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Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Office of the President and Chancellor, Records of the Assistant to the President and Provost, Norman C. Dahl

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: AC-0559

Scope and Contents

The collection comprises records produced by Assistant to the President and Provost, Norman C. Dahl, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from approximately 1971 to 1980. Records include administrative files and records pertaining to the Bicentennial Committees.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1971-1980

Creator

Access note

This collection must be reviewed to identify any restricted material before access can be granted. Please submit your requests at least ten business days before your desired visit to allow time for this review. An archivist will respond within five business days to let you know whether your requested material is open. For complete information on this policy, see our Statement on Accessing Institute Records.

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 President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was established at an organizational meeting in 1862 following the incorporation of MIT on April 10, 1861 (Massachusetts Acts of 1861, Chapter 183), as a three-part body consisting of a “society of arts, a museum of arts [industrial arts], and a school of industrial science.” The president is the chief executive officer of MIT and serves as an ex officio member of the MIT Corporation and of the following Corporation committees: the Executive Committee, of which he is chairman, the Development Committee, and the Membership Committee.

MIT History, Office of the MIT President, 2005

The provost is the senior academic officer of the Institute. He or she shares responsibility with the president and the academic deans for supervision and leadership of the Institute’s policies, plans, and priorities as they affect all academic programs. The provost, working with the executive vice president, also has responsibility for coordinating the budgeting of the Institute.

The academic offices within the Institute that report directly to the provost include the deans of the schools; the deans of the interdisciplinary centers, laboratories, and programs; the director of the Libraries; the director of Lincoln Laboratory; and the associate provosts for research, educational policy, and the arts. The provost also coordinates educational and research activities that do not fall under the jurisdiction of any one school, such as interdepartmental collaboration among faculty sponsored jointly by different departments.

The Office of the Provost was created in the spring of 1949. The first provost was Julius Adams Stratton, who continued to have the responsibilities of the Office of Provost when he was later appointed vice president and provost in 1952. During his term as MIT president, Stratton appointed the second provost, Charles Hard Townes, in 1961.

The provost is currently (as of 2010) a member of the following Institute-wide councils: Academic Council, Faculty Council, Administrative Council, and the Council on Educational Technology. The provost is also a member of the Committee on Resource and Space Planning, the Building Committee, the Budget and Finance Steering Committee, and the Enrollment Management Group.

MIT History, Office of the MIT Provost, 2014

Extent

6 Cubic Feet (6 record cartons)

Language of Materials

English

Location

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

Processing Information note

Some collection descriptions are based on legacy data and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. Description may change pending verification. Please contact the MIT Department of Distinctive Collections if you notice any errors or discrepancies.

Title
Preliminary Guide to the Records of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology President and Chancellor
Subtitle
Records of the Assistant to the President and Provost
Status
Data Entry In Progress
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2021 December 6: Edited by Lana Mason for compliance with DACS single-level optimum requirements.

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