S. Frederick Starr Presidential Papers

Expansive in terms of range, and volume (81.9 l.f.), the presidential papers of S. Frederick Starr mirror the work of a proactive leader who sought to make Oberlin College one of the nation’s most distinctive liberal arts institutions. Within these official records, the researcher will find delineated the decision and policy making actions of the Starr administration with fine detail on building projects, campus unrest, financial planning and development, personnel issues, and his promotion of college departments and programs. Consisting of eighteen record series, these official records are arranged as follows:  Annual Reports, Appointment Calendars and Telephone Message Logs, Awards and Honors, Budget and Fiscal Files, Commencement and Honors Day Files, Committee Files, Correspondence, Miscellaneous Files relating to Grievances and Separations, Miscellaneous Correspondence with External Organizations, Miscellaneous Files relating to Divisions, Departments, and Administrative Units, Name Files, Personnel Files, Publicity Files, Special Initiatives and Project Files, Speeches and Writing Files, Subject Files, and Non-textual records. These files represent a mix of the original, information copy, and personally annotated documentation created and received by President Starr during his eleven year presidency (1983-94).

Documentation regarding the primary goals of Starr’s presidency varies in its depth and consistency. While providing a fair accounting of the Starr presidency, some serious problems exist in this record group; namely, these files were poorly administered prior to their accession by the Oberlin College Archives. During the active phase of these records, the president’s staff apparently operated without a systematic files administration plan and support staff did not receive administrative direction. Thus, general files consisting of individual folders or expanding file folders were arranged largely by alphabetical (name and subject) order. However, files created out of the same activity and/or relating to the same topic may have been assigned different folder headings and filed in more than one place. Hence, in conducting research into the records of the Starr administration, one will need to read through an assortment of alpha files, chronological files, and subject files.

In the process of arranging and describing this group, every effort was made to increase access to the records by bringing together files which held common record characteristics. For example, researchers will find that all of the records regarding Starr’s committee work are organized under Series 6, Committee files, rather than being scattered alphabetically across the group in individual folders. Notwithstanding, researchers must be prepared to utilize a variety of research strategies, recognizing that corresponding material can be found in the several different series of this record group.

Gaps also exist in the record. Documentation for the last year of Starr’s presidency is very thin. The chronological correspondence in Series 7 does date through June of 1994; but, the other administrative records in this group vary in their coverage. Aside from a lack of systematic and consistent record keeping (as mentioned above), the reasons for this uneven coverage is not clear.

Additionally, while the majority of these records document the years of Starr’s presidency (1983-94), these official papers do contain files inherited from previous presidential administrations. On occasion, researchers will encounter material dating from the administration of William Edwards Stevenson (1946-59), although most early records originate from the presidency of Emil C. Danenberg (1973-81) and acting president James L. Powell (1981-83). Included with this record group are also an assortment of President Starr’s writings and speeches (1958-94) (Series 16), which cover such topics as architecture, higher education in the United States, jazz music, and Soviet and Eastern European affairs.

Evidence of Starr’s administrative style and vision for Oberlin College can be found in Series 1, Annual Reports. These records document a president who was continually seeking to identify ways to improve upon and market the College’s strengths through the accomplishments and efforts of individual offices and departments. The President’s Annual Reports tended to be thematic in character, in which Starr focused upon and promoted different aspects of Oberlin’s educational mission. Issues which were given constant emphasis during his administration (the Conservatory of Music, international studies, and science education) provided the subject matter for a number of Starr’s annual reports. Subseries 2, Annual Reports Received by the President, document the work of the individual divisions, departments, and offices of the College, while also displaying Starr’s proactive leadership style. His written responses and suggestions accompanying these reports, give an account of how Starr perceived the contributions of individual offices to the overall success of Oberlin College.

Starr’s activities, on and off of the college campus, are documented in Series 2, Appointment Calendars and Telephone Message Logs. Details regarding Starr’s meetings with Oberlin College faculty, staff, and students, as well as his time out of the office to participate in events external to the College, are noted in his appointment calendars. For more information concerning those external organizations and projects which often drew the President away from the Oberlin campus, users should refer to Series 10, Miscellaneous Correspondence with External Organizations, and Series 15, Special Initiatives and Project Files.

Series 4, Budget and Fiscal Files, provide details regarding the specific expenditures of the President’s office, as well as on campus-wide fiscal policy. For more documentation regarding the college’s financial activity during Starr’s administration, readers will want to consult the records of the Advisory Committee on Social and Political Concerns (1982-86), the Budget and Finance Committee (1983-90), the Investment Committee (1982-92), and the Shareholder Responsibility Committee (1982-92), which are all found in Series 6, as well as records in Series 11, Subseries 1, relating to the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Treasurer. The records of the Board of Trustees (RG 1), the Office of the Provost (RG 4), the Vice President of Business and Finance (RG 6), and the Office of the Treasurer (RG 7) should also provide further information on college budgetary matters.

Series 6, Committee Files, displays a president who had a genuine interest and concern regarding the outcome of college committee work. Starr’s involvement in campus construction and beautification, curriculum development, divestment of funds in South Africa, and student retention, are some of the major campus-wide issues are documented here. Users should note, however, that material is scant regarding Starr’s involvement with Conservatory of Music committees.

Series 7, Correspondence, represents the most significant set of files covering the Starr presidency. Divided into alphabetical files, chronological files, general correspondence, and recommendation letters written, the proactive character of Starr’s presidency is duly exhibited here. Letters directed to college trustees, faculty, parents, staff, students, and other individuals, cover a broad range of subjects. For example, filed among the routine correspondence of thank you letters and R.S.V.P.’s, users will find letters to college trustees and senior staff regarding college hiring practices, development campaigns, divestment, legal matters, negotiations with the UAW, and the student protests of April 13, 1990. Included also are copies of Starr’s handwritten notes to faculty, friends, staff members, and trustees, in which he remarks, in a more personal manner, on the issues and decisions being made at the college.

The correspondence in Subseries 1, Alphabetical Files, is arranged by corespondents’ names, and letter subject. The general correspondence of Subseries 3 consists of letters, which at the time of transfer to the archives, were unfiled, or, were interspersed throughout the record group. Of note are Starr’s letters for the record, in which he discusses his impressions of Oberlin (1985) and sums up the successes and failures of his presidency (1994). This series also contains those letters Starr received in response to the announcement of his resignation from Oberlin College (1993) and upon his acceptance of the Presidency of the Aspen Institute in Washington D.C. (1994). Filed alphabetically, correspondence with alumni and students exists for the letters A and B. It is assumed that the remaining letters to students and alumni were interfiled in the remaining correspondence series.

Users should be prepared to search for select pieces of correspondence by examining all of the correspondence subseries, as well as searching in the other series of this record group. Correspondence will be found interfiled in Series 10, Miscellaneous Correspondence with External Organizations, Series 11, Miscellaneous Files relating to Divisions, Departments, and Administrative Units, Series 12, Name Files, and Series 13, Subseries 1, Former Faculty and Administrative and Professional Staff Files.

While relatively small (1.0 l.f.) in comparison to the other series in this record group, Series 8, Miscellaneous Files relating to Campus Demonstrations, provides a valuable gauge in measuring the health and stability of the Starr presidency. Here the researcher will find President Starr’s collected files relating to several incidents of campus unrest at Oberlin College. Of special interest are Starr’s notes concerning the College’s response to the student demonstrations of April 13, 1990, an incident which may have marked the beginning of the end of the Starr administration. Included with these files are records regarding the work of the 3-3-3 Committee, in which is addressed the Oberlin College Policy on Student Demonstrations (1990). Likewise, the college’s handling of alleged age and racial discrimination charges as filed by Clark Drummond (1994) and Dwight Hollins (1992-94) can be found in Series 9, Miscellaneous Legal Files relating to Grievances and Separations. For further information regarding the College’s involvement in legal matters, users should refer to the records of the By-Laws and Legal Matters Committee found in Series 6, Subseries 1. Material on the College’s process to update its 1982 policy on sexual harassment (1991-94) can be found in Series 6; and, information detailing the college’s handling of the Solomon Amendment (1983-84) is located in Series 11, Subseries 3. Files regarding the dismissal of college Chaplain, Willis Ludlow (1984) are located in Series 13, Subseries 1.

Starr’s national, regional, and local efforts to shape, improve, and enhance higher education in America are documented in Series 10, Miscellaneous Correspondence with External Organizations. Through his involvement on the American Council of Education, the Independent College’s Office, and the Great Lakes College Association, Starr addressed such issues as the costs of a college education, increasing international exchange programs and language requirements at colleges and universities, and the impact of politics and government on higher education.

Series 13, Miscellaneous Files relating to Divisions Departments and Administrative Units, is rich in documenting the administrative relationships under Starr’s management, and the records themselves detail Starr’s role in administrative oversight and in the implementation of institutional policies. Subseries 1, Files relating to Offices reporting to the President, provide detail on Starr’s communications and directives to his Senior Staff as well as to the Affirmative Action Officer, the Chaplains Office, and the Office of Gender Equity. The creation of a coordinator for minority admissions (1985), personnel reductions for the College of Arts and Sciences (1991), support for the Chaplain’s Office (1992-94), advice given to the Conservatory of Music regarding admissions goals (1988) and recruitment (1985), and the creation of the Dean of Student Support Services (1984) are detailed here. Likewise, users will find documentation regarding Admissions Office recruitment tactics, staffing issues, and long range strategies for financial aid in this subseries. Material documenting Starr’s promotion of the educational interests of the Conservatory of Music, and documentation regarding the Treasurer’s office are thin. For more detailed documentation on the Conservatory, users should consult the records of the Conservatory of Music (RG 10). Information regarding the Treasurer’s Office will be found in Series 6, with the files of those committees which oversaw the monetary policies of the College, and throughout the President’s correspondence in Series 7.

Evidence of Starr’s support for the College’s science curriculum is documented in files regarding the British Petroleum science program, and the neuroscience and biopsychology program in Series 13, Subseries 2. Likewise, Series 17, Subject Files, contains information on the Oberlin College Science Conferences. Material regarding the improvement of the college science facilities can be found with the records of the Natural Sciences Division Committee in Series 6, Subseries 2. These records include the Earl R. Flansburgh and Associates, Inc. consultant’s report on Natural Sciences Comprehensive Facilities Plan (1990). The Report was based on work done by the College’s Science Space Planning Committee, chaired by Richard Schoonmaker. (See Chemistry Department Records.) Starr’s interest in increased recruitment of student athletes by the department of physical education, his efforts to establish a chair in Arabic and Islamic Studies (1990), and his creation of the Business Initiatives Program (1985), are also documented here. Information regarding the closure of the Communication Studies Department (1986) is also detailed in this subseries.

Series 13, Subseries 3, Files Relating to Administrative Offices and Units, provides in-depth information regarding Starr’s pro-active efforts on the development and fund raising front which led him to create the ACTION campaign (1983-85), and the Capital Campaign (1986-91). For additional material regarding the ACTION campaign, users should consult the records of the Alumni Association (RG 20). Materials regarding the college’s handling of the Solomon Amendment controversy are also found in this subseries. Files regarding campus building projects include material on the renovations to Carnegie Library, the addition to the Conservatory library, and the construction of Heisman Field House and Stevenson Dining Hall (North Campus Dining Facility). Other records regarding campus construction and beautification efforts can be found in Series 6, in the files of the Buildings and Grounds Committee (1983-90), and the Cox Renovation Committee (1984-85). Records from the Architectural Review Committee (1986-94), a body established by Starr, also document campus construction and beautification efforts. Information concerning the Bandstand Competition (1986-89) can be found in Series 15, Special Initiatives and Project Files.

Series 17, Subject Files treat Starr’s every connection and interest on matters such as class availability (1993), domestic partnership (1992-93), grading practices (1986), science conferences (1985-88), and sexual harassment (1992-93). Starr’s collected material regarding the Justice Department’s investigation into the College’s possible involvement in tuition price fixing (1989-92) is filed here. Finally, files exist on the Oberlin College Sesquicentennial Celebration (1983), an event that was well underway before Starr assumed the presidency.

Series 15, Special Initiatives and Project Files, details Starr’s activities which were external to the daily administration of the College, but were nonetheless for the benefit of Oberlin. Records regarding the American Soviet Youth Orchestra (1986-94), the Bandstand Competition (1986-89), the Jazz Masterworks Editions (1986-94), the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble (1982-1990), and the Three Year B.A. degree (1990-93) (which includes Starr’s 1993 document of the same name) are highlighted in this series. Further information regarding the American Soviet Youth Orchestra can be found in the records of the Conservatory of Music (RG 10) and the Office of Communications (RG 18).

The remainder of this record group is made up by Awards and Honors, and Commencement and Honors Assembly Files. Series 18, Non-textual records, is made up primarily of recordings of the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, and the American Soviet Youth Orchestra. This series also contains select photographs, video, and audio recordings of Starr’s speeches and appearances during his presidency. Computer disks containing copies of Starr’s correspondence are filed with Series 7. For photographs, sound recordings and other non-textual records documenting the Starr presidency, users should consult the records of the Office of Communications (RG 18), Photographs (RG 32), Audio Recordings (RG 37) and Moving Images (RG 57).