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Office of the President records
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Held at: Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections [Contact Us]W. W. Hagerty Library, 3300 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
James Creese served as the president of the Drexel Institute from 1945 to 1963. His tenure began with a tremendous influx of students in the post-WWII years and continued to oversee tremendous growth of the Institute, both in the physical expansion of its campus and in the development of its academic programs, especially in engineering and cooperative education. Such extensive development required major capital investments, for which two major fundraising campaigns were undertaken during Creese’s leadership. Creese was also active in a number of local and national organizations, serving on numerous committees and sitting on the boards of several prominent local institutions. He resigned as president of Drexel in 1963 and died three years later in 1966.
Drexel’s eighth president, William Walsh Hagerty, served from 1963 to 1984. Born in Holyoke, Minnesota, in 1916, Dr. Hagerty was educated as an engineer at the universities of Minnesota and Michigan. Before coming to Drexel, he was dean of the college of engineering at the University of Texas. He served as an adviser to NASA and a board member of the National Science Foundation and was appointed by president Lyndon Johnson to the board of the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT) in 1965. He died of cancer in Savannah, Georgia, in 1986 at the age of 69. William S. Gaither was born in Indiana in 1932. He studied civil engineering at the Rose Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1956. Before continuing with his graduate education he worked for the Meyer Corporation, the Dravo Corporation, and the Bechtel Corporation as an engineer. In 1964 he received a Ph.D from Princeton University concentrating his work on marine transportation and ocean engineering. He taught at Princeton University and the University of Florida.
In 1967 he started an ocean engineering program at the University of Delaware. In 1970 he was offered the position of Dean and Professor of the College of Marine Studies at Delaware where he was also the Sea Grant Program Director. This Program is an organization which honors colleges that have developed a curriculum for studying the oceans and human impact on them. During his career he frequently testified to Congress on environmental and oceanographic issues. In 1984 he left the University of Delaware for the position of President of Drexel where he created eleven new majors and increased alumni giving. Gaither’s Inauguration as President of Drexel was held on April 27, 1985. He also worked on programs to enhance minority student enrollment at Drexel. During his tenure at Drexel he was on the boards of the University City Science Center, the PenJerDel Council, and the West Philadelphia Partnership.
In April of 1987, a female staff member alleged that Gaither had made inappropriate sexual advances to her. She made a formal complaint, but withdrew it when he apologized. The Board of Trustees gave him a vote of no confidence during the summer of 1987 and he was forced to resign.
see Gaither Personal Information in 1.11 Office of the President, Series 3 and 1.9 William S. Gaither Administrative Files
http://www.drexel.edu/papadakis/newcomen/index.html accessed 4/8/08.
http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/aboutsg/historyofsg.html, accessed 04/04/2008 1:18 p.m.
Richard David Breslin (b. 1937 or 1938), Drexel's tenth president, began his academic career in 1968 at Villanova University, where he became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1972. He later became vice president for academic affairs at Iona College and president of the University of Charleston in West Virginia. Dr. Breslin served as president of Drexel from 1988 to 1994.
Historical note: Four presidents of Drexel University are represented in the collection: James Creese (1896-1966, president 1945-1963), William Walsh Hagerty (1916-1986, president 1963-1984), William Samuel Gaither (b. 1932, president 1984-1987), and Richard Breslin (b. 1937 or 1938, president 1988-1994). Scope/content: This collection consists of subject files, reports, and other materials compiled by the staff of the Office of the President between 1950 and 1989, overlapping the terms of several presidents. It contains substantial material on the University City Science Center and President Gaither's long-range plan developed in the 1980s.
Series 1 James Creese: Sub Series A General Administrative Files (4 folders). These are administrative files on the Evening College and the environmental engineering program at Drexel.
Series 2 W.W. Hagerty contains two sub-series. The first is Sub-Series A General Administrative Files (34 folders) has department plans, long-range plans for school development, Board of Trustee Seminars, data on ACT 101 and minority enrollment at Drexel, financial planning including state aid, conferences, and material from the Inauguration of Peter J. Liacouras, President of Temple University. Sub-Series B Schools and Colleges (9 folders) includes material from individual colleges of the engineering department at Drexel.
Series 3 William S. Gaither contains nine sub-series. Sub-Series A General Administrative Files (43 folders) has material on buildings and real estate growth for Drexel, honorary degree nominees, publicity, student issues, financial administration of Drexel, issues of community relations with the surrounding area including Powelton Village, and the development of a microcomputing system for Drexel.
Sub-Series B is Committees (18 folders) which has material on diverse organizations Gaither was involved with including the Committee to Support Philadelphia Public Schools and other outside organizations.
Sub-Series C is Controversy (3 folders) includes photocopies of newspaper articles on Gaither’s resignation in 1987.
Sub-Series D, Faculty and Personnel (6 folders) contains material on faculty orientation, guides for faculty and administrators, and a study on faculty.
Sub-Series E Inauguration (8 folders) has programs, addresses, general publications and correspondence on Gaither’s Inauguration in 1985.
Sub-Series F Long-Range Plans (34 folders) contains reports, correspondence, drafts, memos, and other items on the Long-Range Plan developed during Gaither’s tenure at Drexel. There is material from Board of Trustee workshops on the Plan and transparencies from presentations.
Sub-Series G Personal and Professional Papers (9 folders) contains folders from Gaither’s career prior to Drexel including material on the University of Delaware and his work as the Director of the Sea Grants Program there. There are also copies of speeches he gave to various organizations and a folder on his career prior to Drexel including bibliographies and resumes.
Sub-Series H Schools and Colleges (6 folders) includes material on the Restaurant School at Drexel, the nursing program, cooperative educations, and the physical education program at Drexel.
Sub-Series I, University City Science Center (20 folders) has financial data on the Center, material on the administration of the Center, annual meetings, reports, and folders on the Advanced Technology Center of the UCSC.
Series 4 Richard Breslin Sub-Series A General Administrative Files (10 folders) includes campus plans, committee reports, correspondence, surveys of sophomores, and other administrative files.
Series 5 Multiple Presidents (24 folders) contains those folders with material spanning the tenure of more than one president of Drexel. This series varies widely in scope and content including material on departments and schools of Drexel, organizations, luncheons hosted by Drexel, meetings between Deans the Vice-President of Drexel, accreditation, the American Council on Education, and relationships between Drexel and corporations.
The materials include correspondence, reports, memoranda, programs, publications, photocopies, speeches and addresses, drafts of reports, newspaper clippings, budgets, minutes, agendas, and transparencies.
Arrangement: Portions of the collection are arranged alphabetically by subject within each box, but there is no overall order discernable to the entire collection. Related collections: Creese papers, Hagerty papers, Breslin papers, Gaither papers. Subjects: Drexel University--History Drexel University--Administration University City Science Center College presidents
- James Creese
- W.W. Hagerty
- William S. Gaither
- Richard Breslin
- Multiple Administrations
Biographical Notes from the Collection. Office of the President 1.11, Series 3 and 1.9 William S. Gaither Administrative Files
http://www.drexel.edu/papadakis/newcomen/index.html accessed 4/8/08. http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/aboutsg/historyofsg.html, accessed 04/04/2008 1:18 p.m. Kotzin, Miriam N. A History of Drexel University. Drexel University Press, Philadelphia, PA. 1983, pp 79-173.Transferred from the Office of the President, Drexel University
This collection was reprocessed by Robin Elliot, Cheryl Klimaszewski, and Katelyn Wolfrom in 2008. The finding aid and box and folder lists were revised and expanded at that time. Though the collection was organized intellectually into series, general physical arrangement of the records was not changed.
People
Subject
- College buildings--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
- College presidents--Inauguration
- Drexel University--Administration
- Drexel University--African Americans--Education (Higher)
- Drexel University--Alumni and alumnae
- Drexel University--Buildings
- Drexel University--Development
- Drexel University--Faculty
- Drexel University--History
- Drexel University--Students
- Speeches
- Publisher
- Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections
Collection Inventory
This is a small series from the Presidency of JAmes Ceese, primarily on the Evening College of Drexel Institute.
This series contains memos, memoranda, correspondence, reports, brochures, a personnel directory, and an application to the Department of Public Health.
Application to PA Dept. of Health for registration under the PA Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, No. 693.
Physical Description4.0 folders
Correspondence, memoranda, reports and brochures.
Correspondence, memoranda and reports.
personnel directory, memos, financial receipts
This series has two sub-series. Sub-Series A is General aDministrative Files and Sub-series 2 is Schools and Colleges. Sub-Series A contains correspondence, memos, memorandum, graphs, reports, catalogues, pamphlets, and programs. Sub-series B contains memos, correspondence, memorandum, and reports.
34.0
memorandum
correspondence, reports, oversized graphs, photocopied articles
office reports, handwritten notes
memos, profiles
memos, memorandum
correspondence, by-laws, memos
meeting reports, statements, questionaires, memorandum
reports, surveys
memorandum, surveys, study, correspondence, memos
report
memos, correspondence, application, brochure, list of employees
booklet
report, addendum
catalogue
reports, correspondence
reports, correspondence, pamphlets, manual
folded blueprint
Correspondence and memoranda.
Correspondence, brochures, and reports.
report
correspondence, memorandum, advertisements
correspondence, pamphlet
report, photocopies of newspaper articles
Prospectus submitted to the PA Department of Education.
Correspondence and reports.
Agenda of the Skytop Conference and correspondence related to admissions.
correspondence, memorandum
correspondence, Inauguration of Liacouras at Temple
pamphlets, abstract
GBC bound booklets for annual seminar
GBC bound booklets for annual seminar
correspondence, annual meeting, circular
9.0 folders
memos, correspondence, reports
memos
memo
memo
memos
correspondence, annual report
memorandum
memorandum
memos
Series 3 William S. Gaither has nine sub-series. These are General Administrative Files, Committees, Controversy, Faculty and Personnel, Inauguration, Long-Range Plan, Personal and Professional Papers, Schools and Colleges, and University City Science Center. These are subject files based on the administration of Drexel.
44.0 folders
correspondence, envelopes
report
Correspondence, memoranda and reports.
Reports and correspondence re: Charitable Employee Stock Ownership Plan (gifts of stock by alumni to Drexel).
memorandum
Reports and supporting documents from various consultants on information technology, the Drexel Lodge, employee compensation, marketing and communications, and long-range planning.
report
memorandum, report, article
Report on the study of the effects of microcomputers written by Joan McCord, Project Director.
report, correspondence, The New Engineering Building
report
report
memorandum, Drexel Flex Plan Summary, reports
Reports of revenues and expenditures.
Correspondence, memoranda and reports.
Correspondence, memoranda and reports.
annual reports, meeting minutes, proposals
correspondence, photocopies of magazine articles, memos, handwritten notes
correspondence, programs, handwritten speech
photocopied articles, correspondence, handwritten notes
memos, correspondence, handwritten notes, brochures
memorandum, memos, correspondence
correspondence, handwritten notes, reports, photocopied newspaper articles, minutes, meeting memo, business card, presentation, handwritten notes, revised drafts
pamphlets, correspondence
Correspondence and articles re: relationship between Lambda Chi Alpha and Powelton community re: April 1984 assault.
Correspondence and articles re: relationship between Drexel and Powelton Village community.
Correspondence, reports and brochures re: Powelton Village Civic Association.
report
report
reports, newsletters
Correspondence and memoranda re: general security matters on campus.
Report.
Correspondence from students and alumni/alumnae.
Correspondence and reports.
appendices to report
Report
memorandum, folder with notes
Correspondence, memoranda and reports.
18.0 folders
data sheets, correpondence, memorandum
Correspondence, memoranda, meeting agendas and supporting documents.
Correspondence and transcript of a speech by Dr. Constance E. Clayton, Superintendent, School District of Philadelphia.
Correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports, and brochures re: admissions and financial aid study and annual meeting.
report
correspondence, memorandum
memos, drafts
correspondence, memorandum, reports, guide
report
correspondence, report
correspondence, report
minutes, agendas, memorandum, correspondence
correspondence, programs, registration list, committee membership
transparencies
correspondence, address on W.W. Hagerty
Correspondence, meeting minutes and draft and final reports re: Collaborative for West Philadelphia Public Schools, West Philadelphia Youth Improvement Corps, and related activities of the West Philadelphia partnership.
Correspondence, reports, meeting minutes and publicity re: the activities of the West Philadelphia Partnership, including the Collaborative for West Philadelphia Public Schools.
3.0 folders
magazine, oversized
photocopies of newspaper articles on the Gaither sexual harrassment controversy
photocopies of news clippings
6.0 folders
Drafts and memoranda re: faculty handbook and related policy.
Copy of policy handbook and related memoranda.
Copy of policy handbook and related memoranda.
Handwritten notes.
seminars, handwritten notes, correspondence, questionaire results, memorandum, vitae
correspondence, memorandum, handwritten notes, questionaires
8.0 folders
Correspondence, handwritten notes, Currents
address, speech, photocopied newspaper articles
events program, concert program
correspondence, programs, memos, newspaper clippings, newsletters
correspondence, programs, tickets, newspaper clippings
programs, newsletters, memos
programs, newspaper clippings
34.0 folders
memos
transparencies
presentation, transparencies
presentation, transparencies
presentation, transparencies
handwritten notes, photocopied notes
articles, correspondence, reports, memorandum
correspondence memo on giving archives Long-Range Plan Collections
report
drafts of reports
handwritten notes, phone message, reports, memos, correspondence, newspaper clippings
correspondence, photocopied notes, memos
correspondence, memos
drafts, handwritten notes, memos, trustee workshop agendas
agendas, handwritten notes, correspondence, memorandum, transparency
copy of presentation
reports
reports
reports
reports
correspondence, planning criteria report, draft report
reports
report
report
reports, correspondence
reports
appendix volume
correspondence, business cards, memorandum, pamphlets
reports
reports
transparencies, copies of transparencies
copies of trqansparencies, handwritten notes
9.0 folders
interviews, photocopied newspaper articles, newspaper clippings, statements, press releases
Drafts of speeches, programs and brochures advertising speaking engagements.+
report
report
Reports related to the Sea Grants College Program and related projects, including a detailed budget report that spans from 1967-1986.
correspondence, speech, brochure
report
address
correspondence, address
6.0 folders
invitations, memorandum, remarks, photocopied articles, correspondence
report, photocopied articles, handwritten notes
correspondence, reports, memorandum, questionaires, photocopied magazine and scholarly articles
correspondence, draft proposals, memos, handwritten notes
handwritten notes, transparencies
20.0 folders
report, memorandum, business card
memo, reports, handwritten notes
Report authored by K. Geller, Drexel University re: The Ben Franklin Partnership of Pennsylvania - A University Perspective. Includes brochures, program guidelines and reports as supporting documents.
agendas, minutes, assigments, reports, news
financial statements, correspondence, agendas, pamhlets, articles, memorandum, handwritten notes
research policies, reports, meeting reports, handwritten notes
Published report, correspondence and list of stakeholders re: University City Science Center Bioprocessing and Pharmaceutical Research Center.
Correspondence and report.
agenda, minutes, financial reports, committee assignments, resolutions, board of directors
report, Operating Budget
correspondence, reports, memorandum, handwritten notes, policies
report, program goals and objectives, fiscal year, 1987
correspondence, memorandum, press releases, minutes
correspondence, memorandum, programs, brochures
correspondence, memorandum, minutes, meeting reports
bibliographic materials,articles, handwritten synopses
essay
rephotocopies, reports, Advanced Technology Center pamphlets
newspaper articles, magazine articles, Advanced Technology Center budgets, photocopies
photocopies, advertisements, articles
This series contains administrative files from the Presidency of Richard Breslin.
memorandum, reports, personnel issues
Correspondence, memoranda and draft of policies.
draft summary, correspondence, contracts, memos, RFP
Copy of survey and report of results of the sophomore survey.
correspondence, report, financial data
correspondence, reports, memorandum, agendas, notes
Memoranda and supporting budget materials prepared for the annual finance workshop.
memos, correspondence, brochures
correspondence, memorandum, newsletter
11.0 folders
This series contains administrative subject files from the tenures of multiple Presidents of Drexel.
Physical Description25.0 folders
correspondence, reports
correspondence, brochures, reports
correspondence, statements, programs, pamphlets, reports
reports, memos, Drexel publications
reports, correspondence, memorandum
correspondence, donor information, presentation booklet
Correspondence, reports and speeches related to DuPont and engineering education.
Correspondence, reports, memoranda and articles re: engineering education.
memos, correspondence, report
correspondence, newsletters, copies of checks attached to correspondence, applications for funds, memos
correspondence, memos, reports, newsletters
correspondence, memos, copies of checks, accounting records, donor information
Correspondence and memoranda.
Correspondence, memoranda, directories and lists of administrators, organizational charts.
correspondence, brochures, memos
memorandum, agendas
memorandum, agenda, budgets
acceptance lists
correspondence, memos
Correspondence, brochures and reports re: bylaws of colleges and universities.
correspondence, handwritten notes
correspondence, newspaper articles, interviews
Form letters to students/parents re: tuition increases.
13.0 folders