Office of the President. Walter Adams Papers
UA.2.1.13

Summary Information

Repository
Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
Creator
Adams, Walter, 1922-1998
Title
Walter Adams papers
ID
UA.2.1.13
Date
1969
Extent
1.5 Cubic feet
Language
English

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: "Item title, Collection title, Collection Identifier, Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan."

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Biographical Note

Walter Adams was chosen to be Michigan State University's 13th president. Prior to his acceptance of the post, Adams was a professor of economics at Michigan State University. Adams was asked to succeed President John A. Hannah, who had resigned his position as President in order to accept that as Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID), in Washington, D.C.

Adams assumed presidency on April 1, 1969 and vacated the office on January 1, 1970. At the outset, Adams made very clear that he did not want to be considered for the permanent presidency, a stand he maintained throughout, as is manifested in his letter to Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Don Stevens, on October 16, 1969 (Box 614, File 22). Adams maintained this position despite the fact that he was very popular with the students, faculty, and the Board of Trustees. When he stepped down from the Presidency, he resumed his former position, a post he held until retiring on December 31, 1992.

During his administration, Adams had to confront issues which were part of the general social and political conditions found throughout the United States, as well as problems specific to Michigan State University. During his administration, the School of Osteopathic Medicine and the Center for Urban Affairs were established and a proposal was made to establish a Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies.

Walter Adams was born August 27, 1922 in Vienna, Austria. He received a B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1942, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University in 1946 and 1947, respectively. His graduate studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he served, with distinction, in the U.S. Army (1943-1945), receiving the Bronze Star Medal for heroic conduct.

In 1947, he joined the Michigan State faculty in Economics Department. After a long battle with the disease, Walter Adams died of complications from pancreatic cancer, at the age of 76, on September 8, 1998. Adams, and his wife Pauline, had one son, William J. Adams.

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Scope and Contents note

Walter Adams' papers contain administrative subject files, speeches, and correspondence from his short term as President of Michigan State University. Subject files contain monographs, correspondence, and other documents related to the various schools and departments of the university, and to student affairs. Includes a proposal for a Russian and Eastern European Studies Center. Correspondence deals primarily with state and community issues, with some from the Board of Trustees and from the Federal government. Includes a letter from President Richard M. Nixon to Secretary George Romney. Speeches include a commencement speech and a speech on Vietnam among others.

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Arrangement

Organized into 4 series. 1. Administrative Subject Files. 2. Correspondence. 3. Speeches. 4. Photographs. 1-2 Organized alphabetically. 3. Organized chronologically.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections August 1983

Conrad Hall
888 Wilson Road, Room 101
East Lansing , MI, 48824
517-355-2330
archives@msu.edu

Revision Description

  September 1999

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Box 596, folders 48-50 contain restricted materials.

Legal Status note

Copyright: Michigan State University. Property Rights: Michigan State University.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

  • Michigan State University. Russian and Eastern European Studies Program. -- Chronological subdivision--1969;

Genre(s)

  • Letters (correspondence)
  • Photographs
  • Programs
  • Reports
  • Speeches, addresses, etc.

Personal Name(s)

  • Adams, Walter, 1922-1998
  • Kuhn, Madison
  • Nixon, Richard M., (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994
  • Romney, George W., 1907-1995 -- Chronological subdivision--1969;

Subject(s)

  • College students
  • Student movements -- Michigan

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Collection Inventory

I. ADMINISTRATIVE SUBJECT FILES 

Associations 
Box Folder

Alumni 1969 

 614 1

American Association of Universities 1969 

 614 2

American Association of University Women 1969 

 614 3

American Economics Association 1969 

 614 4

Agronne Universities Association 1969 

 614 5

Athletic Council 1969 

 614 6

Michigan Council of State College Presidents 1969 

 614 7

Midwest Universities Consortium for International Activities 1969 

 614 8

National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges 1969 

 614 9
Box Folder

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Copy of By-laws 1969 

 614 10

Board of Trustees 
Box Folder

Agenda. Agenda for meeting of June 20, 1969 

 614 11

Meeting in May 1969 

 614 12

Special Meeting August 1, 1969 

 614 13
Box Folder

Calendar 1969 

 614 14

Centers 
Box Folder

Health 1969 

 614 15

Highway Traffic Safety 1969 

 614 16

Urban Affairs 1969 

 614 17

Urban Affairs. Positions 1969 

 614 18

Colleges 
Box Folder

Agriculture and Natural Resources 1969 

 614 19

Arts and Letters 1969 

 614 20

Business 1969 

 614 21

Business. Positions 1969 

 614 22

Communication Arts 1969 

 614 23

Dean's Evaluations 1969 

 614 24

Education 1969 

 614 25

Education. Departments 

 614 26

Engineering 1969 

 614 27

Home Economics 1969 

 614 28

Human Medicine 

 614 29

Human Medicine. Departments 1969 

 614 30

Natural Science 1969 

 614 31

Natural Science. Departments 1969 

 614 32

Osteopathic Medicine (1969) 1969 

 614 33

Social Science. Departments 1969 

 614 34

University 1969 

 614 35

University. Departments 1969 

 614 36

Veterinary Medicine 1969 

 614 37
Box Folder

Commencement. Spring Term 1969 

 614 38

Commendations 1969 

 614 39

Committees 
Box Folder

Academic Senate 1969 

 614 40

Ad Hoc Committee Placement Center 1969 

 614 41

Ad Hoc Fee Committee 1969 

 614 42

Administrative Group 1969 

 614 43

All University Traffic 1969 

 614 44

Athletic Council 1969 

 614 45

Commencement 1969 

 614 46

Computer 1969 

 614 47

Faculty Advisory For Public Safety 1969 

 614 48

Faculty Affairs 1969 

 614 49

Hidden lake Gardens Advisory 1969 

 614 50

Military Education Advisory 1969 

 614 51

Multi-Racial (to recommend procedures for investigating complaints of racial discrimination) 1969 

 614 52

Provost Search and Selection 1969 

 614 53

Retirement 1969 

 614 54

University Student Affairs. Report on Demonstration against General Electric Recruiters n.d. 

 614 54a
Box Folder

Departments. Business 1969 

 614 55

Offices 
Box Folder

Comptroller 1969 

 614 56

Financial Aids 1969 

 614 56a

Organizational Chart of MSU Departments and Officer 1969 

 614 56b

Personal 
Box Folder

Assistant. Elliott Ballard 1969 

 614 57

Attorney. Leland, W. Carr, Jr. 1969 

 614 58

Joseph McMillan - Urban Affairs Center (c.f.) 1969 

 614 59

Provost 1969 

 614 60

Provost. Honors College 1969 

 614 61

Provost. John E. Cantlon 1969 

 614 62

Secretary Board of Trustees 1969 

 614 63

Registrar 1969 

 614 64

Student 1969 

 614 65

Vice-President for Business and Finance 1969 

 614 66

Vice-President for Special Projects 1969 

 614 67

Vice-President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students 1969 

 614 68
Box Folder

Press Releases 1969 

 614 69

Programs 
Box Folder

Intercollegiate Athletics 1969 

 614 70

International 1969 

 614 71

Military Science and Aerospace Studies 1969 

 614 72

Mott Fellowship 1969 

 614 73

Upward Bound 1969 

 614 74

Projects. Detroit 1969 

 614 75

Projects. Law School 1969 

 614 76

Protests 
Box Folder

Journalism Students 1969 

 596 1

Placement Offices 1969 

 596 2
Box Folder

Public Relations. Dialogue '70 1969 

 596 3

Public Safety 
Box Folder

Monthly Reports 1969 

 596 4

Weekly Reports 1969 

 596 5

Schools 
Box Folder

Advanced Graduate Studies 1969 

 596 6

Graduate. Business 1969 

 596 7

High and Grade Schools 1969 

 596 8

Labor and Industrial Relations 1969 

 596 9

Out of State n.d. 

 596 10

State Supported 1969 

 596 11

University. Oakland 1969 

 596 12
Box Folder

Services. Book Store 1969 

 596 13

Students 
Box Folder

Deaths 1969 

 596 14

Organizations n.d. 

 596 15

Organizations. Associated Students of MSU 1969 

 596 16

Organizations. Fraternities 1969 

 596 17

Organizations. Varsity Club 1969 

 596 18
Box Folder

University Relations 1969 

 596 19

Vietnam Moratorium October 15, 1969 

 596 20

II. CORRESPONDENCE 
Box Folder

General 1969 

 596 21

Board of Trustees 1969 

 596 22

Board of Trustees. Meetings 1969 

 596 23

Breakfast Group and Council of Deans 1969 

 596 24

Community 
Box Folder

Capitol Area Economic Opportunity 1969 

 596 25

Churches 1969 

 596 26

Lansing Model Cities Programs 1969 

 596 27

Other 1969 

 596 28
Box Folder

Complaints 1969 

 596 29

Congratulations 1969 

 596 30

Executive Vice-President 1969 

 596 31

Federal 
Box Folder

National Science Foundation 1969 

 596 32

Housing and Urban Development 1969 

 596 33
Box Folder

Miscellaneous 1969 

 596 34

Off-Campus 1969 

 596 35

State of Michigan n.d. 

 596 36

State of Michigan 
Box Folder

Department of Education 1969 

 596 37

Governor 1969 

 596 38

Huber Commission (to study campus disorder and student unrest) 1969 

 596 39

Legislature 1969 

 596 40
Box Folder

Students 1969 

 596 41

III. SPEECHES 
Box Folder

Special Meetings of Academic Senate May 8, 1969 

 596 42

Retirement Luncheon May 12, 1969 

 596 43

ROTC Commissioning May 20, 1969 

 596 44

Lantern Night May 31, 1969 

 596 45

Commencement June 8, 1969 

 596 46

"Vietnam: A Perversion of U.S. Priorities" (c.f. File 20, Box 518) October 15, 1969 

 596 47

RESTRICTED 

 596 48-50

IV. PHOTOGRAPHS 
Box Folder

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp 1969 

 596 51

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