Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

University of Michigan administrative office, established as the Dean of Student Affairs in 1921, responsible for overseeing many aspects of non-academic student services and activities including at various times: counseling, financial aid, student housing, student activities and organizations, health services, student discipline, and fraternities and sororities. Records provide extensive documentation of student life.

The records of the Vice President for Student Life provide a unique perspective to the extracurricular life and customs of students at the University of Michigan and an insight to the development of the office of the Vice President. The records span the years 1908-2005 with the bulk of the material covering 1941-1995. The material from the early years is especially rich in documenting student life from the 1920s to the 1950s. The strongest feature of this collection is in documenting the administration's response to the needs and to the demands of student, ranging from disciplining drinkers during Prohibition, dealings with fraternities up to 1960, reacting to student protests in the 1960s to the 1988 debate over the Student Code for Non-Academic Conduct, and the 2000 protest against Michigamua. The records also contain materials related to students' health, housing, organizations, and activism. The coverage of these areas varies across administrations as office reorganizations altered the focus and functions of Student Services.

This uneven documentation reflects the fact that, over time, different offices were created to handle more narrowly-defined areas of responsibility. Areas which had originally been handled by Dean Bursley under his broad conception of control over non-academic student life came to be administered by separate offices. Frequently the records of these administrative units were not included with the Vice President for Student Life records. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of student life, as refracted through the lens of University Administration, one should also refer to the records of the Housing Office and Student-Community Relations Office, and the papers of Peter Ostafin, director of housing.

The Vice President for Student Life collection consists of correspondence, reports, memos, minutes, and financial reports generated by both the University Administration and students. These materials are arranged in chronological series by the administrative head in charge of students' extracurricular affairs. Nine series represent records of Vice Presidents of the office: Joseph A. Bursley, 1913-1950; Erich A. Walter, 1925-1959; James A. Lewis, 1908-1964; Richard L. Cutler, 1950-1969; Barbara W. Newell, 1965-1970; Robert L. Knauss, 1962-1973; Henry Johnson, 1950-1985; Mary Ann Swain and Maureen Hartford, 1990-2005; and E. Royster Harper, 2000. In addition, the collections includes a Topical Files series, 1953-1995 (records of several Vice Presidents that have been received by the Bentley in various accessions); as well as a Printed Materials series. This organizing scheme required some manipulation of the files, but it best enables the researcher to trace the changing nature of the student body concerns and the development of the office itself.

The researcher should note that the strict chronological sequencing of the series was not possible. This was due in large part to a series of office reorganizations which resulted in some files created during Bursley or Walter's tenure ending up in later series. The most significant move here resulted in Lewis' series containing a good deal of Bursley and Walter materials on fraternities and student organizations. Lewis created the fraternities subseries in 1959 and compiled the student organization subseries during a May 1963, office reorganization. The researcher should also be conscious that early series contain a variety of materials which may not reflect the full scope of Bursley, Walter, or Lewis' responsibilities. Gaps are also discernible in the later series, but these are more readily fleshed out by referring to other University collections.

Collection of records, correspondence, memoranda, issued official statements, and architectural drawings of The Muslim Unity Center of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan and other Islamic organizations in Michigan and the U.S.; correspondence and memoranda, statements and articles written by and about interfaith organizations and projects in Michigan; also correspondence, conference presentations, speeches, and newspaper articles written by and about Victor Begg; reports and articles about Muslim communities in Michigan and in the U.S., politics in the Middle East, interfaith dialogue, and terrorism.

The Victor Begg collection, arranged into four series, documents the work of Victor Begg, as well as history, life and concerns of Michigan's Muslim community, and activities of Michigan and regional Islamic, Christian, Jewish, and interfaith organizations to promote religious and ethnic tolerance, and peace in the Middle East and other regions. A large portion of collection documents the history of the Muslim Unity Center in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Interfaith cooperation and the image of the American Muslim community in light of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and other terrorist acts are central themes of the collection.

Papers of Victoria Moessner, former professor of German at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and daughter of Hans Emanuel Hansen. The Victoria Moessner papers consist largely of correspondence between Moessner and her friends, colleagues, and family. There is also information about Moessner's family history. The collection also includes papers of her father, Hans Emanuel Hansen. There are a series of family photographs in the collection dating from the mid-19th century to the 1980s.

The collection contains five series: Correspondence, Personal and Professional Papers, Family Papers, Hans Hansen Papers, and Photographs.

This collection includes material regarding the activities of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., Chapter 9 (Detroit, Mich.). Some members of this group have also been involved in the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) State of Michigan Council, as well as the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund and Vietnam Monument Commission so materials from these groups have also been included in this collection.

This collection has five series: Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. Chapter 9 (Detroit), Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., Michigan Veterans Trust Fund, Vietnam Monument Commission, and Audio and visual material. Records in this collection include administrative documents, Vietnam Veterans of American national convention materials, and VVA chapter newsletters and publications.

Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan and widely exhibited painter with studios in Pinckney, Michigan and Gloucester, Massachusetts. Collection includes digital still images, video files, and promotional materials related to Castagnacci's classroom instruction, his artwork, and his personal influences.

The Vincent Castagnacci collection documents Castagnacci's dual careers as an Professor of Fine Arts and a widely exhibited painter. Teaching materials (lecture notes, handouts, and readings) provide access to his four decades as an educator and are complemented by video footage of his classroom instruction. Digital reproductions of artwork and video of Castagnacci in his studio suggest the range and extent of his creative pursuits. Additional video footage of interviews and conversations with colleagues along with depictions of the natural environs of Gloucester, Massachusetts further contextualize Castagnacci's approach to education and art.

Correspondence, writings, research, and collected materials of Vittorio Re, Chief Chancellor of the Italian Consulate in Detroit, and noted author and lecturer on the history and experiences of the Italian-American community in Detroit and the state of Michigan.

The Vittorio Re collection includes personal and professional papers, as well as collected materials, related to Mr. Re's position as Chief Chancellor of the Italian Consulate in Detroit, and his research and writings on the Italian community in Michigan and Detroit. The collection is especially rich with material about life and activities of Italian communities in Michigan, prominent Americans of Italian decent, as well as discrimination and stereotypes faced by the members of Italian American community. The papers are arranged in the following series: Correspondence and Notes; Papers, Speeches, and Research; and Collected Materials.

Senior engineering society at the University of Michigan. Minutes of meetings, constitution, membership lists, and photographs.

The Vulcans record group consists of minutes, financial records, and photographs relating to the activities of the Vulcan Honors Society. In addition to two boxes of manuscript material and photographs, the record group includes an oversized folder of composite and group photographs of Vulcans.

Public opinion research pollster, aide to Michigan governor George Romney. Polling materials prepared for various Republican campaigns, notably the gubernatorial campaigns of George Romney in 1962 and 1966, Romney's campaign for president, 1967-1968, and the gubernatorial campaign of William Milliken, 1970; and polls conducted on state issues including detailed demographic information on the views of ethnic, religious, and racial minorities; also survey done for Senator Robert Griffin in 1971, and on attitude of state voters towards abortion in 1972. A small collection of material donated in 2013 is related to George Romney's son and the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.

The papers of Walter De Vries reflect primarily his work for Romney and Milliken from 1962 until 1970. The papers are divided into two series, De Vries office files and polling data.

Walter Pinkus was an Engineer in Research for the University of Michigan's Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Department's Space Physics Research Laboratory from 1966 to 1996. At the lab he conducted design work on instruments built for various National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions. The collection contains correspondence, schematics, project books, and research reports relating to the projects Pinkus worked on. Included in the collection are papers related to the San Marco program, Galileo spacecraft, and the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI).

The Walter Pinkus papers encompasses Pinkus's time at the University of Michigan's Space Physics Research Laboratory. The papers date from 1965 to 1996and include correspondence, schematics, project books, and research reports on instruments built for various National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions. Included in the collection are notes from the Galileo space probe project, the San Marco program, Mars Upper Atmosphere Dynamics, Energetics, and Evaluation (MUADEE) project. The arrangement of the collection follows Pinkus's arrangement of the materials.

Pilot, member of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Military orders and other communications received while serving during World War II; commemorative programs and other publications relating to the Tuskegee Airmen; and a video recording.

Military orders and other communications received while serving during World War II; commemorative programs and other publications relating to the Tuskegee Airmen; also related videocassette.