earlier Central Files run.
The 2009 addition to the Centeral Files series continues the series from previous accessions. Dates on the records for this series span all the way back to the first Vice President for Research, but the majority of the records originate from the offices of four Vice Presidents for Research: Homer Neal, Frederick C. Niedhart, Fawwaz Ulaby, and Stephen R. Forrest. The series is divided into two sub-series: Topical Files, 1951-2005; and Awards, 1987-2006. The files in each sub-series are arranged alphabetically. Notable topics covered in the Topical Files sub-series include Human Subject Research, Stem Cell and Embryonic Research, and Bioterrorism. There is also an abundance of material on the Arts of Citizenship (AoC) program, the Institute of Gerontology (IoG0, and the Research Responsibility Program (RRP). Another interesting file entitled Darkness in El Dorado, focuses on a controversy surrounding a book of the same title written by Patrick Tierney. The book levels serious accusations against two UM-affiliated researchers, Dr.'s Neel and Chagnon, and work they completed with the Yanomami Tribes of Venezuela.
The Central Files series accession of 2010 continues the series from previous accessions, and includes two sub-series: Topical Files,1985-2006; and Awards, 1997-2004. The majority of the records in the Topical Files sub-series originate from the offices of Fawwaz Ulaby and Stephen R. Forrest, though earlier files are included as well. Many of the files included in the sub-series contain documents on various technological initiatives happening in and around the university, and there are a number of files on Technology Transfer. The files in the Topical Files sub-series are arranged alphabetically.
Additional materials added to the series in 2018 include additions to the Faculty Awards sub-series from 2004-2013 and additions to the Topical Files from 1985-2013.