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Collection Number: 40137

Collection Title: Division of Extension and Continuing Education of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, 1931-1976

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 4.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 2900 items)
Abstract The University's Bureau of Extension was established in 1913 with Louis Round Wilson as Director. In 1921, its name changed to Extension Division. The early division provided a number of programs and services to the state, including a speaker's bureau, public discussions and debates, correspondence courses, legislative reference aids, resources for public school teachers, continuing education for doctors, and the Good Roads Institute. In 1976, the Extension Division was reorganized and renamed Division of Extension and Continuing Education and was placed administratively under the Vice Chancellor for Development and Public Service. Records include correspondence and other files relating to the Extension Division's academic contest program, 1940-1975; the North Carolina High School Debating Union, organized by the university's debating societies and supervised by the division, 1937-1976; the High School World Peace Study and Speaking Program, 1936-1962; and programs run cooperatively by the division and the Department of Music under the name Bureau of Community Music. Among the latter are files on the North Carolina Symphony Society, 1932-1935, 1946, 1955; the Carolina Opera School, 1951-1954; and the Institute of Folk Music, 1931-1934. Also included are files on the Southern Art Projects, funded by the Carnegie Corporation and administered in part by the Extension Division, 1934-1935.
Creator University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Division of Extension and Continuing Education.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Division of Extension and Continuing Education of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records #40137, University Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Periodic transfer 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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Processed by: University Archives Staff

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

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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 Historical Information

The Bureau of Extension, organized in September 1913, was the culmination of President Francis P. Venable and President 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 University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin as models, Venable appointed the Committee on Extension in 1912 with University Librarian Louis Round Wilson as chairman.

In September 1913, the recommendations of the Committee on Extension 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:

As time passed, the Bureau of Extension broadened its efforts. It began the Newspaper Institute in December 1916. It also issued numerous publications in the form of bulletins, newsletters, circulars, and leaflets. 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 31 August 1956. Grumman was especially active in expanding the extension programs in the state's high schools and local communities. The succeeding directors are as follows:

1 September 1956-30 June 1959 Charles F. Milner, Acting
1 July 1959-30 June 1975 Charles F. Milner
1 July 1975-31 December 1976 Dwight C. Rhyne, Acting
1 January 1977-30 June 1986 Dwight C. Rhyne
1 July 1986-31 December 1989 William H. Heriford
1 January 1990-31 December 1997 Thomas L. McKeon
1 January 1998-31 July 1999 Norman L. Loewenthal, Interim
1 August 1999- Norman L. Loewenthal

Prior to 1976, the director of the Extension Division reported to the Office of the Provost, in the Division of Academic Affairs. On 14 April 1976, the division was reorganized and renamed the Division of Extension and Continuing Education and was placed administratively under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Development and Public Service. On 1 July 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.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Records include correspondence and other files relating to the division's academic contest program, 1940-1975; the North Carolina High School Debating Union, organized by the university's debating societies and supervised by the division, 1937-1976; the High School World Peace Study and Speaking Program, 1936-1962; and programs run cooperatively by the division and the Department of Music under the name Bureau of Community Music. Among the latter are files on the North Carolina Symphony Society, 1932-1935, 1946, 1955; the Carolina Opera School, 1951-1954; and the Institute of Folk Music, 1931-1934. Also included are files on the Southern Art Projects, funded by the Carnegie Corporation and administered in part by the Extension Division, 1934-1935.

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Contents list

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Department of School Relations, 1936-1976.

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 the University of North Carolina. Its 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.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1. Academic Contests.

The academic contests program was inaugurated on 18 February 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 the university.

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

Box 1

Academic Contests, 1940-1956; 1962-1975

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2. 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 the University of North Carolina; 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 2

North Carolina High School Debating Union, 1937-1956; 1963-1976

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3. 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.

Box 3

High School World Peace Speaking Program, 1936-1962

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Department of Public Service, 1931-1955.

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 consultations on community development, county economic and social surveys, and guidance in the formation of local drama and music groups.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1. Bureau of Community Drama.

The work of this bureau was a cooperative effort of the Extension Division and the university's Department of Dramatic Art. The records of the bureau are part of the records of the Department of Dramatic Art, a separate record group in the University Archives.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2. Bureau of Community Music.

In cooperation with the university's 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.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2.1. North Carolina Symphony Society.

These records cover the organization of the North Carolina Symphony 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.

Box 3

North Carolina Symphony Society, 1932-1935; 1946-1955

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2.2. Carolina Opera School.

The Carolina Opera School opened in Raleigh on 17 September 1951. It was a cooperative effort of the University of North Carolina 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 university's Extension Division concerning the founding of the school and its subsequent operation. The years covered are 1951 through 1954.

Box 3

Carolina Opera School, 1951-1954

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2.3. Institute of Folk Music.

The Institute of Folk Music was organized in September 1931, in affiliation with the University of North Carolina 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.

Box 3

Institute of Folk Music, 1931-1934

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Southern Art Projects, 1934-1935.

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 the University of North Carolina 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.

Box 3

Southern Art Projects, 1934-1935

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