Subseries 1.1. Subject files, 1969-1985

Extent:

175 ln. ft. (about 150,000 items

Scope and content:

The Subject files document Sanford's role as President of Duke, and also his continued interest in many fields including education, politics, and the arts.

The records of the Sanford administration record the policies and actions of the University in academic planning, athletics, campus planning and the physical growth of the university, development and alumni affairs, student life, and the University's interaction with Durham and North Carolina during the 1970s and 1980s. Among the more notable academic planning matters documented are the early years of both the Fuqua School of Business and the Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs, now the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy. Also included is correspondence from alumni, faculty, and students against the administration's proposal in 1975 to phase out the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Correspondents in the area of academic planning include Joel Fleishman, Director of the Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs; Thomas Keller, Dean of the Fuqua School of Business; and John C. McKinney, Dean of the Graduate School, and other officers.

Folders pertaining to the "Retrenchment" measures taken in 1980-1981 that eliminated the undergraduate Department of Education and the baccalaureate program in Nursing are also part of this series. These steps were recommended to the Board of Trustees in September 1980 by then-Chancellor A. Kenneth Pye in his memorandum, "Directions for Progress." The bulk of the material consists of letters and memoranda from Sanford to faculty and alumni of the departments announcing the actions and correspondence from alumni, educators, and school administrators expressing their support of or opposition to the plan.

Continuing the fundraising efforts that began with the Fifth Decade Campaign, 1964-1970, "Institutional Advancement" files focus primarily on the Epoch Campaign, a three-year campaign that attempted to raise $162 million from 1973-1976. The material concerns the progress of the Epoch Campaign and other fundraising efforts, such as the Loyalty Fund, 1979-1980.

Sanford's commitment to the arts can be seen in the files on the "American Musical Theater Center, 1977-1980" and the "American Dance Festival, 1977-1985." The recruitment and arrival of the Festival at Duke in 1977 began a long relationship that has continued for over 20 year.

The records also document student life, but to a lesser extent than other topics. Issues related to student activism of the early 1970s are found within "Student Unrest" files. These records include clippings and a scrapbook documenting the student takeover the Allen Building in February 1969, before Sanford's presidency. Material from May 1970 largely concerns student actions on campus in response to the Kent State shootings. Letters of approval or disapproval from alumni and student parents on these and other topics are included as well. The records also document another aspect of student life that Sanford faced: the use of illegal drugs. In 1971 Sanford rejected a proposal from the Associated Students of Duke University calling for a relaxed stance by the administration on the use of drugs, particularly marijuana.

Student conduct at athletic events is also documented. On January 17, 1984 "Uncle Terry" Sanford sent "An Avuncular Letter" to students chiding them for their inappropriate behavior during a home basketball game with the University of Maryland. The file contains the original letter, many newspaper articles detailing the behavior, letters to Sanford from concerned parents and alumni, and Sanford's response to each.

The major change in residential life during Sanford's tenure was the 1972 merger of the Woman's College with Trinity College for Men to create the present Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. While the school had long been co-educational, the merger completed the switch to co-residency. Included are correspondence from alumni, administrators, and other institutions regarding the pros and cons of the merger. There is also some correspondence regarding the future of the Woman's College administrators.

Sanford's interest in all levels of education is found throughout the files as well. During the 1960s and 1970s he served on the Board of Directors of the "Learning Institute of North Carolina" (LINC), a non-profit agency dedicated to improving education through experimentation and research. The LINC records, dating from 1965-1979, consist of correspondence, minutes, reports, and reference material.

The records also illustrate how national and international issues played out on campus. Among these are investment policies in South Africa, in which students, faculty, and the administration began questioning Duke's support of U.S. businesses with investments in South Africa. Regarding the Panama Canal Treaty (1977-1978), Sanford attempted to put together a panel debate with Jesse Helms, Henry Kissinger, and others participating. Correspondence is included with these two, President Jimmy Carter, and others.

Among the other major issues of the Sanford administration were the "Nixon Library Controversy, 1981-1982," (3.5 boxes). These files concern the debate over whether Duke should house Richard Nixon's presidential library. Sanford argued in favor of the library as a valuable archival repository. Letters of support and disapproval from faculty, alumni, and other sources in and out of the University community are included. Correspondence dates from as early as 1971.

In 1981 Duke co-sponsored and Sanford a this public series of speeches and debates by a bipartisan group of political leaders concerned with reforming the process of nominating presidential candidates ("Duke University Forum on Presidential Nominations"). Co-sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center, the first event was held on 11 May 1981 in Washington, D.C. Speakers and panelists included Robert Dole, Gerald Ford, Vernon E. Jordan, and Robert Strauss.

"Soviet-American Track Meet" files consist of correspondence, minutes of meetings, committee lists, schedules, and planning for the twelfth annual event held the first week in July 1974. Sanford's continued interests in politics are documented in files on the "Democratic Party, 1970-1982." Correspondents include Senators John Glenn and Ted Kennedy. Sanford assisted in founding the "Education Commission of the States" in 1965/66. Headquartered in Denver, Col., the Commission provides research and advice to assist states and school systems in long-range planning and decision-making.

As Governor, Sanford was instrumental in the founding and early years of the "North Carolina School of the Arts" in Winston-Salem, N.C. Included is correspondence related to the "Sanford Scholarships," a program begun in 1975 awarding four full-tuition scholarships named in his honor. Sanford also served on the Advisory Board of the State Zoo Authority in the early 1970s during the planning of the "North Carolina Zoological Park" (Asheboro). The files include correspondence regarding proposed site locations.

Among Sanford's correspondents were Walter Cronkite, Doris Duke, James E. Holshouser, Hubert H. Humphrey, James B. Hunt, James G. Martin III, George McGovern, Richard Nixon, and Robert W. Scott

Arrangement:

Arrangement: alphabetical

Contents

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