Collections : [University Archives]

The Indiana University Trustees serve as the governing board of the university. Created in 1820, the current Board meets six times per year. Among the Board's powers are their capacity to possess all the real and personal property of the university; to expend the income of the university; and to all bylaws necessary to carry these powers into effect. The minutes in this collection include official acts, resolutions, policies, agreements, and other business pertaining to the governance of Indiana University between 1838-1859 and 1883-2017.

The origins of the Bloomington Faculty Council can be traced back to a University reorganization begun by university president Elvis J. Stahr. In 1969 the Bloomington Faculty began their own council for policy and academic decisions, as the University Faculty Council became a legislative body for all faculty in the Indiana University system. This collection consists of the agendas, minutes, circulars and supporting documents of the Bloomington Faculty Council, the governing body of the university faculty on the Indiana University -Bloomington campus. The collection is organized into six series: Agendas, Minutes, Circulars, Supporting documents, Committee Files, and Subject Files.

The Union Board serves as the governing body for the Indiana Memorial Union, which organizes various events and activities for students on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. Established in 1909, the Union Board has since developed into the largest student programming body at Indiana University. The Collection consists of minutes of Union Board meetings and a variety of administrative documents and materials related to past programs, activities, and events.

The Indiana University Student Senate was formed in 1948 due in large part to the influence of IU President Herman B Wells. The Student Senate was charged with upholding the ideals proclaimed in the Student Government Constitution. This collection is predominantly comprised of administrative files such as meetings minutes, bills and resolutions, and subject files covering the period 1938 through 1979.

The Indiana University Board of Trustees created the Faculty Council in 1947 as a representative council that would conduct the everyday business of the university in close relationship with the administration. With a major university restructuring in 1969, the Council was divided into the current Bloomington Faculty Council and University Faculty Council system. Contained in the collection are the Faculty Council's agendas, minutes, and supporting documents. The collection is organized into four series: Minutes and Agendas, Annual Summaries, Circulars, and Supporting documents.

Student government at Indiana University was officially formed in April 1948 due in large part to the influence of IU President Herman B Wells. Following a series of name changes, student government in 1973 became known as the Indiana University Student Association (IUSA). In 2019 they changed their name again to Indiana University Student Government (IUSG). This collection consists of the records of the IUSA including: Meeting minutes and agendas; resolutions; administrative files; records of the IUSA President , Vice-President for Senate/ Congress, Vice- President for Administration, Treasurer and the Supreme Court; association, committee and department files; and issue, project and subject files. These records primarily cover the period from 1973-2010.

The origins of the University Faculty Council can be traced back to a University reorganization begun by university president Elvis J. Stahr. In 1969 the University Faculty began a council for policy and academic decisions for the broader multi-campus University system, as the Bloomington Faculty Council became a legislative body for the faculty on the Bloomington Campus. This collection consists of the agendas, minutes, circulars and supporting documents of the University Faculty Council, the governing body of the university faculty throughout the Indiana University system.

The Spectator began its existence as a weekly student newspaper in January 1966, when it was recognized as a registered Indiana University organization by the I.U. Board of Student Publications. This charter was revoked by the university administration in 1968, but the paper remained in publication as an independent paper in Bloomington, Indiana until 1970. The collection consists of records of the Spectator organized in five series: operational, financial, correspondence, submissions, and newspaper issues.

Soprano Virginia MacWatters was known not only for her impressive operatic career during which she performed in opera houses throughout the United States, Europe, and South America, but also for her dedication to teaching. In 1957 she joined the voice faculty of the Indiana University School of Music where she remained until her retirement in 1982. She was awarded the prestigious Frederic Bachman Lieber Memorial Award for excellence in teaching in 1979. The collection consists of biographical materials, clippings, programs, teaching files, correspondence, photographs, and scrapbooks.

The Euclidean Circle, founded in 1907, was a social and intellectual club that focused on the study of mathematics. Both faculty and students could be members. This collection contains two series, Record books and Constitution, and includes meeting minutes and governing documents of the club.

The Strategic Directions Charter is an initiative enacted by Indiana University President Myles Brand in 1995 in response to acknowledged fundamental changes in the environment for higher education. The Charter's goal is to enact institutional changes and plans which will sustain the University's excellence, enabling it to emerge as a model for America's New Public University. A steering committee and topical task forces were created to guide Strategic Directions Charter initiatives and review proposed projects for funding. The collection includes administrative documents as well as files from funded and un-funded proposals submitted for rounds one, two, and three (1996-1998) of the Strategic Directions Charter initiative.

John B. Patton was a member of the faculty of the Geology Department at Indiana University from 1947-1986. In 1959 he became State Geologist, director of the Indiana Geological Survey, and chairman of the IU geology department. He served as department chair for 12 years and as State Geologist and director of the Geological Survey until his retirement in 1986. The John B. Patton papers span the period from 1945 to 1988 and consist primarily files related to his speeches, lectures and presentations, manuscripts, published works, as well as records Patton created while serving on various committees both within and outside of Indiana University.

The University Council was created by a vote of the general faculty on 10 January 1929. The purpose of this group was to consider any question of academic policy affecting the University as a whole. This collection is organized into three series: Minutes, Reports and recommendations, and Memos.

Kenneth R.R. Gros Louis was a long time Indiana University administrator. Gros Louis served as Vice President of the entire Indiana University multi-campus system as well as Chancellor of the Bloomington campus. In 1994 Indiana University President, Myles Brand, expanded Gros Louis' role in the university's administration changing his Vice Presidential title to Vice President for Academic Affairs. The collection consists of speeches made by Gros Louis during his academic career between 1979 and 2011.

Edward Grant, a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History and History and Philosophy of Science taught at Indiana University for over thirty years. This collection consists of 24.6 cubic of Edward Grant's papers. Consists of correspondence, research, drafts, publications, and course and lecture notes. By far the largest series in the collection is the Teaching series and includes materials from Grant's years teaching as a graduate student at the Univ. of Wisconsin and then later at Indiana. The bulk of the series, though, consists of folders relating to the courses he taught in the IU Dept. of History and Philosophy of Science. The Publications series contains information on many of Grant's publications, including his books Much ado about nothing and Source book in medieval science.

One of the two chief literary societies on campus, the Athenian Society was founded at Indiana University in 1830. Literary societies gave students practice in speaking and writing through regular orations, essays, and debates, as well as filling a social role. Collection consists of minutes, correspondence, publications, addresses, and announcements. The Publication series includes copies of the Athenian, a monthly periodical of writings submitted by members of the Athenian Society that were of "a high literary character," including what the editors considered "chaste and elevated literature." These span December 1845 through November 1846. Most prominent in the collection are the minutes from the weekly meeting of the Society.

General meetings of the Indiana University faculty began in 1835, to discuss the industriousness of its students, calling student rolls, and hearing reports on the work and standing of each of the students. Disciplinary measures, dismissals, and exams for students were also discussed during many of the meetings throughout the nineteenth century. By the 1920s, the faculty had grown to such a point that it was necessary to create a representative body of the faculty, but the faculty as a whole continued to meet with some regularity. Today the faculty body rarely meet, but may be convened by the IU president, the Secretary of the University Faculty Council, or on petition signed by voting faculty members numbering no less than 5% of all voting faculty members.

The Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics & American Institutions is an endowed ethics research center established in 1972 at Indiana University Bloomington. The collection consists of the Center's administrative files arranged by subject, documenting the creation and growth of the center and its programs and events. Materials include correspondence, reports, syllabi, program and seminar materials, video and audio tapes, and photographic materials generated and received by the Poynter Center.

The Polish Studies Center was established at Indiana University on October 30, 1977. The purpose of the Center was to promote activities such as lectures, discussions, academic courses, and an exchange program with Warsaw University that would increase the knowledge and cultural awareness of Poland and Eastern Europe, while bringing the areas closer together. The collection consists of a wide-variety of information pertaining to the various programs, events, lectures, and conferences formed by the Polish Studies Center, along with administrative materials that show the growth and development of the center.

Since 1983, the Grunwald Gallery of Art, formerly the School of Fine Arts Gallery (SoFA), has presented contemporary works by both professional and student artists in a special exhibition format. The records in this collection include exhibition publicity, audio and visual materials, and photographic slides spanning 1970-2015.