The NCA Self-Study and SVSU University Archives

The Self-Study can be compared to an extensive multi-faceted research project. Subcommittees define questions to be investigated and conclusions need to be supported with documentary evidence. One source of such material is the University Archives under the direction of Jack G. Wood.

Since 1987 the University Archives housed in the Melvin J. Zahnow Library has been charged with collecting in-house publications and outside material pertaining to Saginaw Valley State University. Some of these publications include the Board of Control Minutes, copies of the staff/faculty INTERIOR newsletter and the student newspaper VALLEY VANGUARD, along with University Catalogs and local newspaper articles. All of these publications contain important historical documents, which can be researched to help the four Self-Study Committees and the various sub-committees.

Because the University Archives has been traveling during the past year and half of construction in the library, approximately four hundred and thirty boxes of records are located off-site and are available within a forty-eight hour period. However some of the most pertinent collections are stored on the third floor of the library and can be accessed relatively easily.

An example of research recently requested for the Self-Study was by Thomas Zantow, chair of the sub-committee on “Mission and Vision”, asking for material related to the Mission Statement of the University. A search using the term “mission statements” was conducted in the Board of Control database. The Board of Control Minutes are available for research both on-line http://www.svsu.edu/library/archives/ starting with the December 1997 minutes and through a Microsoft Access database. The Board of Control Minutes database allows for searching by subject, name, date, resolutions and motions from 1965 to the present. A report was compiled which lists all the dates that the topic was discussed. Although the material still needs to be manually pulled and photocopied, this still is an improvement over a tedious random search through boxes. Because the majority of documents in the University Archives are one-of-a-kind and cannot leave the library, there are viewing areas for research within the library.

The INTERIOR (1973 to the present) and the VALLEY VANGUARD (1967 to the present) are also available for researching via separate Microsoft Access databases. Back issues of the INTERIOR are available in their original format, whereas the VALLEY VANGUARD from 1967-1998 is on microfilm (LH1.S34 V36x) located on the second floor of the library. These databases are currently only available for research on selected computers on the first floor of the library or from the office of Jack Wood, University Archivist.

Research material pertaining to “Resources” includes documents from the Controller’s Office (General Fund Budget, Report of Examination, Scholarships, Student Loans, etc.). For “Campus Culture” the Archives contains Calendar of Events, Conference Bureau reports, student publications and newspaper clippings for related publicity. Paper copies of selected Self-Study documents have also been put on the Reserve shelf behind the Circulation Desk under the instructor name of University Records. The titles can be obtained by going to the library homepage (http://library.svsu.edu/) clicking Reserves, then Course and type in "University Records." These items may be checked out for a three-day period.

While the University Archives contains mainly paper copies of documents, remember also to use the Self-Study Web page (http://selfstudy.svsu.edu/) to view current and past self-study material on-line. The Self-Study room (Z202) contains accreditation material collected from different institutions as well as Saginaw Valley State University reports. Look for a list of items on the Self-Study Web page in the near future. Selected other Saginaw Valley State University related web pages include:

Office of Institutional Research (OIR) http://www.svsu.edu/oir/
Alumni Office http://www.svsu.edu/alumni/
Operations Manual http://www.svsu.edu/operationsmanual/index.html
Employment and Compensation Services http://www.svsu.edu/ecs/

As you plan your research agenda for this self study process, you may be surprised to find how much material that may be of use to you is already available in a number of different places and formats on campus, including the University Archives. During this initial phase, the Editorial Board would like all requests for research to be sent to Dr. Mary Hedberg, Self-Study Coordinator. This will allow the Editorial Board to coordinate the requests, make suggestions for data sources and cut down on duplication of research needs. If you have any specific questions concerning the University Archives please contact Jack Wood at 964-7097 or jwood@svsu.edu

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