University Archives: Content Notes

The University Archives primarily includes printed matter but also other media such as artifacts, magnetics and photography. Regardless of format, most materials are arranged in the following manner:

Record Group 1: Early Records
This record group contains partial records of St. Vincent's College from 1865 to 1911 and Marymount School and College from 1923 to 1973. Originally founded by the Congregation of the Ministers (or Vincentian Fathers) at the Lugo House in the historic downtown Plaza, only partial records remain of St. Vincent's College. However the bulk of college catalogs and issue runs of the student literary magazine The Student provide a resource for studies of higher education during the Gilded Age in Los Angeles. The records of Marymount principally begin with construction of the Westwood campus in 1932.

Record Group 2: Governance
Records found in this group, such as articles of incorporation, bylaws and charters, clarify the legal establishment of the University through a Board of Trustees. In addition, mission statements and Boards of Trustees and Regents minutes document University policy decision-making. This record group also contains transcripts of commencement speeches by notable honorary degree conferees ranging from comedian Bob Newhart to former Chinese First Lady Madame Chiang-Kai Shek.

Record Group 3: Administration
1911, the year the Jesuit fathers assumed control of the college, is the official founding date of the University. The archives contain correspondence, reports and various other printed matter and media from the administrations of all University presidents and their staffs beginning with Rev. Richard A. Gleeson (1911-14).

Some of the early records include those of President Sullivan (1926-1930) which document the construction of the modern campus in 1929 and President Whelan's (1942-1949) whose correspondence documents the establishment of an US Army Specialized Training Unit on the Loyola campus. Following World War II, increased enrollment and a corresponding explosion of the amount of records generated by the University caused a dramatic increase in the size of presidential materials. Extensive subject and correspondence files relevant to contemporary higher education are found beginning with the administration of President Charles S. Casassa, S.J. (1949-1969). Annual symposia (1987-1993), the Casassa Conferences, created numerous unpublished monographs and papers which discuss interdisciplinary social justice and cultural thought and are included in this group.

Administration publications include campus catalogs beginning with Los Angeles College's First Annual Catalog in 1911. The records of over one hundred university committees are also found in this record group. Included also are the records of the University Provost (the Marymount College President) during the Loyola-Marymount affiliation years of 1968 through 1973.

Record Group 4: Academic Affairs
This division is one of the oldest of the University community. Originally founded as the College Secretary in 1911, the office has also been variously titled as the Prefect, Moderator, Dean, Vice-President of Studies and Dean of Discipline. In 1952, the current title of Academic Vice-President was established as the highest University officer charged with overseeing all academic divisions. Today this record group includes divisional publications such as Attic Salt, a faculty literary magazine and newsletters such as News Notes and Loyola Life. Also included in this record group are correspondence and report files from the offices of the Academic Vice-President, Registrar, University Librarian, Director of Admissions and Director of Academic Grants and others. There is a substantial artificial collection of unpublished narratives, journal articles and news clipping pertaining to local (Westchester-del Rey) history and in the records of the Library.

Record Group 5: Campus Ministry
This group contains materials from a long-standing University division. Originally titled University Chaplain and begun in 1911, this division became known as Campus Ministry in 1973 with a stipulation that the Director would be a Jesuit. By 1986 this requirement was waived when Sr. Mary Margaret Dolan R.S.H.M. became the Director. The records primarily include announcements, correspondence and liturgical materials supporting the religious life of all faiths on campus.

Record Group 6: Business and Finance
Following the move to the present Westchester campus site in 1929, the Office of the Treasurer was established as an autonomous department. Also known as the Business Manager, this group includes records of the Comptroller, Bursar, Information Services, Purchasing and Human Resources among other business records and ledgers.

Record Group 7: Student Affairs
This record group contains the records of the Student Affairs division and dates from 1923 as the Office of the Dean of Men. This has evolved to the present day Vice-President of Student Affairs. The group also contains the records of the Athletic Department including game programs, statistical records and team rosters. Other records include those of the Directors of Counseling, Health Services (University Physician), Housing and Career Development. In addition there are files of the Directors of Chicano Latino Services, Black Student Services and Asian Pacific Services.

This group also contains records for Associated Students of Loyola Marymount University and numerous other social, fraternal, and student service organizations.

Divisional publications include: ASMLU News, Asylum, Borderline, El Playano, Harlequin Review, Interlude, LA Voz, The Loyolan, The Hill and VIDA. This group also contains yearbooks beginning in 1921 under the following titles: Annual, Loyola, El Padre, El Camino (Loyola High School), The Global Villager, Lair, Loyola Senior, Loyola University, Marymount College, Loyola Marymount, Lion's Pride, and Tower. Other records may be found for the student radio station KXLU, Activities Programming and Work Study.

Record Group 8: Loyola Law School
Originally established in 1920 as St. Vincent's School of Law, this record group includes the publications: Loyola Digest, Loyola Brief, Loyola Law School News and the Loyola Lawyer. Correspondence and report files for the Offices of the Dean, Regent, Registrar and the Law School Advisory Board (Visitors) are also included.

Record Group 9: University Relations
Although this division was not formerly established until 1964, records of fund-raising activity date to 1911, the founding of the University. Today these files include that of the Vice-President of University Relations and the Directors of Development, Public Relations and Alumni Relations.

A newspaper clippings collection of approximately 50 linear feet dates from 1919. There are also approximately 10 linear feet of press releases issued by Public Relations since 1928. Many campus publications have been created by this department and issue runs include magazines Loyola and VISTAS; newspapers Lion & Gryphon; Spirit and the newsletters This Week, This Month, LMU News, Grapevine, Loyola Letter, Community News and Development Report and Honor Roll.

Development Department records contain donor files beginning with a small box of index cards that records the names of approximately 500 donors to the first major capital campaign, the Building Fund in 1928. We request that researchers contact staff regarding access and restrictions for the donor files.

Alumni Relations records include the magazine Alumnus, alumni directories, Alumni Association files and numerous artifacts from reunions and other activities. These alumni activity files include those of graduates of the original St. Vincent's College.

Record Group 10: Facilities Management
Since construction of the present day Westchester campus in 1929, the University has maintained construction and operations records of the physical plant. In 1956 the division was formally recognized as Buildings and Grounds and became Facilities Management in 1988. Today this group includes correspondence, contracts and reports of the Vice-President, the Director of Public Safety and the Director of Facilities Planning and Operations among other officials.

Record Group 11: Internal Audit
There are no records from this division available for research at this time. Please contact Internal Audit for further information.

Record Group 12: St. Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
Originally established in 1917 as the College of Arts and Sciences, this record group contains college publications and correspondence files of the Dean, departmental Chairs, faculty files and representative samples of student papers. In 1935 engineering curricula was removed from the college and a separate College of Engineering was established (see Record Group 15: College of Science and Engineering). In 1972, the colleges were rearranged once again when sciences coursework was transferred and the college was renamed Liberal Arts. Today the departments and programs include Afro-American Studies, Alcohol/Drug Studies, Asian and Pacific Studies, Chicano Studies, Classical Civilizations, Classics, Economics, English, European Studies, Geography, History, Humanities, Latin American Studies, Liberal Studies, Los Angeles Studies, Modern Languages, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Speech Communications, Theological Studies, Urban Studies and Women's Studies.

Record Group 13: Department of Aerospace Studies
Although students participated in extra-curricular "cadet" training as early as 1895, it wasn't until 1948 that a formal division of an Air Force ROTC unit was established. At first recognized as Air Science, the coursework of Professional Officer training was redesignated as Aerospace Studies in 1966. Records of this group include publications such as brochures and yearbooks, correspondence and report files of the Commandant, academic files of faculty and records of student activities.

Record Group 14: College of Business Administration
Founded in 1926 as the School of Commerce and Finance, the name of this group was changed to the College of Business Administration in 1936. The records include college publications, correspondence and report files for the Office of the Dean, faculty files and records of student activities. Department and special program records include those of Accounting, the Center for International Business Studies, the Conrad N. Hilton Chair of Business Ethics, Finance and Computer Information Systems, the Industrial Relations Center, Management, and Marketing and Business Law.

Record Group 15: College of Science and Engineering Separated from the College of Arts and Sciences, engineering studies became the College of Engineering in 1935. With the creation of a College of Liberal Arts in 1972, natural sciences curricula were assigned to this college to create the present day College of Science and Engineering. The records of this group include college publications, correspondence and report files for the Office of the Dean, chair and faculty files and student papers. The major departments include Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering Physics, Individualized Studies, Mathematics, Natural Science and Physics.

Record Group 16: Office of Continuing Education, Summer Session and Special Programs
This department dates to 1935 when the College of Commerce began offering evening classes in the newly developing field of Sociology. For a number of years the Evening Division and Summer Session were two separate departments offering various non-traditional studies. Problems arising from duplication of services between these two offices together with curricular conflicts with the Graduate Division and the School of Education, eventually were resolved with the formal creation of the Office for Continuing Education, Summer Session and Special Programs in 1974. The records for this group include publications such as brochures, catalogs and newsletters, files from the original Director of the Evening Division, and records from the Associate Vice-President. Just a few of the wide range of program's records include the Summer Institute in Pastoral Psychology for Diocesan and Religious Priests, Year in Japan Program and the Humanities Institute.

Record Group 17: Graduate Division
In 1950 the University began a graduate program with an initial program offering of a Master of Art in English and a Master in Teaching Social Studies. Today the division offers advanced degrees and certificates in Alcohol and Drug Studies, Biology, Business Administration, Clinical Art Therapy, Computer Science, Counseling Psychology, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Mathematics, Movement Therapy, Public Administration, Religious Education, and Sociology. The records of this group include publications such as catalogs and newsletters and correspondence files of the Dean. In addition records of the Martin Gang Institute for Intergroup Relations and the Center for Pastoral Studies will be found in this record group.

Record Group 18: School of Education
In 1948, the College of Arts and Sciences began a program of teacher training. Autonomous from the Graduate Division, this post graduate department initially offered state credential programs in Elementary and Secondary Education and over the next few years developed an advanced Masters of Education degree. Following the merger with Marymount College, the department began to offer a wide range of post graduate education programs such as Educational Administration, Bilingual Teaching, Religious Education and School Psychology. In addition, the Marymount College merger brought a short-lived Religious teaching program at the campus of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange (County) during the early 1970's. In 1993, the department was formally recognized as the School of Education completely autonomous from the other colleges. The records of this group include publications such as The Clipboard and LMU School of Education, materials from numerous education conferences, the records of the Director and faculty and numerous programs materials.

Record Group 19: Religious Communities
Since the merger of Loyola University and Marymount College in 1973, the religious have been gradually released from direct responsibility for the administration of the institution. Yet the Society of Jesus and the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary maintain residential quarters on campus and continue an influence of campus life. Substantial records for these orders are to be found in their respective provincial archives however incidental records for the local communities may be found here. Those records primary include publicity materials, memorabilia and death notices.

Record Group 20: College of Communication and Fine Arts
Before the merger with Marymount College, Loyola University had a tradition of extracurricular and non-academic music and drama activity since the days of it's predecessor, St. Vincent's College. But at Marymount College, the fine arts programs were the core of their instructional mission. Following the merger, the creation of a College of Communication and Fine Arts in 1973 was a natural symbiosis of the two institutions.

Records include paper materials such as correspondence, posters and flyers; and audio tape and moving image media. The departments and programs include Art and Art History, Communication Arts, Dance, Music, Speech and Theater. In addition, records of major university sponsored events are found in the files of the Offices of Fine Arts Productions and the Laband and Foley Galleries.

Record Group 21: St. Vincent's School of Nursing
For a very brief period in the 1970's, Loyola-Marymount administered a nurses training program at St. Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles. There are few records retained at LMU and researchers are encouraged to contact the St. Vincent's Medical Center Historical Conservancy for a more complete record.

Record Group 22: Marymount Institute for Faith, Culture and the Arts
Following the merger of Loyola and Marymount, personnel from Marymount established this institute to promote the unique activities of the Marymount tradition.

Record Group 23: Center for the Study of Los Angeles
The few records contained in this group chiefly concern the administration of this autonomous interdisplinary program.

Record Group 24: Bioethics Institute

Record Group 25: Center for Asian Business

Record Group 26: Center for Ethics and Business

Record Group 27: Center for Executive Learning

Record Group 28: Center for Ignatian Spirituality

Record Group 29: Charles K. Von der Ahe Center for Teaching Excellence