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Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education, records of Margaret MacVicar

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: AC-0213

  • Staff Only
  • Select item to request

Scope and Contents note

This collection contains the records of Margaret MacVicar, the dean for undergraduate education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1985 to 1991. The dean for undergraduate education chaired the Committee on the Undergraduate Program. Other committees dealing with undergraduate issues in which MacVicar participated included the Committee on HASS (Humanities, Arts and Social Science), 1986; the Committee on the Science Requirement, 1989-1991; and the Committee on Academic Computation for the 1990s and Beyond, 1989-1990. Background materials, discussion papers, and notes related to these and other committees are included in this collection. Also included are proposals, correspondence, and notes concerned with undergraduate issues such as the debate on program requirements in the sciences; the chemistry requirements; the humanities, arts and social sciences requirements; the writing requirement, 1986-1988; freshman year pass/fail/no record; Project Athena and the computing needs of MIT undergraduates; the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP); and the operation of Independent Activities Period (IAP), 1985-1991. Records related to budget planning and the allocation process and longer range budgetary planning are included in the collection. Also included are files and correspondence dealing with foundations and corporations, admissions issues, other MIT offices, Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), teaching chairs and awards, and the five-year plans of the schools.

Materials related to MacVicar's appointment and the creation of the position are included in the collection as are her speeches from 1985 to 1988. The collection also contains an audiotape of an Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education session for new faculty and instructors on how to teach at the Institute, held on 17 January 1989.

Dates

  • Creation: 1984-1992

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 position of dean for undergraduate education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was created in 1985 with the mission to oversee and coordinate the undergraduate curriculum of MIT's schools, departments, and programs. Margaret MacVicar held the position from its creation until her death in late 1991, when the office merged with the Office of the Dean for Student Affairs to form the Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs.

Extent

8.1 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Location

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

General Physical Description note

(8 record cartons, 1 audiotape)

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 Inventory to the Records of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education AC.0213
Subtitle
Records of Margaret MacVicar
Status
Ready For Review
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

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