Guide to the North Carolina State University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Records, 1889 - 1996

Collection Number UA 105.012

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Collection Information
Abstract:

Includes correspondence, reports, minutes, and proposals relating to National Science Foundation regarding undergraduate instructional scientific equipment, course and curricula, teaching schedules, committees, the engineering experiment station, and Sigma Xi. Additional materials include course packets and affirmative action files.

Contact Information:
Processed by
Russell S. Koonts
Date Completed
July, 2000
Encoded by
Katherine M. Wisser
Finding aid updated by
Todd Kosmerick, 2007

Descriptive Summary

Creator

North Carolina State University. Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Title

North Carolina State University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Records, 1889 - 1996

Call Number

UA 105.012

Extent

5 archival storage boxes, 2 cartons, 5.5 linear feet

Location

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff.

Information for Users

Restrictions to Access

This collection is open for research; access requires at least twenty-four hours advance notice.
Acquisitions Information

Transferred from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Records, UA 105.012, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Copyright Notice

North Carolina State University owns copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections Research Center are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.

Historical Note


The first electrical engineering class at the college that became North Carolina State University was taught in 1893. Electrical Engineering became an independent department when it split off from Physics in 1917. The origins of the computer science program date to 1957. The department became Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1981.

Lieutenant Richard Henderson of the United States Navy, professor of Military Tactics and Physics, taught the first electrical course in 1893 at North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts, now North Carolina State University. In 1894, the chair of Physics and Electrical Engineering was established and filled by Lieutenant Henderson. A four-year course leading to a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree was first offered in 1900.

In 1908, Professor William Hand Browne, Jr. was appointed head of Physics and Electrical Engineering. When Physics and Electrical Engineering separated in 1917 and became independent departments, Professor Browne remained head of the Electrical Engineering Department. During Professor Browne's tenure, the Engineer's Council for Professional Development (ECPD) accredited the department in 1937. The engineering programs at North Carolina State University received a huge boost when all engineering programs taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University were consolidated in Raleigh on July 1, 1938. After Professor Browne stepped down as department head in 1944, Professor Raymond S. Fouraker served as acting head for one year.

Several significant events occurred during Dr. Cornelius Godfrey Brennecke's tenure as department head from 1945 to 1954: (1) the Engineer's Council for Professional Development (ECPD) renewed the department's accreditation in 1949; (2) Dr. Brennecke added several faculty members holding doctorates; (3) in 1953, Robert Lee Clemons, a black student and honor graduate, from North Carolina A & T College (later University), in Greensboro, was admitted as a graduate student in electrical engineering; and (4) the first engineering doctoral degree given by the university (in electrical engineering) in 1953 to Ralph Marshall McGehee.

From 1954 to 1979 department heads and acting department head were: Dr. George Burnham Hoadley, department head (1954-1974); Dr. Larry K. Monteith, department head (1974-1978); and Dr. James F. Kauffman, acting head (1978-1979).

The origins of computer science at NCSU can be said to extend back to the basement of Patterson Hall when, in 1957, the Department of Experimental Statistics installed computers there. Five years later, this facility formally became known as the NCSU Computing Center. The role of computers at the university received a tremendous boost in August 1965 when NCSU joined Duke and UNC and, with the help of a National Science Foundation grant, formed The Triangle Universities Computation Center or TUCC. In less than two years, the system became fully operational. With Professor Dave Mason, from the Department of Statistics, spearheading TUCC for NCSU, the university soon had one high-speed access terminal and several medium and low-speed terminals to interface with the mainframe.

During Dr. Nino A. Masnari's tenure as department head from 1979-1988, numerous events took place. In 1981, the departmental designation was changed to Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr. John Hauser, Michael Littlejohn, and Nino Masnari started the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC) in the early 1980s. The Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Computer Engineering were approved in 1983. Research programs made significant advances during this time when several research centers were founded. The Center for Communications and Signal Processing (CCSP) was founded in 1982, the Electric Power Research Center (EPRC) in 1985, and the Center for Advanced Electronic Materials Processing in 1988.

List of Department Heads

1894 - 1908 Richard Henderson
1908 - 1944 William Hand Browne, Jr.
1944 - 1945 Raymond S. Fouraker, acting head
1945 - 1954 Cornelius Godfrey Brennecke
1954 - 1974 George Burnham Hoadley
1974 - 1978 Larry K. Monteith
1978 - 1979 James F. Kauffman, acting head
1979 - 1988 Nino A. Masneri
1988 - 1989 Tildon H. Glisson, acting head
1989 - 1994 Ralph K. Cavin III
1994 - 1995 John R. Hauser, acting head
1995 - 2000 Robert M. Kolbas
2000 - 2001 John Grainger, acting head
2001 - 2003 John R. Hauser, acting head
2003 - Robert J. Trew

Scope and Content Note


The records of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering cover the years 1889 to 1996. They contain booklets, brochures, correspondence, flyers, lists of graduates, minutes of staff meetings, pamphlets, photographs, programs, proposals, promotional brochures, and reports relating to the department. The records also include files pertaining to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education and the Engineer's Council for Professional Development (ECPD), the National Science Foundation and Sigma Xi. The ECPD records contain material relating to the accreditation of the department. Additional materials are unprocessed and include course packets and affirmative action files.

Organization of the Collection


This subgroup is comprised of two series: General Records and Unprocessed Materials. The contents of the former are arranged alphabetically by topic. Those of the latter are arranged in the way they were received.

Online Catalog Headings


The following terms have been used to index the guide to the collection in the NCSU Library's online catalog.

Corporate Names

  • North Carolina State University. Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
  • North Carolina State University. College of Engineering
  • National Science Foundation (U.S.).
  • Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society.

Subjects

  • Electric engineering--Study and teaching (Higher)--North Carolina.
  • Engineering--Study and teaching--North Carolina.
  • Engineering--Research--North Carolina.
  • Engineering--Societies, etc.

Related Material

College of Engineering Record Group [HTML]
College of Engineering Annual Reports [HTML]
College of Engineering Accreditation Commission Records [HTML]
College of Engineering Publications [HTML]

Detailed Description of the Collection


  • Series 1: :General Records, 1889 - 1988


    1.75 linear feet, 3.5 archival storage boxes

    Contained here are booklets, brochures, correspondence, flyers, lists of graduates, minutes of staff meetings, pamphlets, photographs, programs, proposals, promotional brochures, and reports relating to departmental activities and functions.

    • American Institute of Electrical Engineers
      • 1919 - 1948 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder1]
    • American Society for Engineering Education
      • 1947 - 1948 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder2]
    • Annual Reports
      • 1948 - 1949 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder3]
    • Brochures
      • 1969, [No date] [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder4]
    • Carolina Power & Light Company
      • Special Service Contract
        • 1918, 1933 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder5]
    • Committees
      • Atomic Energy
        • 1946 - 1949 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder6]
      • Course and Curricula
        • 1946 - 1947 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder7]
      • Electrical Engineering Advirsory
        • 1924 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder8]
      • Executive
        • 1946 - 1947 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder9]
      • Humanistic - Social Studies Sequence
        • 1945 - 1948 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder10]
      • Memorial Tower
        • 1947 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder11]
    • Conferences
      • Electrical Equipment for the Textile Industry
        • 1952 - 1960 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder12]
    • Courses and Curriculum

      "See also Staff Meetings"
      • 1889 - 1980 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder13]
    • Departmental Procedures
      • 1949 [UA 105.012 Box 1, Folder14]
    • Engineering Experiment Station
      • 1940 - 1946 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder1]
    • Engineering Research Department
      • 1946 - 1948 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder2]
    • Engineers' Council for Professional Development
      • 1933 - 1963 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder3]
    • Engineers' Fair
      • 1928 - 1938 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder4]
    • Enrollment
      • 1964 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder5]
    • Equipment
      • 1918 - 1945 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder6]
    • Faculty Publications and Research Activities
      • 1935 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder7]
    • Fellowships
      • 1947 - 1986 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder8]
    • General Correspondence
      • 1916 - 1928 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder9]
      • 1929 - 1952 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder10]
    • General Electric
      • Electrical Engineering Gift Account
        • 1946 - 1948 [UA 105.012 Box 2, Folder11]
    • General Information
      • 1933 - 1988 [BoxUA105.2.2, Folder12]
    • Graduate Study and Research
      • 1964 - 1989 [BoxUA105.2.2, Folder13]
    • Industrial Research in College and Universities
      • 1944 - 1945 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder1]
    • Laboratory Renovation
      • 1945 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder2]
    • National Bureau of Standards
      • 1965 - 1967 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder3]
      • 1968 - 1969 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder4]
    • National Science Foundation
      • Electrical Engineering Junior Circuits Laboratory
        • 1965 - 1967 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder5]
    • Seminars, Short Courses, and Lectures
      • 1935 - 1965 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder6]
    • Sigma Xi
      • 1942 - 1948 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder7]
    • Staff Meetings
      • 1946 - 1947 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder8]
      • 1948 - 1952 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder9]
      • 1953 - 1958 [UA 105.012 Box 3, Folder1]
      • 1959 - 1960 [UA 105.012 Box 4, Folder2]
    • Students
      • 1920 - 1970 [UA 105.012 Box 4, Folder3]
    • Teaching Loads
      • 1945 - 1948 [UA 105.012 Box 4, Folder4]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • Series 99: :Unprocessed Materials, 1979 - 1996


    3.75 linear feet, 2 cartons , 1.5 archival storage boxes

    These materials have not been archivally processed.

    • Course Packets for ECE department classes, 1991 - 1996 [UA 105.012 Box 4]
    • Affirmative Action Files, 1979 - 1991
      Accession no. 3856       		[UA 105.012 Carton 5]
    • Course packs for ECE department classes, 1989 - 1996
      Accession no. 2006-0029       		[UA 105.012 Carton 6]
    • Course packets, reports, brochures, and other materials, 1985-1991, undated
      Accession no. 2007-0057
      Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Study and Research promotional packet; Power Semiconductor Research Center brochure and technical report; Robotics and Intelligent Systems Laboratory research activity reports; Graduate Study and Research Electrical and Computer Engineering (1985).
      		 [UA 105.012 Box 7]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]