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Zoologist, college professor, president of University of Michigan, 1929-1951. Professional files relating to his career with the University Museum and as a professor of zoology, and presidential files containing correspondence, reports, speeches, and other University materials, including budget and legislative files, material relating to changes in University administration, his relationship with faculty, students and alumni, and photographs.

The Alexander Ruthven papers consists of two series of records. The first is the papers of Ruthven as president of the University of Michigan, 1929 to 1951. The second, and smaller, series is the files maintained by Ruthven as a zoologist with the University Museum and as professor of zoology. This latter series dates largely from 1908 to 1929 but also includes collected earlier files from the 1870s.

University of Michigan department responsible in part for the development of materials for the teaching of English as a second language. The English Language Institute records contain correspondence, notes from staff meetings, publications, reports, photographs, and administrative records, especially records of South East Asia Regional English Program and the Ford-Japan Project. The records also include files of directors Charles C. Fries and Robert Lado and administrator George E. Luther. Also includes photos of Institute staff, students, and activities, including international students at the University of Michigan and the institute's South East Asia Regional English Project (1957-1965).

The records of the English Language Institute encompass the period, 1940-2012, and contain 11 series: Correspondence; C.C. Fries Correspondence; Books; Manuscripts and Publications; Scrapbooks; Project Files; Administrative Files; South East Asia Regional English Project (SEAREP); Ford-Japan Project; Publications; and Photographs. The bulk of the collection deals with routine business such as student requests for admission, inquiries from throughout the world regarding the operation of the Institute, requests for linguistic materials available from the Institute, and staff meeting minutes. There is an abundance of information on the relationship between the English Language Institute, its staff and similar institutions both at the University of Michigan and elsewhere; including the University of Michigan International Center, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the English Language Institute in Mexico, the Ford Foundation, the Inter-American Educational Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, the Linguistic Institute, Rockefeller Foundation, and the U.S. Office of Education. Also in the collection are extensive files of directors Charles C. Fries and Robert Lado and administrator George E. Luther.

Professor of linguistics at the University of Michigan from 1964 to 1986; includes eight lectures given by Catford on the occasion of his retirement, handouts from the lectures, a letter supporting Catford's nomination for the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, an article about Catford in Michigan Today.

The J. C. Catford papers are significant for insight into the life and career of their creator and also for their information on linguistics, phonetics, and the instruction and acquisition of second languages. In addition to research articles co-authored by Catford, there are video-recordings from a series of lectures he delivered before his retirement from the University of Michigan. The collection consists of two series: Lectures and Written Materials.