Vice President for Student Affairs records, 1923-2019

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Restrictions:
Access restricted. Collection includes materials from the Duke University Board of Trustees. Records of the University's Board of Trustees which have been in existence for at least fifty years are...
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Summary

Creator:
Duke University. Student Affairs and Duke University. University Archives
Abstract:
The Vice President of Student Affairs oversees the Division of Student Affairs and is involved in all aspects of student life at Duke University. The first Dean of Student Affairs was Herbert Herring, who held the position in the 1950s. William J. Griffith was Dean of Student Affairs, later to be known as Vice President of Student Affairs, from 1963-1991. The Vice President for Student Affairs records include correspondence, reports, memorandums, and other materials related to the operations of the Division of Student Affairs and cover such topics as student organizations, student housing, student government, student activities, administrative planning around student facilities and resources, and many other subjects.
Extent:
103 Linear Feet
15.7 Gigabytes
Language:
Materials in English
Collection ID:
UA.09.02.0002
University Archives Record Group:
09 -- Student Affairs
09 -- Student Affairs > 02 -- Vice President of Student Affairs

Background

Scope and content:

The collection includes a wide variety of materials related to the operations of the Student Affairs office. Much of the collection is correspondence, with many reports, printed materials, and memoranda, as well as other materials.

Topics include student organizations and activities, including student government, fraternities, student living groups, interest groups, and publications; administrative activities and policies focused on student life and well-being, including student housing, student health and insurance, resources for supporting student life, and facilities for students; administrative and campus activities including arts and cultural activities such as the Duke Players, Chapel activities and services, and the Publications Board; and events of significance to the Duke community, including materials related to the Allen Building Takeover, protests and demonstrations, and many other topics.

An addition (Accession UA2018-0084) contains correspondence and subject files from Larry Moneta, VP of Student Affairs. An addition (Accession UA2020-0050) consists of email correspondence transferred from Moneta's email account. Email originals are in Outlook PST format, with a copy migrated to MBOX. Accession UA2022-0030 contains materials related to Duke Student Health.

Some materials were removed April 2007 and now make up the Office of Student Affairs Reference Collection.

Biographical / historical:

The Division of Student Affairs is led by the Vice President of Student Affairs. The office is involved in all aspects of student life at Duke University, providing programs and services "that support the optimal growth of Duke students, enhance their intellectual, social, cultural and physical development, and complement Duke's academic excellence by providing opportunities for students to experience education and explore interests beyond the classroom."

The first Dean of Student Affairs was Herbert Herring, who held the position in the 1950s. William Griffith became Dean of Student Affairs in 1963, later to be called the Vice President of Student Affairs, and served for almost thirty years before retiring in 1991. Under Griffith, the office developed the Student Union and Counseling and Psychological Services, and was deeply involved in shaping the Duke Publications Board, the Duke Players, the Duke Artists Series, the Associated Students of Duke University and its successor the Duke Student Government, and many student and student-focused organizations. Griffith was Dean of Student Affairs during the Duke Vigil in 1968 and the Allen Building Takeover in 1969, and was involved in the administration's response and follow-up to the latter. After retiring in 1991, the William J. Griffith University Service Award was named in his honor, and the Griffith Board Room in the Bryan Center was named for William and Carol Griffith.

Maureen Cullins was the Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Larry Moneta was the Vice President for Student Affairs from 2001 to 2019. Mary Pat McMahon became Vice President of Student Affairs in 2019.

Acquisition information:
The Vice President for Student Affairs records were transferred between 1972 and 2025.
Processing information:

Processed by: University Archives Staff

Finding aid derived from MARC record, November 2014

Accessions A74-78, A80-201, A81-113, A82-113, A84-98, A80-35, A86-76, A91-69, A82-31, A93-35, A93-37, A93-41, A93-49, A95-112, and A96-25 were rehoused and processed by Tracy M. Jackson, January, March, April, June, August 2018.

Accession UA2018-0084 added October 2019.

Accession UA2020-0050 added June 2021.

Accession UA2022-0030 added by April Blevins, September 2022.

Accession UA2025-0032 added and finding aid updated by April Blevins, September 2025.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Access restricted. Collection includes materials from the Duke University Board of Trustees. Records of the University's Board of Trustees which have been in existence for at least fifty years are available for scholarly research with the permission of the University Archivist. Access to records which have been in existence for less than fifty years shall be granted only by special permission, in writing, from the Board of Trustees. Contact Research Services for more information.

Access restricted. Some materials in this collection are university development records. Materials related to individual fundraising prospects are restricted for 70 years. Contact Research Services for more information.

Access restricted. Collection contains Duke University administrative materials. For a period of twenty-five years from the origin of the material, permission in writing from the office of origin and the University Archivist is required for use of administrative records. After twenty-five years, records that have been processed may be consulted with the permission of the University Archivist. Contact Research Services for more information.

Access restricted. Some materials in this collection are personnel records. Records pertaining to employment where individuals are identified are closed for 70 years.

Access restricted. Some materials in this collection include student records. In accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended, Duke University permits students to inspect their education records and limits the disclosure of personally identifiable information from education records. Contact Research Services for more information.

Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Access note. Some materials in this collection are original audiovisual items that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Terms of access:

Copyright for official university records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Vice President for Student Affairs records, Duke University Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1j42c