University Archives & Historical Collections

tel 517.355.2330 / fax 517.353.9319 / email msuarhc@msu.edu

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History

The Historical Collections program began about 1950 when the Museum, under the directorship of Professor Joseph Stack, expanded its acquisition policy to include historical artifacts and manuscript materials relating principally to rural life. As Michigan State University expanded its interests to include engineering, human ecology, the liberal arts, natural science, social science, education, business, communication arts, and human, osteopathic and veterinary medicine, the collection policy has expanded to include these fields.

Recognizing the importance of such a collection to research and teaching, the Museum under the directorship of Dr. Rollin Baker established a curatorship of historical artifacts and manuscripts with Dr. Frank Elliot as the first curator. Succeeding him in this work was Dr. Marvin Cain. Through the latter's efforts, a program in Land Grant Research was established whose objective was the collection of research materials on the origins and development of the land grant philosophy in education.

In July 1967 the Historical Collections and the program in Land Grant Research were detached from the Museum and made a separate unit in the administrative structure of the University under the supervision of the Provost.

It was also at this time that William H. Combs was appointed MSU's first Archivist, after a distinguished career at the University which included serving as a Professor of History, Assistant to President John Hannah and later Director of University Services. Combs had developed an abiding interest in preserving the records of the University during his tenure as an administrator and wanted to see a permanent office responsible for managing the University records. He visited numerous university archives and attended professional meetings before making his recommendations to the Board of Trustees as to how the archives should be structured. These recommendations were the basis for structure of the University Archives and Historical Collections as mandated by the Board of Trustees.

From its earliest years the records of the University had been collected and preserved on an informal basis by Theophilus Capen Abbot, Robert Clark Kedzie, William James Beal, Frank Kedzie, Elida Yakeley and Madison Kuhn. On November 21, 1969 the Board of Trustees formalized this activity establishing the University Archives with responsibility for collecting and preserving inactive records for all units in the University which have legal, administrative, fiscal or historical value. It is also a repository for the personal papers of faculty, administrators and alumni.

On September 1, 1970 the Board of Trustees joined administratively the Historical Collections with the Archives under the title of University Archives and Historical Collections, with the provision that the Land Grant Research Program be a part of the Historical Collections.

Whenever the name Michigan State University (MSU) appears in connection with these holdings it refers also to earlier names by which the institution was called, including the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (1855-1861), State Agricultural College (1861-1909), Michigan Agricultural College (1909-1925), Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (1925-1955), and Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science (1955-1964).