Tag Archives: Faculty/Staff

WKU Personnel Files

Dero Downing ID CardAs the memory of WKU, WKU Archives maintains records of past employees.  Often, this information can be found as part of the records of various departments or committees, in university publications, and other places where the imprint of their presence can be found on the historical record.  In particular, past employees generally have a personnel file.  Personnel files have been designated as record group UA1D and become available to researchers after the employee has been separated from the university for 30 years or upon his or her death.

During 2015, record group UA1D has undergone significant expansion.  Catalog entries for UA1D have also been revised so researchers can find information more easily.

Biographical Vertical Files Integrated

Before computer cataloging, newspaper clippings and other items regarding employees of the university were maintained in “vertical files.” Over time, these files grew to over six cubic feet.  These were stored in the closed stacks and not catalogued in KenCat because they were not considered part of the collections, but rather as a reference tool. These materials have now been integrated into UA1D files so researchers can find them using KenCat.  In some cases, this means a file exists for an employee who is still alive and is still employed by the university.  The personnel file materials will be added to these files and become available to researchers in the future once they meet the criteria, above. Continue reading

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Out of the Box – November

75th Anniversary

Board of Regents 11/5/1931kybuilding75th

Cherry Hall

College Heights Herald 11/16/1956

Football, 1913

Founders Day

Fourth Estate 1980

Henry Hardin Cherry

Homecoming

Kentucky Building

ROTC Building

Veterans

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Meetings, Meetings, Meetings

We have been processing and posting meeting minutes of all kinds.  There are University Senate minutes, Congress Debating Club minutes, departmental faculty meeting minutes, Stickles History Club minute books and FCG Classical Club to name a few.

WKU minute takers have done a great job in relaying accurate information to us.  They have also found and recorded humor in their meetings.  Here are a few examples:

Congress Debating Club, Book 4, page 279

Senator Searcy blew his breath at the crowd and at the same time his vocal chords vibrated in an unintelligble manner.

On page 290 of the same book we find a notation that the previous minutes are an “unhealthy bit of propaganda.”

In a memo addressed to the History faculty April 29, 1977, Dr. Richard Troutman outlines a number of meetings as:

The first meeting will involve consideration of two proposals from the Departmental Curriculum Committee . . .

The meeting following the first meeting should be brief and will involve a continuation of our discussion on graduate assistants.

The meeting following the brief meeting which follows the longer meeting will concern my concern about what direction the Department should take as we seek a new teacher for next year.  This meeting should take longer than the brief second meeting, but perhaps not as long as the longer first meeting.  But then again, it may take longer.

History faculty meeting minutes have begun “Once upon a time” and ended “. . . and they all lived happily ever after.”

A belated but slight reminder of things past . . . !

As quickly as was humanly possible, Dr. Crowe adjourned the meeting. Deferentially yielded, crowe the younger

The Sept. 19, 1974 meeting minutes open: “This is the Way it Was . . . !”  and conclude with:

If there are any questions as to particulars mentioned in this monsterpiece, check with the man who keeps a pad in his shirt pocket.  His note-taking ability far surpasses anything done by ‘little old me, honey.’

Stickles History Club

Stickles History Club

[signed] Scarlott O’Crowe

This image from the Arndt Stickles History Club Minute Book 1, page 4  relates the seriousness of manner in which the members organized:

In ancient days students sat at the feet of the old philosophers or followed them about through gardens, in order to get the gleam of life that scholars of the age had or to hear marvelous stories of the universe, or perhaps, just to be near great and noble characters.  Even so, do students of the modern age long for contact with just such noble men as those of old.

These and many more records are available for researchers in WKU Archives.

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Lewis Completes Staff Leadership Program

Maria Lewis, Library Assistant in the Department of Library Special Collections (DLSC), recently completed the 2013-2014 year-long training through the Staff Leadership Institute. This program is for WKU staff members who have demonstrated advancement potential in their work. Over the past months, Maria attended classes and workshops that taught and tested, improved leadership competencies, the ability to apply basic leadership principles and to employ knowledge of WKU resources campus wide. The program is sponsored by the Staff Council and Human Resources. Selection for participation in the program is competitive and requires recommendation and approval by supervisors and departments. The program notes that it “seeks to enhance job performance and personal development skills while challenging the spirit of each individual who participates.” Maria enjoyed the diversity of people and tasks in the program and learning more about the life of campus and how things work together. The Library Special Collections department is pleased that Maria was chosen to participate and was among the 2014 recent graduates. Congratulations to Maria!
Maria

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WKU Oral History

Oral histories capture a slice of life.  WKU Archives holds many audiotapes and transcripts of interviews with six presidents from Kelly Thompson 1955-1969 to Thomas Meredith 1988-1997.  These tapes tell the story of how WKU has grown and evolved over time.  There are also interviews with athletes and coaches such as William “Big Six” Henderson, Dee Gibson, Clem Haskins, the Cook twins, Clemette Haskins and E.A. Diddle.  Interviews with alumni reveal changes in student life over time. 

The WKU History Department Oral History Committee files have been processed and are now available to researchers in WKU Archives.  Interviews were conducted between 1976 and 1997 and capture a variety of views of WKU’s history.  The collection inventory is available online at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_fin_aid/293

Also available to researchers are the WKU Centennial Oral Project tapes.  The collection inventory is available online at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_fin_aid/190/

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Southern Normal School

One of WKU’s five founding institutions was the Southern Normal School and Business College, generally referred to as the Southern Normal.  The teacher training school was founded by A.W. Mell and Tom Williams when they moved the Glasgow Normal School to Bowling Green in 1884.  The University Archives holds some administrative records, publications, class lists and photographs for the school.  An outline of sources and a finding aid are available online.  These are available to researchers in the Harrison-Baird Reading Room Monday – Saturday 9 – 4.

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WKU Favorite Professor(s)

Carol Crowe-Carraco  Who do you remember most? Which one was your favorite? Why?

We’re taking nominations . . . check out the Favorite Professor website and add your thoughts.

Send you nominee to archives@wku.edu

  Carol Crowe-Carraco

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