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The William T. Patten Foundation was founded at Indiana University in May 1931 by Indiana University alumnus William T. Patten. The Foundation hosts scholars from various institutions and disciplines to give lectures in his/her area of expertise. This collection contains files on each scholar who has assumed the role of Patten Lecturer since 1968. The files include recommendations from IU faculty to the Patten Committee, programs, and correspondence, as well as some audio and video recordings of the lectures.

Camilla Williams was an internationally acclaimed soprano opera vocalist who broke racial bias barriers in society as well as professionally. Miss Williams came to Indiana University in 1977 as a professor of voice at the Jacobs School of Music. The collection contains performance posters, correspondence, clippings about her career and former student's accomplishments, photographs, awards, plaques, and scrapbooks.

Mary Jo Weaver served as a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University from 1975 until her retirement in 2006. Her teaching career, scholarly activities, professional service, and publications are represented in the contents of this collection.

Betty van der Smissen was an alumna of the University of Kansas and Indiana University and an educator, writer, and consultant in the field of outdoor recreation and risk management. Contents of this collection date from 1954 through 2008 and consist mainly of teaching material such as course syllabi, correspondence, readings, and exams; research and drafts of publications; handbooks and self-assesment material for park and recreation agency accreditations; and material related to van der Smissen's participation in professional organizations and conferences.

The University Club was established at Indiana University in 1959 by combining four older Indiana University clubs: the Men's Faculty Club (established in 1912), the University Women's Club (originally titled the Faculty Women's Club when established in 1913, renamed in 1959), the Women's Faculty Club (established in 1923), and the Newcomer's Club (originally part of the University Women's Club). From 1959 until 1988, the University Club acted as an umbrella organization for the four separate clubs it contained. In this structure each individual club pursued its own programs and also participated in University Club programs. Starting in 1989, however, all programs developed by the four separate clubs have been listed under the rubric of the University Club and have been open to all members of the University Club. The goals of the University Club are to organize and implement social and cultural events.

Maida Tilchen is an Indiana University alumna and activist who focused on LGBTQ+ and women's rights. This collection comprises .8 cubic feet and primarily consists of Tilchen's papers and collected materials documenting her life in Bloomington, Indiana and the local social justice initiatives of the 1970s.

The Upsilon chapter of Theta Nu Xi, a multicultural sorority, was chartered at Indiana University Bloomington in 2004. This collection contains awards, correspondence, new member files, newspaper clippings, and pamphlets pertaining to this chapter.

Esther Thelen (1941-2004) was a professor of psychology at Indiana University Bloomington and a well-known researcher in the field of developmental psychology. She is known for applying the dynamic systems theory to the study of infant motor development; this has since become the dominant theoretical viewpoint in the field. Much of Thelen's research was done at Indiana University Bloomington's Infant Motor Development Laboratory, which she established and directed. This collection contains personal files and correspondence; documents related to public speaking appearances, publications, and roles in professional organizations and committees; educational materials from psychology courses taught by Thelen; and materials related to Thelen's research, including handwritten notes, drafts of studies, and videotapes of research subjects.

A distinguished scholar of Shakerism in America, Stephen J. Stein is a Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Indiana University. The collection contains Stein's published articles, research, professional activities and correspondence.

Denis Sinor was a faculty member of Indiana University in the Uralic and Altaic Program (now the Department of Central Eurasian Studies) from 1962 to 2011. Sinor founded the Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies in 1965 and the Asian Studies Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies (now the Sinor Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies [RIFIAS]), both of which he served as director for until his retirement from IU in 1986. He was active in many organizations during his tenure at Indiana University, most significantly the Journal of Asian History (JAH), Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and National Defense Education Act (NDEA). This collection consists of Sinor's correspondence with various organizations, IU, and personal contacts.