INTRODUCTION

Title: Office of the President Records

Collection Number: Accession No. 530

Physical description: 240.5 linear feet (481 boxes); 1 VHS videotape

Creator: Office of the President, East Tennessee State University

Repository: University Archives, East Tennessee State University

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Provenance: The Office of the President Records were transferred to University Archives by Jane M. Jones, executive assistant to the president, ETSU, on February 22, 1999, with additional material transferred on May 27 and June 15, 1999.

Access: The collection is open for research.

Processing Information: Processing of the collection was begun in 2000 and completed in 2002. The collection was processed by Ned Irwin, Deanna Hill, Jessica Lott, Jamee Roberts, April Wood, and Suzanne Sebantu.

HISTORICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Sidney Gilbreath, the first president of East Tennessee State Normal School, forerunner of East Tennessee State University, was appointed in 1910 to begin preparations for the entry of students in the fall of 1911. Records for the president’s office extend to this time period. The following have held the office of president at the university: Sidney Gilbreath (1910-1925), Charles C. Sherrod (1925-1949), Burgin E. Dossett, Sr. (1949-1968), Delos P. Culp (1968-1977), Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr. (1977-1980), Ronald E. Beller (1980-1991), Bert C. Bach (interim, 1991-1992), Roy S. Nicks (1992-1996), and Paul E. Stanton, Jr. (1997-present). Prior to the presidency of Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr., records were transferred from the president’s office and treated as the descrete collections of individual presidents. These papers were processed as individual collections for each president as follows: the Sidney G. Gilbreath Papers (acc. 17), Charles C. Sherrod Papers (acc. 59), Burgin E. Dossett Papers (acc. 58), the Delos P. Culp Papers (acc. 95). The Office of the President Records continues the collection of general office files of the university president found in these earlier presidential collections. However, beginning with the transfer and processing of the records for the period served by Presidents DeRosier and Beller, records originating in the university president’s office will be a part of this collection with series serving to designate a specific president’s tenure in office. In general, the president’s office retains current year records and files extending approximately ten years earlier. After that time, records are typically transferred to University Archives.

Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr., ETSU’s fifth president, was born in Norwich, Conn., on February 18, 1931. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Southern Mississippi (1954) and the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history from the University of South Carolina (1955, 1959). After holding history faculty positions at The Citadel, Converse College, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the University of Oklahoma, he came to East Tennessee State University in 1967 as dean of the graduate school. From 1972-1974, he served as ETSU’s vice president for administration. He left the university for a brief period when he served from 1974-1977 as vice chancellor at the University of Mississippi. In 1977, he was appointed president of ETSU, a position he held until his resignation in 1980. Since leaving ETSU, DeRosier has continued to serve as an academic administrator at various western colleges.

Ronald E. Beller, ETSU’s sixth president, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 4, 1935. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Florida (1957), an M.B.A. degree from Kent State University (1966), and a Ph.D. in management and economics from the University of Florida (1971). After several years as an engineer and industrial marketing representative in the private sector, Beller taught at Wake Forest University and the University of South Alabama. At the later school, he served from 1972-1977 as dean for finance and administration. In 1977, he became provost at Virginia Commonwealth University and then as executive vice president. In 1980, he was appointed to succeed Arthur DeRosier as president of ETSU. Following various controversies, including a faculty vote of no confidence, Beller resigned as ETSU president effective July 1, 1991.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Office of the President Records consist of the general office files of East Tennessee State University’s president. These files are arranged primarily as subject files in alphabetical order by topic. Because the president has oversight of all university operations, the records cover a wide array of subjects related to ETSU and higher education in Tennessee, including issues related to curriculum; accredidation and academic standards; business and finance; academic governance; faculty and other university personnel; athletics; student affairs; affirmative action; social and cultural events; campus life; campus physical plant; national, state, and local professional educational societies and organizations; research; and the college of medicine. Such records provide the most significant single source of primary material for documenting the history and development of ETSU for the period covered. The majority of the collection covers the time period 1977-1991, the periods of the presidencies of Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr., and Roald E. Beller, though some material pre-dates and post-dates this time span.

Among the types of material included in the collection are correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes of various university committees and councils, printouts, newsclippings, press releases, financial records, university publications, and miscellaneous printed matter. Files related to ETSU’s overseeing boards, the Tennessee State Board of Regents and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission were maintained as separate files following the general subject files, and this order has been maintained. Files after a period of time were transferred to storage and the alphabetical subject files maintianed in the office begun again; thus, the Beller papers series starts over on more than one occasion to reflect this fact. Note: Faculty tenure and promotion files were not transferred to the archives and remain in the custody of the president’s office.

The collection is presently arranged in two series: Series I, Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr. Papers, 1972-1980 and Series II, Ronald E. Beller Papers, 1980-1993.

Important subjects covered in the collection include:

Beller, Ronald E.

DeRosier, Arthur H.

East Tennessee State University

East Tennessee State University. College of Medicine

East Tennessee State University—Presidents

Education—Tennessee

Medical colleges—Tennessee

Tennessee Higher Education Commission

Tennessee State Board of Regents

Universities and colleges—Tennessee

SERIES DESCRIPTION

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SERIES I: Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr., Papers, 1972-1980. Boxes 1-94.

Series I consists of the general files maintained in the president’s office during the administration of ETSU President Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr., and includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes of various university committees and councils, newsclippings, press releases, financial records, files related to activities of ETSU’s overseeing boards, the Tennessee State Board of Regents and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, university publications, and miscellaneous printed matter. These files are arranged primarily as subject files in alphabetical order by topic. The records document university development and operations for the period 1972-1980, though most material is for the period 1977-1980. Among subjects documented about ETSU and higher education in Tennessee are issues related to curriculum; accredidation and academic standards; business and finance; academic governance; faculty and other university personnel; athletics; student affairs; affirmative action; social and cultural events; campus life; campus physical plant; national, state, and local professional educational societies and organizations; research; and the early development of what became the Quillen College of Medicine.

SERIES II: Ronald E. Beller Papers, 1980-1993. Boxes 95-481.

Series II consists of of the general files maintained in the president’s office during the administration of ETSU President Ronald E. Beller and includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes of various university committees and councils, newsclippings, press releases, financial records, files related to activities of ETSU’s overseeing boards, the Tennessee State Board of Regents and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, university publications, and miscellaneous printed matter. These files are arranged primarily as subject files in alphabetical order by topic. The records document university development and operations for the period 1980-1993, though most material is for the period 1980-1991. Among subjects documented about ETSU and higher education in Tennessee are issues related to curriculum; accredidation and academic standards; business and finance; academic governance; faculty and other university personnel; athletics; student affairs; affirmative action; social and cultural events; campus life; campus physical plant; national, state, and local professional educational societies and organizations; research; and the college of medicine.

BOX AND FOLDER LIST

Series I: Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr., Papers, Boxes 1-94.

Box 1

1. A, 1979-1980

2. A; Thru June 30, 1979

3. AACSBv (American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business), 1977-1979

4. AASCU (American Association of State Colleges and Universities) Survey, 1979

Box 2

1. AASCU 1980, Part 1 of 2

2. AASCU 1980, Part 2 of 2

3. AASCU 1979

4. AASCU Graduate Studies Committee, Part 1 of 3, 1979-1980

Box 3

1. AASCU Graduate Studies Committee, Part 2 of 3, 1979-1980

2. AASCU Graduate Studies Committee, Part 3 of 3, I, 1979-1980

3. AASCU Graduate Studies Committee, Part 3 of 3, II, 1979-1980

4. AASCU Committee on Accreditation, 1980

5. AASCU Advisory Committee / Resource Center for Planned Change, 1980

6. AASCU President’s Meeting, 1979-1980

7. AASCU Annual Meeting, San Antonio November 1979, Part 1 of 2

8. AASCU Presidents Meeting, San Antonio November 1979, Part 2 of 2

Box 4

1. AAUP (American Association of University Professors), 1978-1979

2. AAUP, 1977 Part 1 of 2

3. AAUP, 1977 Part 2 of 2

4. AAUP, Pre-1977

5. Academic Administrative Personnel, Selection and Periodic Review of, Undated

6. Academic Common Market Programs, 1978

7. Academic Council, Part 1 of 2, 1980

8. Academic Council, Part 2 of 2, 1980

9. Academic Council, Continued Part 1 of 2, 1977-1979

10. Academic Council, Continued Part 2 of 2, 1977-1979

Box 5

1. Academic Freedom and Faculty Responsibility Committee, 1977-1979

2. Academic Misconduct, 1978

3. Academic Organization AD HOC Study Group, Part 1 of 3, 1978

4. Academic Organization AD HOC Study Group, Part 2 of 3, 1978