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Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Undergraduate Academic Affairs student records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: AC-0439

Scope and Contents

This collection contains student records kept by the Undergraduate Academic Affairs office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1981 to 1993.

Dates

  • Creation: 1981 - 1993

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection requires permission for access. Records are restricted for 75 years from the date of creation. Contact Distinctive Collections for further information.

Conditions Governing Use

Access to collections in the Department of Distinctive Collections is not authorization to publish. Please see the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy for permission information. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor of the collection or MIT.

Historical Note

The Office of the Dean for Student Affairs was established at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1902 as the Office of the Dean by a vote of the faculty. Alfred E. Burton was appointed dean and reported directly to the president. The dean was responsible for all students; his duties included cooperating with the president in all matters regarding discipline and the general welfare of the student body; acting as chairman of advisors; generally overseeing first year instruction, student self-government, social centers, residences, and supervising of first year students.

In 1920 the name of the office was changed to the Office of the Dean of Students (ODS) with Burton’s responsibilities including housing, freshman advising and activities, student government, and the Department of Physical Training. In 1962 the ODS began reporting to the vice president for academic administration. That same year its name was changed to the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs (ODSA) to reflect more accurately the expanding areas of responsibility which resulted from the rapid growth of the Institute’s overall educational program during the previous few years.

Student unrest in the late 1960s and, in particular, tensions on the part of students over the U.S. military draft were keenly felt by ODSA in all of its capacities. In 1968-1969 the ODSA was renamed Office of the Dean for Student Affairs (also ODSA) and, the following year, was reorganized into six functional program areas, each headed by an associate dean: the Living Environment; Student and Community Activities; Athletics and Recreation; Counseling and Advisory Systems; Student Self-Governance and Participation in the Institute Governance; and Information Dissemination and Communication. The office reported to the Dean for Institute Relations from 1969 to 1972.

During the 1991-1992 academic year the Office of the Dean for Student Affairs (ODSA) and the Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education (ODUE) were merged to become the Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs (ODUESA). The purpose of the new office was to coordinate efforts and bring new vitality to a number of programs that supported educational activities of the faculty and, at the same time, to be more effective in providing services to MIT students. Under the merger the ODSA Undergraduate Academic Support Office became the Undergraduate Academic Affairs office whose function was to oversee academic advising and support, curriculum support and innovation, teaching and faculty development, educational studies, and research. The ODUESA also assumed responsibility for the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and the Independent Activities Period (IAP).

In 1996 an administrative reorganization was undertaken, designed to consolidate most of the functions which support student life and undergraduate education. As a result, the Office of the Dean of Students and Undergraduate Education (ODSUE) was formed. Its main activities encompassed academic and financial information; academic support services; and campus life services. Rosalind Williams served as dean of this office from 1996 to 2000. When Dean Williams stepped down in June 2000, ODSUE (along with the Office of the Dean for Student Life) was restructured.

MIT History, Office of the MIT Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs, 2013.

Extent

2 Cubic Feet (2 record cartons)

Language of Materials

English

Physical Location

Materials are stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use.

Other Finding Aids

A more detailed collection inventory is available to staff in the MIT ArchivesSpace staff interface.

Processing Information

In spring 2021, this finding aid was revised as part of a project to publish previously unpublished finding aids. The finding aid was brought up to minimum description standards and any personally identifying information in the description was removed.

Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2021: Edited by Lana Mason for compliance with DACS single-level optimum requirements and to remove personally identifying information from the description.

Repository Details

Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections Repository

Contact:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries
Building 14N-118
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge MA 02139-4307 US