Summer Session was established at Oregon Agricultural College in 1908 and continues more than 110 years later.
Oregon Agricultural College offered its first summer session for teachers in 1908 and special summer field courses (for example, in mining engineering) were offered as early as 1908. The first Summer School Announcement was published in 1909 and described the primary purpose of Summer School for Teachers as: “to provide opportunity for the teachers of the State to obtain some training in Industrial Pedagogy and related subjects”. The preliminary announcement for the 1910 session indicated that it would be focused on public school teachers; however the final announcement issued several months later indicated that the first term of the 1910 session would be primarily for teachers and the second term would offer regular college courses.
From these early years Summer Session was intended for enrolled Oregon State students to make progress toward degrees; for high school students seeking advanced courses or preparatory courses to prepare for admission; and for continuing education, especially for teachers in the early years. There were no admission requirements for the summer term and all students paid the same tuition (no out-of-state tuition once that was established for the regular academic year).
Beginning in the mid-1910s, special programs and tours were offered during the summer and this continues to the present; during the 1960s and 1970s, visiting faculty and lecturers were hosted on campus by the Summer Session. The Corvallis campus was promoted as a welcoming, beautiful location to spend the summer evidenced by a 1928 promotion booklet for Summer Session that was titled
Beginning in the mid-20th century, Summer Session was financially self-supporting; consequently, substantial effort was invested in marketing and promotion of Summer Session on campus and throughout the state of Oregon. Summer offerings were referred to as “Summer Term” during the 1960s and 1970s; however, it has been primarily known as Summer Session from the 1910s through 2010s.
Summer Session had a long-time affiliation with continuing education at Oregon State and became a unit of Extended Campus (Ecampus) in 2004. In 2018, responsibility for the management and administration of Summer Session shifted to the Office of the Registrar for the 2019 and following summer terms.
The bulk of the materials in this collection were transferred to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center from the Summer Session Office in 2016 thru 2020; other materials were received by the former University Archives in multiple accessions between the 1970s and 2004.
In 2019, Summer Session materials that were part of several other collections were transferred to this collection. These include paper records and 1 microfilm reel that were part of the Continuing Higher Education and Summer Term Records (RG 179); photographs assembled by the Summer Term Office that were previously described as the Summer Term Office Photographs (P 165); and the Summer Session Bulletins (PUB 003-22a) and the Summer Session News (PUB 010-21b) that were described as separate University publications. All of these materials are now described as part of the Summer Session Records (RG 270).
Collection is open for research. Two folders in Series 7 may have information pertaining to specific students that is confidential.
Summer Session Records (RG 270), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.
The
The Summer Session Records are arranged in 7 series: 1. Summer Session Catalogs, 1913-2013; 2. Reports and Surveys, 1934-2018; 3. Financial, 1986-2013; 4. Promotional Materials, 1916-2015; 5. Correspondence and Subject Files, 1952-2018; 6. Summer Term Office Photographs, 1968-1974; and 7. Microfilmed Records, 1964-1975.
The Summer Session Records document the operation and administration for courses and special programs and activities offered at Oregon State during the summer beginning in the 1910s. The records specifically pertain to academic courses and special programs and activities; enrollment and demographics for summer students; finances; and promotion and marketing. The records reflect the evolution of summer session during a period when it became more like other academic terms and on-line course offerings reduced the necessity for students to attend on-campus courses during the summer.
Academic courses and curriculum are primarily documented in the Summer Session catalogs (Series 1), which begin with the Summer 1913 issue in this collection. Detailed records of the Natural Resources Leadership Academy (NRLA), which offered continuing education opportunities for natural resource professionals as well as academic opportunities for Oregon State students and the long-running and popular Noon Concert Series are part of Series 5. Summer session enrollment from the 1930s through 2000s is detailed in the reports held in Series 2. Demographics of summer students were gathered in several surveys conducted in the 1960s and 1970s; reports of these series are also part of Series 2. The financial operations of Summer Session are primarily represented in revenue distribution reports for the 1990s-2010s with details of funds distributed to OSU academic colleges based on enrollment and other factors.
A substantial component of these records document the extensive promotion and marketing conducted by the Summer Session administrators and staff; these include preliminary announcements, advance schedules, brochures, posters, advertisements, and other marketing materials. Events to promote Summer Session – such as the Advisor’s Luncheon and Warm Up to Summer campus events – are documented in Series 5. The photographs that comprise Series 6 were assembled for the purposes of promoting visiting faculty, musicians and other performers, and visiting lecturers during summer session.
Poetry written by Oregon State faculty Richard Dankleff and Roger Weaver is included in Series 7 with other submissions of poetry to be considered for publication in the 1974 Summer Session catalog.
Series 1 consists of the official course catalog for Summer Session and includes course descriptions; a schedule of classes; information about special summer programs; and lists of faculty as well as visiting staff and faculty. The 1922 catalog is a photocopy; the series does not include catalogs for 1920 and 1921. Beginning in the 2000s, these catalogs include limited (or no) course descriptions. The 2005 and 2006 catalogs are exclusively class schedules and the 2007 issue is a course listing. A summer planning guide was published beginning in 2007 as course information was available online.
The 1922 issue is a photocopy.
Includes wartime courses offerings during 1943 and 1944.
The 1974 catalog includes poems and art by Oregon State faculty.
The 1981 catalog was published in tabloid-size newspaper format.
The 1993 catalog commemorated the 125th anniversary of Oregon State University.
These catalogs are identified as summer planning guides that include a course listing, a schedule of the sessions of summer term, and general information about registration.
Series 2 consists of statistical reports of enrollment, survey reports, and other enrollment data. Reports on promotional activities are also included. Surveys conducted in the late 1960s and early 1970s captured data on age, marital status, gender, academic program, and academic year for students enrolled in summer session as well as their reasons for attending summer session. "Pulls" include weekly enrollment data (by headcount and credit hours) for the 2003-2018 summer sessions.
Includes details of promotional activities such as distribution of posters and pamphlets, radio spots, and advertising as well as enrollment statistics.
Includes report of 1966 and 1971 surveys of summer session students which gathered data on age, marital status, gender, academic program, class year, and reason for summer session enrollment for comparison between the two survey years and with fall term enrollment demographics.
Includes 1972 report to the Faculty Senate on Summer Session and reports of summer student surveys conducted in 1973 and 1974.
Weekly registration reports for the 1980 summer session with breakdowns by gender, class year, and major.
Series 3 documents the financial operation of Summer Session, especially during the 1990s and 2000s. The records detail funds distributed to OSU academic colleges based on enrollment and other factors; arbitration of a dispute between the Coalition of Graduate Employees and the university regarding summer session fees for graduate assistants; and funding provided to support programs such as intramural sports, theater, and the Writing Desk. The series also includes Summer Session fee books.
Requests for and distributions of funds from Summer Session income to academic support and other campus units and programs including intramural sports, University Theater, the Writing Center, Career Services, Services for Students with Disabilities, and central computing.
Series 4 contains brochures, pamphlets, posters, preliminary announcements, and advance schedules promoting summer session courses, special events, tours, and programs. Compilations of marketing materials created for the 2010-2015 summer sessions are part of this series, including submissions to the Western Association of Summer Session Administrators. Of special note are selected issues of the
Selected issues of the
Announcements for 1935 and 1939.
Advance Schedules for 1958, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1974
Advance Schedules for 1975, 1977, 1979, and 1989
Advance Schedules for 1991, 1992, 1995, and 1997
Includes advance schedules for 1980, 1982 and 1999.
Brochures and flyers for 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009, including online courses
Summer term schedules; summer term was administratively part of Distance and Continuing Education at this time.
Summer 2002 course schedule; this program offered opportunity for high school students to enroll in regular Oregon State credit courses without being formally admitted to the university.
Most of the posters are for 2002-2009 summer terms; posters for 1987 and 1999 are also included. Includes posters for Marine Science and Environmental Studies on the Oregon Coast (Hatfield Marine Science Center), Wallowa Resources Field Program, and fieldwork in Antarctica.
Series 5 consists predominantly of program and special event files -- primarily the Natural Resources Leadership Academy which offered continuing education opportunities for natural resource professionals and academic opportunities for Oregon State students; the Advisor's Luncheons to promote summer session programs to student advisors; and the long-running and popular Noon Concerts on the Memorial Union brick mall. Programming responsibility for the concerts transitioned to the Memorial Union Program Council in 2013; the 2014 series was cancelled. The series also includes limited correspondence to and from directors of Summer Session Franklin Zeran and D.S. Fullerton; manuals providing detailed instructions for preparation of summer term catalogs; and documentation of the Individualized Directed Learning program which provided the opportunity for students to complete coursework while away from campus during the summer through a combination of independent study and reading-and-conference instruction.
Correspondence received by Dean Zeran regarding instructors, scheduling, and enrollment matters for the 1952 summer session.
Enrollment numbers and summaries of the program.
Memo from Fullerton that accompanied campus distribution of the 1988 Summer Session Catalog.
E-mail announcement that Summer Session was becoming a unit of Extended Campus in 2004.
Series 6 consists of photographic prints and negatives assembled by the Summer Term Office in the 1960s-1970s for promotional purposes. Most of the images are b/w portrait photographs of visiting faculty. Images of musicians, musical groups, and visiting lecturers are also included. Most of the images are undated, but were likely transferred to the University Archives in the 1970s. Several promotional photographs of students on the Oregon State campus in spring or summer are also part of the series. The series includes 69 photographic prints and 7 4x5 copy negatives. These photographs were originally described as the Summer Term Office Photographs (P 165) and assigned item numbers beginning with "P165:". Those item numbers were retained when the photographs were transferred to this collection.
2 prints and 1 negative
2 prints
2 prints
2 prints
2 prints
2 prints
2 prints
2 prints
2 prints; Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Institute of Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University.
2 prints and 1 negative
2 prints and 1 negative
2 prints and 1 negative
2 prints
2 prints
3 prints, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Microbiology
2 prints and 1 negative
2 prints
2 prints and 1 negative
2 prints and 1 negative
2 prints; Distinguished Visiting Professor.
2 prints
"Dixieland Jazz on Campus"
2 prints
4 prints; promotional photographs of students on campus.
2 prints
Series 7 consists of general files created and assembled by the Summer Term Office during the tenure of Robert L. Phillips as Director. The files were microfilmed by the former University Archives in 1977. The files document the activities and functions of the Office -- especially interactions with other Oregon State administrative units regarding the services provided by those units during summer term and with academic units pertaining to courses. The series includes correspondence, reports, and statistical data. Two folders (1.05 and 1.22) consist of correspondence with and/or pertaining to specific students and may include confidential information.
This folder consists predominantly of poems submitted to the Summer Term Office to be considered for publication in the 1974 Summer Session Catalog. Several poems written by Oregon State faculty Roger Weaver and Richard Dankleff are included. Poems and art by Oregon State faculty were published in the 1974 catalog.
This folder may include confidential information pertaining to a specific student.
This folder may include confidential information pertaining to a specific student.