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Registrar's Office Records, 1870-2011

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon State University. Registrar.
Title
Registrar's Office Records
Dates
1870-2011 (inclusive)
1920-2000 (bulk)
Quantity
32.5 cubic feet, including one videotape, 1 DVD, and 1 map, (35 boxes, including 2 oversize boxes and 1 roll storage box)
6 microfilm reels
Collection Number
RG 053 - SG 1
Summary
The Registrar's Office Records document in extensive detail student enrollment, academic programs and degrees granted, admissions, tuition and fees, scholarships and honors, and academic regulations and procedures at Oregon State University. The Records also document military training and the National Youth Administration employment program for Oregon State students. The Registrar's Office was established in 1903; Professor John B. Horner was the first Registrar for Oregon State.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research, with the exception of Decile Grade Point Average Reports for 1934-1976 in Series I.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Prior to 1900, the Clerk of the College kept all student records in ledger books. This early office in the Administration Building (now Benton Hall) was part of the President’s Office. The Registrar’s Office as an official function is first mentioned in the Oregon Agricultural College Catalog of 1903. The Registrar’s Office originally had responsibility for recruitment of students, admissions, registration, and maintenance of student permanent academic records. In 1960, a separate Admissions Office was established at Oregon State University.

Professor John B. Horner was the first to have the title of Registrar at Oregon Agricultural College and held the position from 1901 to 1910. The following individuals have been Registrar at Oregon State University: Juanita Rosendorf (Acting), 1910-1911; Harold Manley Tennant, 1911-1922; Erwin Bertran Lemon, 1922-1946; Daniel Thomas Ordeman, 1946-1962; Wallace Eugene Gibbs, 1962-1991; Barbara S. Balz, 1991-2007; Thomas K. (Kent) Kuo, 2007-2013; and Rebecca Mathern, 2013-.

Eva Blackwell began working in the Registrar's Office in 1924, after graduating from Oregon Agricultural College. She held various positions, including Assistant Registar, until her retirement in 1965. She returned to work for the Registrar's Office in May of each year through 1981 to compile statistical data for the graduating class.

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Content Description

The Registrar's Office Records provide extensive detailed documentation on student enrollment, admissions, academic achievements, and administrative activities of the Office of the Registrar at Oregon State University. Documents include reports, directories, correspondence, minutes, statistics, and building floor plans created or used by the Registrar's Office or the Admissions Office.

The bulk of the collection consists of reports and statistics produced by the Registrar's Office. These include summary annual reports, geographic directories, registration and admission statistics, grade distributions, and other specific reports. The documents offer both individual and summary information and often provide academic year and term comparisons. Detailed reports pertaining to tuition and fees and National Youth Administration activities at Oregon State are also available.

The collection also houses information on military training programs at Oregon State University. Documents include files on training curriculum and courses completed by individuals, correspondence, and statistics on those registered for military training. The records document the Student Army Training Corps (during World War I) and the Army Specialized Training Program (during World War II) as well as the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). The collection also includes extensive documentation of the National Youth Administration "work-study" employment program at Oregon State from the mid-1930s to early 1940s.

The Registrar's Office is largely responsible for Oregon State University's annual commencement ceremony. These records include commencement programs as well as procedures, reports, statistics, and other documentation. Book plans used by the Registrar for classroom space planning and scheduling are also included in the collection and offer information on campus buildings' internal dimensions, useable spaces, features, and overall layouts. The plans also include layout for farms, research buildings, and other facilities used by the university.

Subject files, which are primarily on microfilm, address a variety of topics including curriculum, academic regulations, procedures, and daily activities. These files include special reports as well as class schedules for the late 1890s through 1910s.

The collection also includes a map showing Oregon Agricultural College attendance by Oregon county for 1906-1907.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Registrar's Office Records (RG 053 - SG 1), Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Registrar's Office Records consists of 10 series: I. Reports and Statistics, 1910-2005; II. Military Programs and ROTC Records, 1916-1979; III. Policies and Procedures, 1921-2000; IV. Committee Files, 1922-1976; V. Tuition and Fees Documents, 1922-1973; VI. National Youth Administration, 1933-1943; VII. Commencement, 1870-2011; VIII. Book Plans, 1970-1992; IX. Subject Files, 1895-1991; and X. Map, circa 1908.

Custodial History

Acquisition Information

These records were transferred to the University Archives in numerous accessions from the 1960s through 2010. Several items were transferred from Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections Vault Collection in 2005-2008.

Future Additions

Additions to the collection are expected.

Processing Note

One reel of microfilm, originally designated as reel 6, has been removed from the collection because the materials on it (Geographical Directories) are all available in original paper form in Series I. The reel formerly designated as reel 7 is now identified as reel 6. Reels 5 and 6 include a few Geographical Directories that are also available in original paper form in Series I.

Related Materials

The History of Commencement website includes a chronology and images of commencement at Oregon State from 1870 to 2001. The Student Academic Records (RG 053 - SG 2) document students enrolled at Oregon State University from the late 1880s through early 2000s, and include official transcripts, applications for admission, and related documents. The General Catalogs are available online. The Special Collections & Archives Research Center's holdings include the John B. Horner and E.B. Lemon Papers, the Eva Blackwell and William A. Frater Family Collection (MSS BlackwellFrater), and the Office of Admissions Records (RG 163). The Facilities Services Records (RG 193) include additional book plans.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Anna Stewart, Michael Dicianna, and Elizabeth Nielsen.
2015

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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