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The first classes in art at the University of Michigan were offered in 1906 by the Department of Architecture. In 1926, a program in decorative arts was housed in the College of Engineering and Architecture. Art evolved as a discipline, moving through the colleges of engineering and architecture to become the School of Art, an autonomous institution, in 1974. It became the School of Art & Design in 1996. The records focus on the evaluation and review of the program in the 1970s and early 1980s during the budget crisis faced by the university. The records also contain minutes of the Executive Committee and the Faculty Committee, from the mid-1970s to 1999.

The School of Art & Design records are composed of six series: Topical Files, 1970-1987; Committees; Correspondence; Topical Files, 1980-2000; Visual Materials; and Website. There is a separate collection of printed material. The majority of the records document the years from 1975 to 1999, a crucial period in the school's history as it was formally established as a school in its own right and later experienced serious budget reductions.