The Staff Files subgroup of the record group Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs consists of 570 linear feet and spans the years from 1947 to 2013. The Staff Files subgroup is comprised of the records of the associate and assistant vice presidents for academic affairs. Whereas the records of the Central Files subgroup often contain finished products, such as reports and policy statements, the Staff Files subgroup tends to document the process of policy formation and other decision-making functions. Scattered through the associate and assistant vice presidents' papers, for example, are frank statements of opinion regarding various schools and programs, candidates for promotion, and the relationship between the branches of the university, as well as notes on meetings with faculty members, committee activities, and other subjects.
The Staff Files subgroup includes the records of the following past and current associate and assistant vice presidents, listed in the order in which their records first appear in the boxlist: Ernest R. Zimmermann, Carolyne K. Davis, Edward A. Dougherty, Richard A. English, Robert L. Williams, John H. Romani, Mary Ann Swain, Robert S. Holbrook, W. Allen Spivey, Robert B. Holmes, Niara Sudarkasa, Robin Jacoby, Robert Sauve, E. Kay Dawson, Susan Lipschutz, Paul Courant, Marilyn Knepp, Pamela A. Raymond, Katharine Soper, Karen Gibbons, John Godfrey, Nancy Cantor, A. Lawrence Fincher, Ralph P. Nichols, Valerie Castle, Glenda Haskell, Linda Gillum, Janet Weiss, Ben van der Plijm, Sharon Schmidt, Kathleen (Kati) Bauer, James Hilton, Stephanie Riegle, Catherine Shaw, Philip Hanlon, Teresa Sullivan, Anne Berens, Brian Konz, John King, Lester Monts, Martha E. Pollack, Lori Haskins, and Ron Fitzgerald. The records of an individual, while still in office, are received by the archives on an ongoing basis.
As of 1995 the office represented by this record group is officially titled the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Previous titles of the office were: Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and Provost, 1983-1995; Vice President for Academic Affairs, 1962-1983; and Provost, 1938-1962.
Provost
The origins of this office date back to 1938, during President Ruthven's administration, when the position of provost was created by a bylaw of the Board of Regents to "aid the President by performing such of the President's functions as shall from time to time be delegated by him or by the Board of Regents" (Regents' Proceedings, March 1938, p. 505). E. Blythe Stason, the dean of the Law School who had already been performing many of these functions, was appointed the first provost. Stason resigned as provost in November 1944 to devote his attentions to the leadership of the Law School, and James P. Adams, vice president of Brown University and former University of Michigan economics professor, assumed the post of provost and professor of economics in January 1945. At the Regents' meeting of January 1945 the bylaw establishing the provost's position was amended to include the statement that the provost "shall be the chief executive officer of the University next to the President" (Regents' Bylaw 2.02). Adams remained the provost until his resignation in July 1951. A successor to Adams was not named, and the responsibilities of the provost were absorbed by the newly created vice president and dean of faculties, Marvin Niehuss.
Vice President for Academic Affairs
In 1962 two new positions were created in the university administration: executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs.
Marvin Niehuss, vice president for university relations since 1945 and the vice president and dean of faculties since 1951, was promoted to the position of executive vice president in 1962. As vice president and dean of faculties, Niehuss had coordinated university relations with the state legislature and had overseen the administration of the schools, colleges, and other units (including institutes, Extension Service, summer session, and the Reserve Officers' Training Corps), reporting on enrollment, teaching loads, research, and faculty salaries. In his new position as executive vice president, Niehuss continued to supervise legislative relations and served as the University's contact with the state board of education. In addition, the executive vice president was the chief executive assistant to the president and assumed the duties and powers of the president in his absence. (When Niehuss retired in 1968 the position of executive vice president was abolished and a vice president for state relations and planning was established in its place.)
Roger Heyns, a member of the Psychology Department and since 1959 dean of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, was appointed to the position of vice president for academic affairs in 1962. Heyns assumed many of the duties previously performed by the vice president and dean of faculties. He was given general executive responsibility for the faculty and for the academic programs of the schools, colleges, and other educational units. He reviewed recommendations of deans, directors, and department heads with regard to appointments, promotions, leaves of absence, and salaries of faculty members and special service personnel. In addition, the Offices of Admissions, and Registration and Records--previously under the jurisdiction of the vice president for student affairs--were brought under the vice president for academic affairs.
This reorganization of administrative responsibilities was intended as a means of unifying planning in a period of rapid growth of the University. In actual practice, the duties associated with planning remained dispersed and were shifted from one office to another in the 1960s and 1970s. When a vice presidency for state relations and planning was established in 1968, some of the responsibility for academic program planning was transferred to that office. The Office of Institutional Research, which collected and analyzed data on enrollment trends, faculty characteristics, funding, and related subjects, was transferred in 1969 from Academic Affairs to State Relations and Planning. In 1974 the Office of Institutional Research was renamed the Office of Academic Planning and Analysis and was returned to Academic Affairs, reflecting the assignment of additional evaluation and planning responsibilities under the vice president for academic affairs. Over the course of the 1960s and 1970s, the vice president for academic affairs gradually assumed greater responsibility for budget preparation.
In addition to program and budget planning, the Office of Academic Affairs was involved in implementing affirmative action plans, overseeing the Opportunity Program and Tuskegee-Michigan exchange program, and coordinating support services for minority students.
When Roger Heyns left the university in 1965 to become chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, he was succeeded by Allan F. Smith, the dean of the Law School. Smith held the post of vice president for academic affairs for nine years and in 1974 was followed by Frank H. T. Rhodes, a professor of geology and since 1971 dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Rhodes resigned in 1977 to assume the presidency of Cornell University.
Harold T. Shapiro, chairman of the Economics Department, was appointed vice president for academic affairs in 1977 and held the position until 1980, when he became president of the University of Michigan. Alfred Sussman, dean of Rackham School of Graduate Studies, served as acting vice president for academic affairs from November 1, 1979 through July 1, 1980, when Billy E. Frye, professor of Zoology and dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, assumed the position.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
At its February 1983 meeting, the Regents of the University of Michigan changed the title of the position to Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost (hereafter referred to as "provost"). The move to include "provost" in the title was taken in part because of the increased responsibility of the vice president within the university's administration and because of the need to assist the president as he moved into state and national projects, notably the management of the capital campaign fund-raising effort.
In 1986, Billy E. Frye resigned and was replaced by James J. Duderstadt, dean of the College of Engineering, who served as provost until he became the president of the university in September 1988. Robert Holbrook served as interim provost until December 1988. In January 1989, Charles Vest, dean of the College of Engineering, became provost and remained until July 1990, when he left to assume the presidency of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Holbrook served as interim provost for the month of August, after which Gilbert Whitaker, dean of the School of Business Administration, began his tenure as provost.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
In September 1993 the Regents approved a change in title to provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. This title was intended to reflect more accurately the responsibilities of the provost and to "bring Michigan into line with the administrative structures of other universities" (The University Record 49(3), 1993 September 20: 4). The new designation came about when President Duderstadt recommended a change in title for Whitaker. In 1995 Whitaker returned to teaching and was succeeded by J. Bernard Machen, dean of the School of Dentistry. Machen initially served on an interim basis before agreeing to accept a two-year appointment. He did not seek an extension and was succeeded by Nancy Cantor, dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies in 1997.
The position vice provost for academic affairs was created in 1990 to recognize university-wide activities in which John H. D'Arms, dean of Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, was engaged that were beyond the scope of his decanal responsibilities. Such responsibilities included overseeing the Bentley Historical Library and the Clements Library, evaluating promotion and tenure dossiers, and serving as liaison between the university and major foundations (The University Record 45(24), 1990 March 26: 1). With the appointment of new provosts the functional responsibilities and reporting relationships of the vice provost have frequently changed.
Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and Provost
| Date |
Event |
| 1962-1965 | Roger W. Heyns |
| 1965-1974 | Allen F. Smith |
| 1974-1977 | Frank H.T. Rhodes |
| 1977-1979 | Harold T. Shapiro |
| 1979-1980 | Alfred S. Sussman (Interim) |
| 1980-1986 | Billy E. Frye |
| 1986-1988 | James J. Duderstadt |
| 1988 | Robert S. Holbrook (Interim) |
| 1989-1990 | Charles M. Vest |
| 1990 | Robert S. Holbrook (Interim) |
| 1990-1993 | Gilbert R. Whitaker, Jr. |
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
| Date |
Event |
| 1993-1995 | Gilbert R. Whitaker, Jr. |
| 1996 | J. Bernard Machen (interim) |
| 1996-1997 | J. Bernard Machen |
| 1997-2001 | Nancy Cantor |
| 2001 | Lisa Tedesco [Interim] |
| 2002 | Paul Courant [Interim] |
| 2002- | Paul Courant |
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs-Graduate Studies
| Date |
Event |
| 1990-1995 | John H. D'Arms |
| 1996-1997 | Nancy Cantor |
| 1998-2004 | Earl Lewis |
Vice Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs
| Date |
Event |
| 1993-1995 | Lester Monts |
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
| Date |
Event |
| 2000- | Lester Monts |
Associate Provosts
| Date |
Event |
| 1993-1997 | Robert Holbrook |
| 1993-1997 | Susan Lipschutz |
| 1995-2000 | Lester Monts -- Academic and Multicultural Affairs |
| 1997-2001 | Paul Courant -- Academic and Budgetary Affairs |
| 1997-2002 | Pamela A. Raymond -- Academic and Faculty Affairs |
| 2001- | James Hilton -- Academic Information and Instructional Technology Affairs |
| 2002- | Janet A. Weiss -- Academic Affairs |
| 2002- | Valerie P. Castle -- Academic and Faculty Affairs |
Administrative Deans
| Date |
Event |
| 1962-1974 | Robert L. Williams |
Assistant Vice Presidents
| Date |
Event |
| 1974-1982 | Edward A. Dougherty |
| 1986 | Ralph P. Nichols -- Budget Analysis and Reporting |
| 1982-1995 | Robert B. Holmes -- Executive Director M-Quality-1992, Director of Human Resource Development and M-Quality and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs-1995 |
| 1987-1988 | Richard L. Fremon -- Budget Analysis and Reporting |
| 1987-1993 | Colleen Dolan-Greene -- Personnel |
| 1998 | David Schoem -- Academic and Student Affairs |
Associate Vice Presidents
| Date |
Event |
| 1971-1975 | John Romani -- Intra-University Programs |
| 1971-1972 | William L. Hays -- Academic Development |
| 1974-1981 | Richard English -- Academic Services |
| 1975-1981 | Carolyne K. Davis -- Intra-University Programs and Facilities |
| 1979-1980 | A. Lawrence Fincher -- Analysis and Planning |
| 1981-1993 | Robert S. Holbrook -- Academic Affairs |
| 1981-1983 | W. Allen Spivey -- Planning and Analysis |
| 1983-1993 | Mary Ann Swain -- Academic Affairs |
| 1984-1986 | Niara Sudarkasa -- Academic Affairs |
| 2000- | Marilyn G. Knepp -- University Budget and Planning -2000, University Budget, Planning and Administration-2002 |
| 2000-2003 | Barbara Butterfield -- Chief Human Resource Officer-2000, Human Resources and Affirmative Action and Chief Human Resource Officer-2001 |
| 2000- | Laura M. Patterson -- Administrative Services |
Assistant Vice Presidents
| Date |
Event |
| 1965-1982 | Ernest R. Zimmerman -- Academic Services |
| ca. 1970 and 1973-1987 | Robert P. Sauve -- Administration-1970, Special Projects-1973, Budget-1974, Budget Development and Administration-1981 |
| 1966-1987 | Charles M. Allmand -- Personnel |
| 1968-1973 | James E. Lesch -- Budget |
| 1971-1974 | Paul A. Spradlin |
| 1971-1972 | William P. Fenstemacher |
| 1974/75-1981/82 | Edward A. Dougherty -- Special Projects |
| 1980 | T. Kushler -- Special Assistant |
| 1981-1985 | Ralph P. Nichols -- Budget Analysis and Reporting |
| 1981-1983 | Thomas A. Butts |
| 1981-19823 | Robert B. Holmes -- Academic Programs |
| 1982-1988 | Robin Jacoby |
| 1987-1990 | Glenna L. Schweitzer -- Budget Development and Administration |
| 1989-1993 | E. Kay Dawson -- Director Academic Human Resources and Special Assistant to the Provost |
| 1990-1991 | Eunice Royster-Harper -- Undergraduate Issues |
| 1996-1997 | Karen L. Gibbons |
| 1996 | G. P. Schrodel -- Special Assistant to the Provost and to the Chief Financial Officer |
| 2000 | James Hilton -- Special Assistant to the Provost for Media Rights |
Assistant Provosts/Associate Vice Provosts
| Date |
Event |
| 1995 | John H. Matlock --Assistant Vice Provost and Director Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives-1995, Associate Vice Provost and Director Office of Academic and Multicultural Initiatives-2001 |
| 1997-20002 | Marilyn G. Knepp -- University Budget and Planning |
| 1999 | Linda H. Gillum -- Academic Affairs |
| 1999-2002 | Katharine B. Soper -- Academic and Faculty Affairs |
| 2001- | Jeffrey R. Frumkin -- Director Academic Human Resources-2001, Director of Academic and Staff Human Resources-2003 |
| 2002- | Glenda L. Haskell -- Academic and Faculty Affairs |
| 2003- | Glenna Schweitzer -- Director of the Office of Budget and Planning |
| 2003- | Anthony Walesby -- Senior Director of the Office of Institutional Equity |
Administrative Associate to the Provost/Chief of Staff
| Date |
Event |
| 1990- | Karen L. Gibbons -- Admin. Assoc.-1990, Administrative Manager-1993, Chief of Staff-1994 |
Senior Counselors to the Provost
| Date |
Event |
| 2002- | Pamela Raymond |
Policy Coordinator/Advisor
| Date |
Event |
| 1976-1979, 1983-1986 | Virginia B. Nordby |
