Guide to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Records, 1909 - 2003Collection Number UA 100
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Historical NoteAs a land-grant institution, agricultural study has always been an integral part of instruction at North Carolina State University since its beginning in 1887. It wasn't until 1917 that there was a dean of agriculture, and the School of Agriculture wasn't established untisl 1923. The name was changed to School of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 1964, and finally to College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 1987. The earliest courses of at NCSU were only in agriculture and mechanics, with classes in the former category consisting of "general agriculture, horticulture, arboriculture, and botany." Gradually, as the curriculum expanded, sets of classes were organized into "faculties" and then departments. Professors named to head these faculties or departments were usually given titles according to their speciality, such as Arborist or Agronomist. Additionally, experimental and practical work at the North Carolina Experiment Station and the Extension Service was increasingly undertaken by State College personnel. As agricultural instruction (and research and extension activities) grew in size and speciality in the first decades of the twentieth century, administering these disparate activities grew more demanding and unwieldy. In addition, a poor administrative set-up made it difficult for the different arms to work together to coordinate research or teaching activities. By the spring of 1923, State College President Wallace Riddick wanted something done about the current state of affairs, not just for agricultural study, but college-wide. In March, Riddick called in George F. Zook, an education specialist at the U. S. Department of Education, to review the situation and make recommendations for improvements to the Board of Trustees. Zook completed his report by mid-April. Among Zook's numerous recommendations were two that have had lasting impact. First, the Trustees acted on the recommendation to divide college instruction into four schools, creating schools of Agriculture, Engineering, General Science, and a Graduate School. Second, within the new School of Agriculture, directors were named to head the three distinct divisions within it: Resident Instruction, the Agricultural Extension Service, and the Agricultural Experiment Station. Not until 1925, however, were the four top positions in the Ag School (the above three plus Dean), in the hands of four different individuals, which finalized the general reorganization undertaken in 1923. With the reorganization of campus and academic administration came a shuffling of the curriculum within the new Agricultural School. Programs, or "instructional areas" were reduced to six: Agronomy, Animal Industry, Botany, Horticulture, Poultry Science, and Zoology. At the same time, work at the Experiment Station and in the Extension Service was more fully integrated into these programs, and cooperation among the three branches of the School took off. This situation remained largely unchanged until the creation of a Forestry program in 1929, which eventually became the Division of Forestry in 1931. This name change resulted in another one, when in 1932 the School of Agriculture became the School of Agriculture and Forestry. New programs were added through the 1930s and 1940s, but the organization of the School remained largely unchanged. Several changes occurred in 1950, however. The Division of Forestry was split from Agriculture, to become the new School of Forestry, with Agriculture reverting to its old designation, the School of Agriculture. The other change was the creation that same year of the Division of Biological Sciences, combining the Faculties of Botany, Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Zoology, adding Genetics in 1951. This set-up continued until 1958, when the Division was disbanded and its constituent parts granted Department status as individual units within the School of Agriculture. The 1950s also saw dramatic increases in budgets for research and teaching, and the first international effort for the School, the Peru Project, which started in 1955. The 1960s brought another decade of change to the School, not least of which was another name change in 1964, becoming the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences. One prompt for the new name was an increase in the importance and development of the biological sciences, prompting the creation of the Institute of Biological Sciences in 1962, which in large part succeeded the disbanded Division of Biological Sciences. The Agricultural Policy Institute was created in 1960 in conjunction with the Kellogg Foundation, and worked with agricultural institutions across the south to address and mold public policy issues regarding southern agriculture. The recent decades have seen steady growth in physical space, students, research, and funding. In 1987, a final name change occurred, and the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences became the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In 2006 the Deparment of Botany was renamed the Deparment of Plant Biology. Currently, the College consists of 22 academic and extension departments, and runs the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, the current name of the former Agricultural Experiment Station. College faculty work closely with academic departments across NCSU, as well as with extension and agricultural workers from around the state. The College continues to strive to meet it's three primary functions -- teaching, research, and extension -- as first laid out over a century ago. Scope and Content NoteThe material in this record group consists of academic and administrative files from a number of departments, institutes, and other units from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The records are divided into sub-groups, representing some of the academic departments, institutes, and offices of the College. In addition, the annual reports created by the College and its departments represent a separate sub-group. The records pre-date the founding of the University due to the inclusion of annual reports from the Agricultural Experiment Station from 1879 onwards. Some of the sub-groups shown below represent entities that no longer exist. The Department of Agronomy (disbanded in 1955), Agricultural Policy Institute (1970), and the Peru Project (1973) are such groups. It should also be noted that the Agricultural Chemicals School (UA 100.052) is currently called the Crop Protection School. In addition, no records exist in the Archives for several current academic departments and units in the College. Finally, records for the Department of Statistics and the Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry can be found in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Record Group, UA 135, as both of these departments are jointly run with that College. Likewise, the records for the shared Department of Sociology and Anthropology are found in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences record group. Online Catalog HeadingsThe following terms have been used to index the guide to the collection in the NCSU Library's online catalog. Corporate Entities
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Related MaterialsNorth Carolina State University Agricultural Research Service Records, UA 101
[HTML] North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service s, UA 102
[HTML] University Archives Photograph Collection, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Photographs UA 023.006
University Archives Photograph Collection, Agricultural Extension and Research Services Photographs UA 023.007
[HTML] North Carolina State University College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology and Anthropology Records, UA 120.013
[HTML] North Carolina State University College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry Records, UA 135.010
[HTML] North Carolina State University College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Department of Statistics Records, UA 135.016
NCSU Special Collections Research Center, University History Webpage
Knowledge is Power: A History of the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University, 1877 - 1984, by William L. Carpenter and Dean W. Colvard. Detailed Description of the Collection43 records storage boxes, 29.5 linear feet Contains annual plans, budget information, correspondence, department heads' meetings information, departmental reviews, enrollment data, faculty meetings information, handbooks, and organizational charts. Also included are correspondence and oral history interviews relating to the book Knowledge Is Power, a history of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences published in 1987. These records have not been processed; however, they are arranged alphabetically by subject. 17 records storage boxes, 8.5 linear feet Contains academic year and calendar year annual reports for the College as well as the academic year annual reports for the College's committees, departments, and programs. Also included are annual reports of the Randleigh Foundation from 1966 - 1985. These records are arranged alphabetically and chronologically by office of origin, but are incomplete for many of the College's units. 1 records storage box, 0.5 linear feet Contains list of members and meeting minutes documenting the activities of the Council. These records have not been processed; however, they are arranged alphabetically by subject. 20 records storage boxes, 10 linear feet Contains correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, and resolutions recording the activities of the College's committees. These records have not been processed; however, they are arranged alphabetically by committee name. 3 records storage boxes, 1.5 linear feet Agricultural Economics was first offered as a course of study in 1897 as a part of the agricultural curriculum. By 1927 Agricultural Administration had become a full department and was transferred to the School of Agriculture. Shortly thereafter, its name was changed to Agricultural Economics. In 1965 the department merged with the Department of Economics, keeping the latter name. By 1990, this program had grown so large that it was split once again, and a new Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics was created. 1 records storage box, 0.5 linear feet These records contain correspondence, minutes, reports, project information, and department history files. 70 records storage boxes, 105 linear feet This record sub-group contains correspondence, newsletters, memoranda, personnel records, brochures, reports, and Department of Health, Education and Welfare and other grant applications concerning animal husbandry, 4-H, swine evaluation stations, research stations, the North Carolina Cattleman's Association, the 4-H horse shows, horse husbandry and judging, the Dairy Herd Improvement Association, the Institute of Nutrition, and sheep. This record sub-group has not been processed, and it was formerly numbered UA 100.23. Subgroup UA 100.014: [HTML] Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Records, 1935 - 1996 12 records storage boxes, 7.5 linear feet These records relate to the department's academic and research activities, and contain correspondence, scholarships information, courses and curriculum information, departmental history, facilities and farm equipment information, legal documents, research project files, and files on departmental extension and outreach work. Also included are a number of technical drawings of farm equipment patented by department personnel. 2 records storage boxes, 1 linear foot These records contain correspondence, reports, research projects, and a study manual pertaining to the department and its research. Also included is a comprehensive review of faculty research projects and an informal history of the department. 36 records storage boxes, 18 linear feet The Department of Crop Science Records includes correspondence and memoranda, administrative materials, research materials, and materials related to its extension program. Included is information on curricula and teaching, budgets, research projects, professional organizations related to crop science, and research topics. Major correspondents include B. E. Caldwell, Donald Emery, R. H. Miller, and Guy L. Jones. 4 records storage boxes, 2 linear feet Contains brochures, correspondence, departmental reviews, memoranda, newsletters, notebooks, reports, and seminar flyers. Also included is a notebook of correspondence and research notes from former department head Zeno P. Metcalf and an incomplete set of the extension memoranda Insect Survey Notes. Subgroup UA 100.020: [HTML] Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences Records, 1948 - 1986 2 records storage boxes, 1 linear foot Contains brochures, correspondence, faculty and undergraduate lists, historical material, program information, and project reports. Most of the project files pre-date the official founding of the department, and were performed in conjunction with the Agricultural Experiment Station. This collection was formerly known at the Department of Food Science Records. 2 records storage boxes, 1 linear foot These records contain brochures, correspondence, grants and fellowships information, courses and curriculum information, a departmental history, facilities and equipment information, faculty and student information, research project files and reports, and seminar and lecture material. 2 records storage boxes, 1 linear foot Contains departmental publications, historical information, memoranda, newsletters, personnel information, and reports relating to the department's academic and administrative activities. In addition, a significant amount of the collection consists of material relating to the J. C. Raulston Arboretum. 13 records storage boxes, 5.5 linear feet This record sub-group contains research projects, correspondence, memoranda, departmental reviews, annual reports, departmental history, and account information for research funding pertaining to the functioning of the Department of Microbiology. Records include material on the Institute of Biological Science and Sweet Acidophilus milk. Most dates given are approximate. This sub-group has not been processed, and it was formerly numbered UA 100.18. 20 records storage boxes, 10 linear feet These records contain article reprints, brochures, correspondence, facilities information, meeting minutes, reports and presentation material, research projects. Major correspondents include J. Lawrence Apple, Robert Aycock, and Nash N. Winstead. In addition, there is a significant amount of extension material available, including correspondence, education materials, meeting minutes, Plans of Work, and research reports. The bulk of the records fall between 1950 to 1974. 11 records storage boxes, 13.25 linear feet This collection contains materials generated by the North Carolina State University Department of Poultry Science from 1914 - 1983. Major materials include scientific and publicity research, informational and promotional materials, administrative files, and materials relating to 4-H poultry projects. Document types include reports, newsletters, pamphlets, flyers, and correspondence. 18 records storage boxes, 21.75 linear feet This record sub-group contains long range plans, reports, research grants, publications, minutes, correspondence, memoranda, and brochures relating to the Hugh Bennett lectures. Also includes trust fund account records pertaining to research funding, research station activities, scholarship information, budget reports, the Southern Regional Soil Research Commission, soil science research, the Soil Conservation Society of America, tobacco literature, and the International Soil Fertility Evaluation and Improvement Program. This sub-group has not been processed, and it was formerly numbered UA 100.025. 7 records storage boxes, 3.5 linear feet Contains correspondence, brochures, course syllabi, departmental reviews, handbooks, grant proposals and applications, and research project material. Also included is material relating to the establishment of the North Carolina Zoological Park and material from the North Carolina State College Institute of Statistics. 6 records storage boxes, 10.5 linear feet These records contain Advisory Council files, brochures, catalogs, committee records, correspondence, minutes, and research reports. These records have not been processed. 1 records storage box, 0.5 linear feet These records contain correspondence, minutes, a press release, reports, and seminar and meeting information. One item of note is a 17-page history of the Institute, covering the ten years of its existence. 7 records storage boxes, 3.5 linear feet These records contain correspondence, minutes, reports, proposals, lecture and seminar material, and facilities information files. The records document the administrative activities of the Institute from 1950 to 1971. 78 records storage boxes, 117 linear feet Contains correspondence, course information, departmental records, financial records, newsletters, personnel files, reports, and short course information documenting the administrative activities of the Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs office. Also included are records pertaining to the R. J. Reynolds Apprenticeship Program and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Teacher Training Program. These records have not been processed; however, they are generally arranged by academic year and then alphabetically by subject. 1 records storage box, 0.5 linear feet These records contain brochures, correspondence, participant information, programs and program notes, and registration lists pertaining to the Agricultural Chemicals School for the period 1949 to 1979. 33 records storage boxes, 17 linear feet The Peru Project Records are comprised of 17 linear feet of correspondence, reports, manuals, newspaper clippings, photographs, newsletters, and other documents created and collected during the course of the project. This collection was formerly numbered UA 100.27, and it has not been processed. Many materials were transferred from the Graduate School Records (UA 115) in April 2003. 21 records storage boxes, 24.5 linear feet The Department of Communication Services Records are comprised of 24.5 linear feet of correspondence and memoranda, reports, news releases, clippings, subject files, plans of work and annual reports, and related material concerning the work of the department. This collection was formerly numbered UA 100.5, and has not yet been processed. |
