University of Chicago Library Guide to the University of Chicago Office of the President, Kimpton Administration Records 1892-1960 © 2007 University of Chicago Library Table of Contents Descriptive Summary 3 Information on Use 3 Access 3 Citation 3 Historical Note 3 Scope Note 4 Related Resources 5 Subject Headings 6 INVENTORY 6 Series I: General Files 6 Series II: Appointments and Budgets 166 Series III: Invitations 174 Series IV: Audiovisual Materials 174 Descriptive Summary Identifier ICU.SPCL.OFCPRESKIMPTON Title University of Chicago. Office of the President. Kimpton Administration. Records Date 1892-1960 Size 155.5 linear feet (311 boxes) Repository Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A. Abstract This collection contains records of the University of Chicago Office of the President, covering the administration of Lawrence A. Kimpton, who served as Chancellor of the University of Chicago from 1951-1960. While he kept the title of "Chancellor" held by his predecessor, Robert Maynard Hutchins, Kimpton’s duties were consistent with those held throughout the institution’s history by the University President. Included here are administrative records such as correspondence, reports, publications, budgets and personnel material. Information on Use Access Open for research. No restrictions. Citation When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: University of Chicago. Office of the President. Records, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library Historical Note Lawrence A. Kimpton (1910-1977) was raised in Kansas City, Missouri, attended college at Stanford, and completed a Ph.D. in philosophy at Cornell University in 1935. He worked in California and Nevada throughout the late 1930s, teaching at the experimental Deep Springs College and working as a cattle rancher. He came to Chicago in 1943 to work as Chief Administrative Officer of the Metallurgical Laboratory, associated with the Manhattan Project. University Chancellor Robert Maynard Hutchins hired Kimpton as Dean of Students in 1944. Kimpton later recalled that in his brief interview, Hutchins asked, "Don’t you think 3 the University is lousy? Don’t you think great books are great? And isn’t the function of an educational institution to educate?" Kimpton agreed, and after also admitting he knew absolutely nothing about student matters, Hutchins immediately offered him the job. In 1947, Kimpton returned to Stanford, where he served as Dean of Students for three years. In 1950, he was re- hired by the University of Chicago as Vice-President of Development. When Hutchins resigned in 1951, Kimpton was named as his successor. In his first years as Chancellor, Kimpton imposed significant University-wide budget cuts, balancing the university’s budget for the first time since the Depression. In 1955, he instigated a large development campaign which raised funds for expansion and endowments. Through the last five years of his tenure, Kimpton oversaw the construction of 15 new campus buildings and a 30 percent increase in faculty salaries. While improving the university’s financial situation, Kimpton also worked to improve the Hyde Park area. Many neighborhood buildings had been poorly maintained since the Depression, and overcrowding had caused problems in infrastructure and security. Kimpton assisted in the creation of the South East Chicago Commission (SECC), a group which coordinated broad-based urban renewal projects throughout Hyde Park-Kenwood. More than 20 percent of buildings in the neighborhood were removed and rehabilitated through renewal projects. Kimpton, serving as president of the SECC, oversaw the allocation of federal, state, local, and private funds to projects aimed at improving housing, infrastructure, and safety in the Hyde Park area. Reflecting on this work, Kimpton "acknowledged that the urban renewal program did not solve the problems of the city’s slums – only that it had saved the university." Within the academic sphere, Kimpton brought the undergraduate curriculum back into alignment with national standards and expectations. Under Hutchins, the College had accepted students after completing tenth grade, granting a bachelor’s degree after the college sophomore year. Kimpton reinstated a traditional College program, with a four-year sequence beginning after twelfth grade. After fulfilling his three major goals of financial stability, neighborhood security, and curricular standardization, Kimpton resigned in 1960. He worked as an executive for Standard Oil of Indiana until his 1971 retirement. Scope Note The records of the Office of the President, Kimpton Administration, represent the activities of Lawrence A. Kimpton as Chancellor, his immediate circle of Central Administration associates, and personnel in the University of Chicago's divisions, departments, committees, and other administrative units. The collection thus constitutes not only documentation of the Office of the President, but a varied record of the administrative workings of the university. 4 While most of the documents in the collection date from the years in which Kimpton served as Chancellor, material dating to earlier administrations can also be found - staff of the office often collected such material for internal research, or to provide historical or biographical context for a current topic. The collection is divided into four series. This organization, including the file headings themselves, is generally consistent with the original arrangement of files kept by staff in the Office of the President. Series I, General Files, contains a wide variety of correspondence, publications, reports, minutes and other administrative material. The series is arranged alphabetically by topic. File headings include personal names, administrative units, and topical terms. Headings are sometimes very general ("Athletics") while others are quite precise ("Urban renewal, 'Analysis of Feasibility of Rehabilitation of Residential Structures,' report"). Series II contains budgets and letters of appointment, also arranged alphabetically; headings generally correspond to the name of individual administrative units such as departments, divisions, and schools. Related correspondence, notes and drafts are also filed with appointments and budgets. Series III includes invitations sent to Kimpton throughout his tenure. These are arranged chronologically. Series IV is a small audiovisual series containing a box of slides relating to Hyde Park-Kenwood urban renewal projects throughout the late 1950s. See the Series I, General Files under "Urban Renewal, index of slides," as a guide to this material. Most researchers will find it necessary to browse or keyword-search the inventory in order to identify files relevant to a specific subject. For example, a study of urban renewal projects in the campus area might involve consultation of Series I files such as "Urban renewal, housing," "Police, campus security," "Buildings, campus, south campus redevelopment project, 1958-1960," and so on. Correspondence of key administrators is also distributed across the collection, some of it located under the name of the individual and some under the name of a department, school, or other institutional unit. To search for the correspondence of important administrators, the researcher will need to be aware of which administrative responsibilities each held and locate headings in the inventory related to those roles. Related Resources 5 The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections: Kimpton, Lawrence A. Papers. South East Chicago Commission. Records University of Chicago. Board of Trustees. Minutes University of Chicago. Office of the President. Harper, Judson and Burton Administrations. Records University of Chicago. Office of the President. Mason Administration. Records University of Chicago. Office of the President. Hutchins Administration. Records University of Chicago. Office of the President. Beadle Administration. Records University of Chicago. Office of the President. Levi Administration. Records University of Chicago. Office of the President. Wilson Administration. Records University of Chicago. Office of the President. Gray Administration. Records University of Chicago. Office of the President. Sonnenschein Administration. Records Subject Headings • Kimpton, Lawrence Alpheus, 1910- • University of Chicago -- Administration • University of Chicago -- History • University of Chicago -- Presidents • University of Chicago. Office of the President INVENTORY Series I: General Files Box 1 Folder 1-4 Academic Freedom, 1945-1960 Box 1 Folder 5 Academic Freedom, Advisory Committee, 1953 Box 1 Folder 6-7 Academic Freedom, articles and clippings, 1950-1954 Box 1 Folder 8-9 6 Academic Freedom, Daniel J. Boorstin, 1952-1953 Box 2 Folder 1 Academic Freedom, Ernest W. Burgess, 1953 Box 2 Folder 2 Academic Freedom, Norman Bursler, 1953 Box 2 Folder 3 Academic Freedom, John P. Caldwell, 1953 Box 2 Folder 4 Academic Freedom, John P. Caldwell, articles, clippings, statements, 1950-1952 Box 2 Folder 5 Academic Freedom, Anton J. Carlson, 1953 Box 2 Folder 6 Academic Freedom, Committee on, 1949-1953 Box 2 Folder 7 Academic Freedom, Robert I. Crane, 1949-1953 Box 2 Folder 8 Academic Freedom, Cox Investigation of Foundations, 1952 Box 2 Folder 9 Academic Freedom, Kermit Eby, 1953-1954 Box 2 Folder 10 Academic Freedom, Isadore S. Friedman, 1953 Box 2 Folder 11 Academic