College of Agriculture, Administration of the College of Agriculture records

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: UA 44

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The College of Agriculture, Administration of the College of Agriculture, Records (1869-2009; 124.95 cubic feet) consists of administrative books, correspondence, financial records, faculty minutes, reports, and other materials relating to the administration of Purdue University’s School of Agriculture.

Dates

Creation: 1869-2009
Other: Date acquired: 03/08/2008

Creator

Purdue University. College of Agriculture (Organization)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Access Information

The collection is open for research.

Copyright and Use Information

Some material in this collectIon are in the public domain, while other material copyrights are held by Purdue University. Consult with Purdue University Archives and Special Collections prior to reproduction of materials.

Historical Information

In accordance with the Morrill Act of 1862, Purdue was founded with a focus on agricultural and industrial education. The inaugural course catalogue, for the 1874-75 year, listed various agricultural classes and offered a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. But agricultural studies at Purdue struggled during the university’s early years. It was 1879 before the first professor in Agriculture was hired. Student enrollment in Agriculture waned over the next twenty years. In fact, the first Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree was not conferred until 1895. The new century, however, brought steady growth to Purdue’s agricultural program. Purdue awarded its first Master of Science in Agriculture in 1908, and PhD of Science in Agriculture in 1928. The School of Agriculture, as well as the Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, enjoyed increased state and federal funding beginning in the 1910s, which solidified Purdue’s place as the center of Indiana agriculture. Enduring a significant decrease in student enrollment during World War II, Purdue Agriculture rebounded in the postwar years and began to offer fresh areas of study in such fields as agricultural meteorology, environmental science, farm and business management, feed, fertilizer, and machinery development, food engineering, landscape agriculture, pest control, and resource conservation.

Note written by John Michael Foster

Extent

124.95 Cubic Feet (65 c.f. boxes, 65 mss. boxes, 7 flat boxes, 1 oversize file, 188 administrative books, 6 CD boxes, 29 card boxes, 4 slide boxes, 1 oversize file (administrative books extent estimated))

Additional Description

Arrangement

Materials in this collection are organized into a single series and are largely arranged chronologically by document type.

Custodial History

Addition 02 consisting of an Annual Yearbook of the Purdue University Block and Bridle Club was originally donated to Fred Whitford from Jane Ann Read. Whitford later donated the item to Purdue University Archives and Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Purdue University records transfer from the College of Agriculture. Addition 02 was donated by Fred Whitford.

Processing Information

All materials are housed in acid-free manuscript boxes. Many materials have been removed from their original folders and placed in acid-free folders. Addition 02 was processed into the resource record in October 2023.

Related Names

Subject

Purdue University. Faculty (Organization)
Purdue University. School of Agriculture (Organization)
Stone, Winthrop Ellsworth, 1862-1921 (Person)
Elliott, Edward C. (Edward Charles), 1874-1960 (Person)
Potter, A. A. (Andrey Abraham), 1882-1979 (Person)
Purdue University. Agricultural Experiment Station (Organization)
Purdue University. Agricultural Extension Service (Organization)

Subjects

Genre / Form

Topical

Agriculture -- United States -- History

Collecting Areas

- University Archives. Purdue University Archives

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title: College of Agriculture, Administration of the College of Agriculture, records
Status: In Progress
Author: John Michael Foster, Adelle Rogers, Sara Pettinger, and William Niner
Date: 2024-02-29
Description rules: Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description: English
Script of description: Latin
Language of description note: English
Edition statement: Seventh edition. Collection description was first completed 2013-06-05.

Revision Statements

2016-11-11: Collection identifier updated from UA 14.01 to UA 44 as of November 11, 2016.
2017-05-30: Added Box 173, Miscellaneous Photographs and Negatives, previously unprocessed. Added “Murphey-Bivins Company” Correspondence to Box 31 Folder 32; previously unprocessed as of May 30, 2017.
2020-05-08: Collection description updated by Adelle Rogers.
2023-10-26: Addition 02 added to the resource record by Sara Pettinger.
2023-12-13: Bureau of Agricultural Economics article "Observed Results of the Experimental Agricultural Conservation Program in Boone County, Indiana" added by William Niner.
2024-02-29: School of Agriculture 1989-1990 Annual Report added to the resource record by William Niner.