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Office of the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer Records
Notifications
Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. 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
The Office of the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer is the administrative office at Princeton University responsible for overseeing the university's budget, procurement services, tax compliance, risk management, and other general, non-investment related fiduciary responsibilities. The Office, formally established with its present name in 2005 and reporting directly to the University President, has changed names and responsibilities throughout the university's history and combines functions once held by the following previously distinct cabinet offices: the Office of the Treasurer (1746-2005), the Office of the Vice President for Finance (1972-1988), and the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration (1988-2001).
From 1972-2001, financial and administrative functions of Princeton University were managed by a succession of related and functionally overlapping offices. From 1972-1976, Paul Firstenberg served as financial vice president, while Carl W. Schafer served as treasurer, and Anthony Maruca served as vice president for administrative affairs. From 1976-1987, Carl Schafer performed the functions of financial vice president as well as his existing treasurer functions in the restructured office of the financial vice president and treasurer, while Anthony Maruca continued as vice president for administrative affairs.
In 1988, a separate treasurer was again named, and the functions of the former vice president for administrative affairs were added to the functions of the financial vice president to create the office of the vice president for finance and administration. The vice president for finance and administration had responsibility for coordinating and developing policies and plans for the financial, administrative, and corporate operations of the University, and with charge, under the committee on Finance, of the funds, stocks, securities, and other investments of the Corporation, including off-campus real estate. The vice president for finance and administration also served as an ex officio member of the Council of the Princeton University Community and of its Committees on Priorities and on Resources. Richard R. Spies served in this position from its creation in 1988 until 2001, when the administrative and financial functions were once again divided between two separate offices: the office of the vice president for administration (now the Office of the Executive Vice President) and the office of the treasurer.
In 2001, Christopher McCrudden was selected as the University's Treasurer and four years later he became the first-ever Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, a position he held until 2007. Carolyn Ainslie followed him in the position, beginning her tenure October 1, 2008, after a decade of leadership at Cornell University.
The collection documents the activities of three consecutive administrators who held the position of vice presidents for finance, either solely or in combination with the roles of treasurer and vice president for administration: Paul B. Firstenberg (1972-1976), Carl W. Schafer (1976-1987), and Richard R. Spies (1988-2001). Also included are the records of Laurel B. Harvey, who served as assistant vice president for finance and administration under Schafer and Spies. The records consist of subject files, correspondence, and departmental budget reports. Also in the collection are the meeting minutes and notes of the many committees upon which the vice president sat, including the Priorities Committee, the Resources Committee, the Personnel Oversight Committee, and the Community Affairs Committee.
Full text searching of this collection's archived website is available through the Archive-It interface.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
Container lists for this collection were created by Suchi Mandavilli '14 and Eleanor Wright '14 in October 2011. Finding aid updated by Christie Peterson in October 2011.
People
Organization
Subject
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Christie Peterson
- Finding Aid Date
- 2007
- Access Restrictions
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Due to the presence of faculty and staff personnel information this collection must be reviewed for potentially restricted records before access is given. Please contact the University Archives at least 48 hours prior to your visit. Materials older than 30 years that do not pertain to student academic performance, or faculty personnel matters are open.
Series 5: Public Website is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.
For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
No arrangement has been performed on the files in Series 1: Paul Firstenberg Files, 1970-1976. They remain in the original order in which they were received in the archives.
Paul Firstenberg is a graduate of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Harvard Law School. Firstenberg served as Princeton University's financial vice president from 1972-1976.
Series 1: Paul Firstenberg Files, 1970-1976 document the work of the Office of the Vice President for Finance during Firstenberg's tenure in that position (1972-1976). The files reflect the vice president's duties as they related to various financial aspects of the school, such as its investments and student aid, as well as his service on advisory committees to groups such as the trustees and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
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No arrangement has been performed on the files in Series 2: Carl W. Schafer Files, 1930-1982 (bulk 1972-1982). They remain in the original order in which they were received in the archives.
Carl Schafer first joined the administration of Princeton University in 1969 as director of budget. From 1972-1976, he served as Princeton University's treasurer, and from 1976-1987, he performed the functions of financial vice president as well as those of treasurer in the restructured Office of the financial vice president and treasurer.
An additional 57.5 linear feet (46 boxes) of records documenting Schafer's term as treasurer (1972-1976) as well as his time as financial vice president and treasurer (1976-1987) can be found in Series 5 of AC128 Office of the Treasurer Records.
The files in Series 2: Carl W. Schafer Files, 1930-1982 (bulk 1972-1982) touch on a broad range of topics related to the financial operations of Princeton University, including investments, income and budget. The files document his service on the Resources Committee and the Priorities Committee of the Council of the Princeton University Community, which addressed issues including the divestiture of Princeton University from investments in South Africa. The files also include information on a proposed merger between the University and the Institute for Advanced Studies, as well as the development of Palmer Square.
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Series 3: Richard R. Spies Files, 1969-1996 (bulk 1988-1996) documents Spies' work as vice president for finance and administration. They include information about the financial aspects of a broad range of activities and projects on campus, such as scientific computing and a supercomputer, the Princeton Investment Company, the work of the Priorities Committee of the Council of the Princeton University Community, and the development of Princeton Forrestal Center. Note that this series does not contain any records from the final five years of Spies' service as vice president for finance and administration (1997-2001).
Series 3: Richard R. Spies Files, 1969-1996 (bulk 1988-1996) has been arranged in two subseries, which were received as two separate accessions of material: Subseries 3A contains Spies' files on a broad range of subjects, while Subseries 3B contains Spies' files specifically related to the development of Princeton Forrestal Center.
Richard R. Spies earned a PhD in economics from Princeton University in 1972. From 1971-1988, he served in a series of progressively senior positions within the office of the provost. In 1988, he became the vice president for finance and administration, and he continued in that position until his departure from Princeton in 2001.
Physical Description48 boxes
No arrangement has been performed on the files in Subseries 3A: Richard R. Spies General Files, 1969-1996 (bulk 1988-1996). They remain in the original order in which they were received in the archives.
The files in Subseries 3A: Richard R. Spies General Files, 1969-1996 (bulk 1988-1996)include information about the financial aspects of a broad range of activities and projects on campus, such as scientific computing and a supercomputer, the Princeton Investment Company and the work of the Priorities Committee of the Council of the Princeton University Community. They also document the search for a new vice president of human resources, and Spies' work with and for the Princeton University board of trustees.
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Subseries 3B: Richard R. Spies Files on Princeton Forrestal Center, 1974-1994 (bulk 1986-1994) document planning and development of Princeton Forrestal Center, a mixed-use development project owned by Princeton University.
No arrangement has been performed on the files in Subseries 3A: Richard R. Spies Files on Princeton Forrestal Center, 1974-1994 (bulk 1986-1994). They remain in the original order in which they were received in the archives.
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Laurel B. Harvey has worked in a variety of administrative positions at Princeton University since 1981, including positions related to finances and risk management. From around 1988 to around 1995, she served as the assistant vice president for finance and administration.
The files in Series 4: Laurel B. Harvey Files, 1976-1997 primarily contain information about Princeton University's financial investments, including investments in South Africa, the work of the Resources Committee, and the gift of an Italian villa. The series also contains a few files related to the recruitment and selection of a vice president for human resources.
No arrangement has been performed on the files in Series 4: Laurel B. Harvey Files, 1976-1997. They remain in the original order in which they were received in the archives.
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Series 5: Public Website contains the website created and maintained by the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer.
The website of the Office of Finance and Treasury provides information about the financial operations of the University. The website includes a financial overview of the institutions along with information on tuition payments and billing, payroll, business expenses, a library of finance related forms and policies, and a staff directory.
Full text searching of the Office of Finance and Treasury archived website is available through the Archive-It interface.
The original arrangement of the files was maintained.
Physical Description1 website