The Bureau of Extension, organized in September 1913, was
the culmination of University Presidents Francis P. Venable and
Edward K. Graham's vision of the University's role in state
service.  In addition to their commitment to classroom
instruction and research, both Venable and Graham felt the
University should involve itself in the broader area of public
service through extension work.  With the University's long
involvement in summer teacher-training institutes as a precedent
and the extension programs of the Universities of Chicago and
Wisconsin as models, Venable appointed a Committee on Extension
in 1912 with University Librarian Louis Round Wilson as chairman.

     In September 1913, the recommendations of the Committee were
implemented by the establishment the Bureau of Extension with
Wilson as Director.  Wilson remained Director until 1921, and
under his guidance the Bureau's efforts were organized into nine
divisions:

     1.  General Information.  The Bureau maintained a central
     clearinghouse of information on programs of the University
     and other agencies of state government.

     2.  Instruction by Lectures.  The Bureau organized a
     speakers' bureau using members of the faculty.

     3.  Correspondence Courses.

     4.  Public Discussion and Debate.  The Bureau directed the
     High School Debating Union.

     5.  County Economic and Social Surveys.  In cooperation with
     the University’s Department of Rural Social Economics, the
     Bureau of Extension conducted surveys of local conditions.

     6.  Municipal and Legislative Reference Aids.  In
     cooperation with the UNC Department of History, the Bureau
     provided this service until the establishment of the
     Legislative Reference Bureau and the Institute of
     Government.

     7.  Teachers' Bureau.  This was a resource center for public
     school teachers operated in conjunction with the
     University’s School of Education.

     8.  Good Roads Institute.  Held in cooperation with the UNC
     Department of Civil Engineering, the N.C. Highway
     Commission, and the U.S. Geologic Survey, the Institute
     aided the state's Good Roads Movement, which resulted in the
     passage of the 1920 Highway Act.

     9.  Medical Instruction.  Operated with the UNC School of
     Medicine and the State Board of Health, this program
     provided continuing education for doctors on the local
     level.

     As time passed, the Bureau broadened its efforts.  A
Newspaper Institute was begun in December 1916.  The Bureau also
issued numerous publications in the form of bulletins,
newsletters, circulars, leaflets, etc.

     By 1921 the scope of the Bureau's activities demanded a full-
time director and support staff.  In January of that year the
Bureau’s name was changed to Extension Division, and Chester D.
Snell became its first full-time Director.  During Snell's seven-
year tenure the expansion of the Division's on-campus and
off-campus instruction was spectacular.  The opening of the
Carolina Inn in 1924 led to a great increase in the number of
conferences and institutes held under Extension Division
auspices.

     In 1928 Russell M. Grumman succeeded Snell as Director and
served in that position until his retirement on August 31, 1956.
Grumman was especially active in expanding the extension programs
in the state's high schools and local communities.  The recent
directors are as follows:

     Charles F. Milner,
          Acting              Sept. 1, 1956-June 30, 1959
     Charles F. Milner        July 1, 1959-June 30, 1975
     Dwight C. Rhyne,
          Acting              July 1, 1975-Dec. 31, 1976
     Dwight C. Rhyne          Jan. 1, 1977-June 30, 1986
     William H. Heriford,
          Acting              July 1, 1986-Dec. 31, 1989
     Thomas L. McKeon         Jan. 1, 1990-

     Prior to 1976 the Director of the Extension Division
reported to the Provost, in the Division of Academic Affairs.  On
April 14, 1976, the Division was reorganized and renamed the
Division of Extension and Continuing Education and was placed
administratively under the Vice Chancellor for Development and
Public Service.  On July 1, 1985 it was transferred back to the
Division of Academic Affairs and again placed administratively
under the Provost.  In 1991 the name of the Division changed once
more, to Division of Continuing Education.

     The records of the Division currently in the Archives are
confined to the period before 1977.  Other (and in some cases,
more recent) records pertaining to the Division will be found in
the Records of the Dept. of Dramatic Art, the Records of the Vice
Chancellor for Development and University Relations, the Records
of the Office of the Provost, and the Records of the Associate
Provost for Educational and Support Services.

     The archival records of the Division of Extension and
Continuing Education are arranged according to the following
scheme.  The individual subgroups, series, etc. are described
below.

SUBGROUP 1:  DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL RELATIONS
     SERIES 1:  ACADEMIC CONTESTS
     SERIES 2:  NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL DEBATING UNION
     SERIES 3:  HIGH SCHOOL WORLD PEACE SPEAKING PROGRAM
SUBGROUP 2:  DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE
          SERIES 1:  BUREAU OF COMMUNITY DRAMA
          SERIES 2:  BUREAU OF COMMUNITY MUSIC
                    SUBSERIES 1:  NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY SOCIETY
                    SUBSERIES 2:  CAROLINA OPERA SCHOOL
                         (GRASS ROOTS OPERA COMPANY)
                    SUBSERIES 3:  INSTITUTE OF FOLK MUSIC
SUBGROUP 3:  SOUTHERN ART PROJECTS


SUBGROUP 1:  DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL RELATIONS

Box 1:

     The Department of School Relations was established to
provide programs of service to the state's public high schools
and to encourage North Carolina students to enroll at UNC.  The
programs ranged from academic contests and debates to an
information service for school teachers and administrators.  By
the 1960s the Extension Division began to restrict its efforts in
this area and to expand its continuing education programs on the
higher education level.

     SERIES 1:  ACADEMIC CONTESTS

     The academic contest program was inaugurated on February 18,
1925, with the first annual Latin contest.  Over the next half-
century, with the cooperation of various academic departments of
the University, the program expanded to include contests in the
following fields: First-Year, Second-Year, and Advanced Latin;
Spanish; French; Mathematics; American History; Physics;
Chemistry; and Biology.  Finalists from the state's high schools
were invited to Chapel Hill for an awards banquet, and the winner
of each contest received a tuition-free scholarship to UNC.

     The records of the program are arranged chronologically by
contest year and include administrative papers, copies of the
various exams, lists of winners, etc.  The Archives holds records
for the years 1940-1956 and 1962-1975.

Box 2:

     SERIES 2:  NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL DEBATING UNION

     The North Carolina High School Debating Union was organized
by the Dialectic and Philanthropic Literary Societies during the
academic year 1912-1913.  Under the administrative supervision of
the Extension Division, the program was to provide a forum in
which students could study public questions and could receive
training and experience in the art of reasoned discourse.  The
program consisted of debates on the local, regional, and state
levels.  The latter, known as the State Finals, were held at UNC;
the Aycock Cup was awarded to the winning school.  Ninety schools
participated in the 1913 contest.  The 1941 debates attracted 240
schools.  In addition to the formal contests, the program also
conducted seminars and workshops.

     The records of this program consist of the school
enrollments for each debate year, administrative papers, and
lists of winning teams.  Years covered are 1937-1956 and
1963-1976.

Box 3:

     SERIES 3:  HIGH SCHOOL WORLD PEACE SPEAKING PROGRAM

     The World Peace Speaking Program, begun in 1936, was
conceived by Oscar K. Merritt, a Mount Airy , N.C., businessman,
to stimulate interest in furthering world peace.  The Extension
Division handled the administration of the program, which
consisted of local debate contests in individual high schools.

     The records of this program consist mainly of debate topics
and lists of local contest winners.  Years covered are 1936-1962.


SUBGROUP 2: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE

     The Department of Public Service was organized to supervise
the University's extension work among the state's counties and
local communities.  Its services included information and
consultants on community development, county economic and social
surveys, and guidance in the formation of local drama and music
groups.

     SERIES 1:  BUREAU OF COMMUNITY DRAMA

     The work of this Bureau was a cooperative effort of the
Extension Division and the UNC Department of Dramatic Art.  The
records of the Bureau are filed with the Records of the
Department of Dramatic Art.

     SERIES 2:  BUREAU OF COMMUNITY MUSIC

     In cooperation with the UNC Department of Music, the Bureau
of Community Music sought to stimulate the formation of local
choruses and instrumental ensembles.  The Bureau also actively
supported programs devoted to the preservation and performance of
classical and folk music.  The Bureau's goals were to provide
opportunities for music training and to further music
appreciation among the general public.  In meeting these goals,
the Bureau provided administrative assistance to the North
Carolina Symphony Society, the Carolina Opera School, and the
Institute of Folk Music.

     SUBSERIES 1:  NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY SOCIETY

     These records cover the organization of the Society in
December 1932 and the first three years of its operation.  In
addition there are records of the Society's fund-raising efforts
during the 1946 through 1955 seasons.  The files are those of
Russell Grumman, who served as the Society's Executive Vice
President.

     SUBSERIES 2:  CAROLINA OPERA SCHOOL

     The Carolina Opera School opened in Raleigh on September 17,
1951.  It was a cooperative effort of the UNC Extension Division
and the Grass Roots Opera Company of the North Carolina
Federation of Music Clubs.  The goals of the School were to
provide instruction in voice and opera, to offer opportunities
for performing experience, and to acquaint the state's people
with the beauty of opera.

     The records consist of correspondence between A.J. Fletcher
of the Grass Roots Opera Company and Russell Grumman of the UNC
Extension Division concerning the founding of the School and its
subsequent operation.  The years covered are 1951 through 1954.

     SUBSERIES 3:  INSTITUTE OF FOLK MUSIC

     The Institute of Folk Music was organized in September,
1931, in affiliation with the UNC Department of Music.  The
general goal of the Institute was to collect and interpret folk
music and folklore and to promote their appreciation by the
public through concerts and publications.  The records cover the
founding of the Institute and its early programs through 1934.


SUBGROUP 3:  SOUTHERN ART PROJECTS

     Southern Art Projects, funded by a Carnegie Corporation
grant, aimed to provide support for local artists and to broaden
the appreciation of art by the general public in the states of
Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia.  In North Carolina, it was
administered by UNC through the Faculty Committee on Fine Arts
and the Extension Division.  Its activities included lectures,
exhibits, and professional instruction.

     The records consist of papers relating to the organization
of Southern Art Projects in North Carolina and its subsequent
activities during 1934 and 1935.