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Collection Number: 40002

Collection Title: Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina (System) Records, 1932-1972

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 1937 items (2.4 linear feet)
Abstract With the creation in 1932 of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, which included the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College in Raleigh, and Woman's College in Greensboro, the North Carolina General Assembly appointed a new hundred-member Board of Trustees as its governing body. The records of the Board of Trustees of the Consolidated University of North Carolina (System) include minutes of meetings of the Board of Trustees and of its Executive Committee, 1932-1972; files of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the Board pertaining to the work of various committees, 1932-1956; and files of the Board's Building Committee (UNC-CH), 1945-1953; Committee on Inauguration, 1950; Committee to Nominate a President, 1956; and Health Affairs Committee, 1955-1963. The Secretary of the Board of Trustees was responsible for correspondence, minutes, and general record-keeping. An Assistant Secretary worked closely with the University President's office, providing more continuity to the Board's records than had existed prior to Consolidation. These records include files of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary pertaining to the work of the Board's committees and containing mostly background material for reports to the Board or its Executive Committee. These are not the actual records of the committees. The Building Committee (UNC-CH) of the Board of Trustees studied and made recommendations on construction and property use at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Records, 1945-1953, include correspondence and other files of the Building Committee and its chair, Collier Cobb, Jr. More than half of these records deal with the construction of North Carolina Memorial Hospital and related projects. The Board of Trustees appointed the Committee on Inauguration in February 1950 to oversee planning for the inauguration of Gordon Gray as president of the Consolidated University in October. Records of this committee include correspondence pertaining to program details, sessions sites on each campus, speakers, and finances for the inauguration; inauguration programs are filed with the correspondence. Following the resignation of Gordon Gray as president of the Consolidated University, the Board of Trustees appointed the Committee to Nominate a President to recommend his successor. The Committee's nomination of William C. Friday was approved by the Board on October 26, 1956. Records of this committee include meeting minutes, suggestions, and comments on the qualifications for president, and data on the candidates considered. These records cover January through May 1956 only. The Health Affairs Committee, a standing committee of the Board of Trustees, advised and counseled the University administration on all matters concerning the Division of Health Affairs at the Chapel Hill campus. Records of this committee include files of George Watts Hill, who chaired the committee, 1957-1972. Files include committee correspondence, minutes, and other materials related to planning for programs and facilities.
Creator University of North Carolina (System). Board of Trustees.
Curatorial Unit University Archives
Language English.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Board of Trustees of the Unviersity of North Carolina (System) Records #40002, University Archives, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Alternate Form of Material
Minutes of the Board and its Executive Committee are also available on microfilm.
Provenance
Periodic transfers from the offices that create these records.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: University Archives Staff, March 1999

Encoded by: Roslyn Holdzkom, March 2003

Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, October 2020

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Related Collections

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Historical Information

On March 27, 1931, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Act of Consolidation, creating the Consolidated University of North Carolina, a system comprised of three previously separate institutions--the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering, and the North Carolina College for Women. (The North Carolina College for Women was renamed Woman's College of the University of North Carolina.) The General Assembly also appointed a new Board of Trustees of one-hundred members, at least ten of whom were to be women, to serve as the governing body of the new system beginning July 1, 1932.

Members of the new Board were to serve eight-year terms, with vacancies to be filled by the General Assembly. The pre-Consolidation Boards of Trustees of the individual institutions were discontinued. Though many of the members of the Consolidated Board had previously been trustees of one of the constituent schools, their purpose was now to promote the interests of the University system.

In 1972 the University system was expanded to include sixteen campuses. At that time the Board of Trustees of the Consolidated University was replaced by the Board of Governors, and separate Boards of Trustees were re-established for the constituent institutions.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The records of the Board of Trustees of the Consolidated University of North Carolina (System) include minutes of meetings of the Board of Trustees and of its Executive Committee, 1932-1972; files of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the Board pertaining to the work of various committees, 1932-1956; and files of the Board's Building Committee (UNC-CH), 1945-1953; Committee on Inauguration, 1950; Committee to Nominate a President, 1956; and Health Affairs Committee, 1955-1963.

The Secretary of the Board of Trustees was responsible for correspondence, minutes, and general record-keeping. An Assistant Secretary worked closely with the University President's office, providing more continuity to the Board's records than had existed prior to Consolidation. These records include files of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary pertaining to the work of the Board's committees and containing mostly background material for reports to the Board or its Executive Committee. These are not the actual records of the committees.

The Building Committee (UNC-CH) of the Board of Trustees studied and made recommendations on construction and property use at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Records, 1945-1953, include correspondence and other files of the Building Committee and its chair, Collier Cobb, Jr.. More than half of these records deal with the construction of North Carolina Memorial Hospital and related projects.

The Board of Trustees appointed the Committee on Inauguration in February 1950 to oversee planning for the inauguration of Gordon Gray as president of the Consolidated University in October. Records of this committee include correspondence pertaining to program details, sessions sites on each campus, speakers, and finances for the inauguration; inauguration programs are filed with the correspondence. Following the resignation of Gordon Gray as president of the Consolidated University, the Board of Trustees appointed the Committee to Nominate a President to recommend his successor. The Committee's nomination of William C. Friday was approved by the Board on October 26, 1956. Records of this committee include meeting minutes, suggestions, and comments on the qualifications for president, and data on the candidates considered. These records cover January through May 1956 only.

The Health Affairs Committee, a standing committee of the Board of Trustees, advised and counseled the University administration on all matters concerning the Division of Health Affairs at the Chapel Hill campus. Records of this committee include files of George Watts Hill, who chaired the committee, 1957-1972. Files include committee correspondence, minutes, and other materials related to planning for programs and facilities.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Minutes.

Arrangement: chronological.

The minutes of the Board of Trustees of the Consolidated University, along with those of their Executive Committee, make up seventeen volumes. They begin with the Board's first meeting on July 11, 1932 and end with its last meeting on June 23, 1972, just before it was replaced on July 1 by the Board of Governors as the governing body of the expanded University of North Carolina System.

A partial name and subject index to Volumes 1-16, compiled by Sarah Virginia Dunlap, Secretary of the University, UNC-Chapel Hill, is available. Numbers in parentheses are volume numbers cited in the index. Note that there are a few references to materials that pre-date Volume 1. Consult a member of the staff for access.

University Archives holds both the originals and microfilm copies of these minutes. Microfilm reel numbers are listed.

Oversize Volume SV-40002/1

Volume 1 (16): July 11, 1932-July 8, 1938 (microfilm reel 1)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/2

Volume 2 (17): August 15, 1938-May 8, 1944 (microfilm reel 1)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/3

Volume 3 (18): May 26, 1944-January 21, 1950 (microfilm reel 2)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/4

Volume 4 (19): January 21, 1950-May 14, 1956 (microfilm reel 2)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/5

Volume 5 (20): May 28, 1956-February 23, 1959 (microfilm reel 2)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/6

Volume 6 (21): February 23, 1959-May 22, 1961 (microfilm reel 3)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/7

Volume 7 (22): May 22, 1961-September 10, 1962 (microfilm reel 3)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/8

Volume 8 (23): September 10, 1962-May 25, 1964 (microfilm reel 3)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/9

Volume 9 (24): June 17, 1964-February 28, 1966 (microfilm reel 4)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/10

Volume 10 (25): February 28, 1966-July 14, 1967 (microfilm reel 4)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/11

Volume 11 (26): July 14, 1967-July 12, 1968 (microfilm reel 4)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/12

Volume 12 (27): September 13, 1968-March 14, 1969 (microfilm reel 5)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/13

Volume 13 (28): April 11, 1969-October 26, 1969 (microfilm reel 5)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/14

Volume 14 (29): October 27, 1969-May 25, 1970 (microfilm reel 5)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/15

Volume 15 (30): May 25, 1970-February 22, 1971 (microfilm reel 6)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/16

Volume 16 (31): March 12, 1971-September 10, 1971 (microfilm reel 6)

Oversize Volume SV-40002/17

Volume 17 (32): November 12, 1971-June 23, 1972 (microfilm reel 6)

Reel M-40002/1-6

M-40002/1

M-40002/2

M-40002/3

M-40002/4

M-40002/5

M-40002/6

Microfilm of Volumes 1-17

Reel M-40002/7

Name Index, A-Z

Subject Index, A-E

Reel M-40002/8

Subject Index, F-Z

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Records of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees.

Arrangement: by committee.

Henry Mauger London, who was Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Chapel Hill campus at the time of Consolidation, became Secretary of Board of the Consolidated University. His responsibilities under the new Board were essentially the same as under the previous Board. They included keeping the minutes of meetings, handling correspondence, compiling agendas for meetings, and mailing notices of meetings to Board members. The Secretary fulfilled these duties for both the full Board and the Executive Committee.

Prior to Consolidation, the Secretary was provided with only minimal clerical assistance. However, the post-Consolidation increase in Board of Trustee membership and in the Board's workload led to the appointment of an Assistant Secretary. As a full-time employee of the Board of Trustees, the Assistant Secretary worked closely with the University President's office and provided more continuity to the Board's secretarial and record-keeping functions. In 1972, with the further expansion of the University system, the position of Assistant Secretary was renamed Secretary of the University and was placed within the Office of the President. This change did not affect the duties of the position.

The records in this subgroup consist largely of files kept by the Assistant Secretary on the various committees of the Board. Since these are not the files of the committees themselves, they generally contain only background material supporting committee reports, etc. to the Executive Committee or full Board. Thus, the researcher is advised to consult the minutes of the Board of Trustees and available Trustee committee records in conjunction with these records.

Following is a list of individuals who have served as Secretary of the Consolidated Board and their tenures:

July 11, 1932-December 30, 1939 Henry Mauger London
December 31, 1939-February 11, 1946 Alexander Boyd Andrews
February 11, 1946-July 7, 1972 Arch T. Allen

Box 2:1

Consolidation Committee, 1932-1949 (Includes Committee on Titles; see also Committee on Government)

Escheats Committee, 1932-1954 (See also Committee on Real Property)

Finance Committee, 1932-1956

Government, Committee on, 1949-1951 (See also Consolidation Committee)

Health Affairs Committee, 1950-1956 (See also Medical School Committee)

Honorary Degrees Committee, 1933-1955

Medical School Committee, 1933-1950 (See also Health Affairs Committee)

Real Property, Committee on, 1934-1955 (See also Escheats Committee)

Scholarships and Student Aid, Committee on, 1932-1955 (Includes Student Loan Committee)

Visiting Committees: Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), 1933-1949

Visiting Committees: State College (NCSU), 1945-1950

Visiting Committees: Woman's College (UNC-G), 1944-1948

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Committee Records.

Arrangement: by committee.

There were from ten to twelve standing committees of the Board of Trustees of the Consolidated University. However, only the Building Committee and the Health Affairs Committee are represented in the University Archives. (Separate building committees were appointed for each of the three institutions.) Building Committee records are those of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and of its chair, Collier Cobb, Jr. They contain material on all new buildings, additions and renovations that took place on campus from 1945 to 1953. More than half of that material deals with the construction of North Carolina Memorial Hospital and related projects. Health Affairs Committee records are those of George Watts Hill, who served as its chair from 1957 to 1972. They contain meeting minutes, general correspondence, and information about long-range planning in the Division of Health Affairs at Chapel Hill.

This subgroup also contains the records of two special committees appointed by the Trustees. Each of these lasted less than a year, and their papers consist of a single folder each.

The Committee on the Inauguration of Gordon Gray as Consolidated University President was appointed during the 6 February 1950 Board of Trustees meeting. The Committee, with William B. Umstead as chair, was to oversee planning for the inauguration. The actual details of the program were worked out by Consolidated University Acting-President William D. Carmichael, Jr., and UNC Professor William H. Plemmons, who served as director of the Inauguration Program, in cooperation with the campus committees headed by Miss Jane Summerell (Woman's College), Dr. L. R. Wilson (UNC), and Dr. John W. Shirley (State College). The inauguration was held October 8-10, 1950, with sessions on each of the three University campuses. The records consist of correspondence between the persons mentioned above relating to program details, sessions sites on each campus, speakers, and finances. Inauguration programs listing participating speakers, dignitaries, etc., are filed with the correspondence.

Following the resignation of Gordon Gray as Consolidated University President on November 14, 1955, a special committee, the Committee to Nominate a President, was appointed by the Board of Trustees to nominate his successor. It was chaired by Victor S. Bryant. The committee's records consist of the minutes of some meetings; suggestions and comments on the qualifications for the president; and data on the candidates considered. These papers, in a single folder, extend from January through May 1956, though it was not until October 26, 1956 that the committee's recommendation of William C. Friday was approved by the full Board of Trustees.

Box 3:1

Building Committee: Minutes, 1945-1960

Building Committee: Correspondence, 1945-1959

Building Committee: Ackland Building, 1949-1953

Building Committee: Dormitories, 1946-1943

Building Committee: Laundry, Addition, 1949-1953

Building Committee: Library, Addition, 1945-1952

Building Committee: Manning Hall (Law School), 1948-1951

Building Committee: Medical Center: Hospital, 1948-1953

Building Committee: Medical Center: Roads, Drives, Retaining Walls, 1949-1953

Building Committee: Medical Center: Dental School, 1950-1951

Building Committee: Medical Center: Infirmary, 1950-1951

Building Committee: Medical Center: Medical School Building, Addition, 1950-1952

Building Committee: Medical Center: Nurses and Interns Building, 1949-1952

Building Committee: Medical Center: Psychiatric and Alcoholic Wing, 1950-1952

Building Committee: Medical Center: School of Public Health Building, 1948-1949

Building Committee: Medical Center: Power Plant, 1947-1952

Building Committee: Medical Center: School of Commerce Buildings, 1949-1953

Building Committee: Medical Center: Venable Hall, Addition, 1949-1951

Box 3:2

Health Affairs Committee (UNC-CH): Minutes, 1955-1962

Health Affairs Committee (UNC-CH): Correspondence, 1955-1963

Health Affairs Committee (UNC-CH): Planning, 1957-1962

Committee on the Inauguration of Gordon Gray, February-December 1950, 1 folder.

Committee to Nominate a President, January-May 1956, 1 folder.

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