Knowledge is Power: A History of the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University, 1877

%xmlchars; ]> ua100 Guide to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Records, 1909 - 2003 Processed by: Lauren Garbrick, Ben Kraudel, Allison Hall, and Hermann Trojanowski; machine-readable finding aid created by: Katherine M. Wisser; Pat Webber North Carolina State University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center

Campus Box 7111 Raleigh, NC 27695-7111

2004 Machine-readable finding aid derived from xml authoring program. Date of source: September, 2002 Finding aid written in English 2005Converted to EAD 2002 Guide to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Records, 1909 - 2003 UA 100 North Carolina State University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center Contact Information: &ncsuaddr; Processed by Special Collections staff Date Completed 2004 Encoded by Russell S. Koonts; Pat Webber Finding aid updated by Todd Kosmerick, 2007 Descriptive Summary North Carolina State University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center North Carolina State University. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences North Carolina State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Records, 1909 - 2003 UA 100 446 records storage boxes 463 linear feet The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences record group contains brochures, committee and meeting minutes, correspondence and memoranda, curriculum information, faculty information, history files, research proposals and reports, scholarship files, and other material relating to the administrative and academic activities of the various departments and units in the College's history. As 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. 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 24 hours advance notice.

Transferred from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Some material transferred directly from Gertrude Cox, David D. Mason, and J.A. Rigney.

Acquisitions Information

Transferred from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Consult the University Archivist for detailed information.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Records, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.

The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Historical Note

As 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 Note

The 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 Headings

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

Corporate Entities North Carolina State University. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Topics Agricultural education--North Carolina Agriculture publishing--North Carolina Agriculture--Research--North Carolina Agriculture--Study and Teaching--North Carolina Related Materials North Carolina State University Agricultural Research Service Records, UA 101 North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service s, UA 102 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 North Carolina State University College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology and Anthropology Records, UA 120.013 North Carolina State University College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry Records, UA 135.010 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 Collection Subgroup UA 100.001 Office of the Dean Records, 1944 - 2003 43 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.

Subgroup UA 100.002 Annual Reports, 1945 - 2001 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.

Subgroup UA 100.003 Advisory Council Records, 1955 - 1994 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.

Subgroup UA 100.004 Committees, 1929 - 2000 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.

Subgroup UA 100.011 Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics Records, 1927 - 1987 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.

Subgroup UA 100.012 Department of Agronomy Records, 1934 - 1960 1 records storage box, 0.5 linear feet

These records contain correspondence, minutes, reports, project information, and department history files.

Subgroup UA 100.013 Department of Animal Science Records, 1921 - 1992 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 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.

Subgroup UA 100.015 Department of Plant Biology Records, 1948 - 1983 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.

Subgroup UA 100.016 Department of Crop Science Records, 1939 - 1989 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.

Subgroup UA 100.017 Department of Entomology Records, 1932 - 1988 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 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.

Subgroup UA 100.021 Department of Genetics Records, 1941 - 1976 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.

Subgroup UA 100.022 Department of Horticultural Science Records, 1936 - 1998 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.

Subgroup UA 100.023 Department of Microbiology Records, 1959 - 1991 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.

Subgroup UA 100.025 Department of Plant Pathology Records, 1925 - 1997 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.

Subgroup UA 100.026 Department of Poultry Science Records, 1914 - 1983 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.

Subgroup UA 100.028 Department of Soil Science Records, 1934 - 1991 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.

Subgroup UA 100.030 Department of Zoology Records, 1948 - 1985 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.

Subgroup UA 100.040 Agricultural Institute Records, 1959 - 1990 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.

Subgroup UA 100.041 Agricultural Policy Institute Records, 1961 - 1970 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.

Subgroup UA 100.042 Institute of Biological Sciences Records, 1950 - 1971 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.

Subgroup UA 100.051 Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs Records, 1950 - 1994 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.

Subgroup UA 100.052 Agricultural Chemicals School Records, 1949 - 1979 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.

Subgroup UA 100.053 Peru Project Records, 1953 - 1995 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.

Subgroup UA 100.099 Department of Communication Services Records, 1926 - 1994 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.

Subgroup UA 100.200 Publications, 1909 - 2000 33 records storage boxes, 48.5 linear feet

These records contain publications released by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as from individual departments and units within the College. These records are arranged alphabetically by publication title, then chronologically.