Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Below are links to the finding aids of some of our larger, more prominent, and frequently used University Archives collections documenting Southern Illinois University history and distinguished faculty.
The Board of Trustees was established in 1949 by Illinois Senate Bill No. 40, which allowed SIU to leave the oversight of the State Teachers College Board and be governed by its own board. These records are primarily annual reports, meeting minutes, and policies that document the administrative, academic, and physical evolution of the Carbondale, Edwardsville, and School of Medicine campuses.
Chester F. Lay administrative records
Chester F. Lay was SIU's President from 1945-1948, the initial period of post-war enrollment growth and when the university achieved university status in 1947. The files primarily contain correspondence, financial records, legislative files, and departmental reports concerning the business, academics, and student life of the university as it evolved from primarily a teachers college into a university.
Delyte W. Morris administrative records
Delyte W. Morris was SIU's President from 1948-1970 and oversaw the university's growth into a modern research university. SIU Edwardsville was established under his leadership, and planning for the School of Medicine and the Simmons School of Law began during his tenure. The Morris papers document the growth and development of SIU's academic programs and physical campuses, business with state lawmakers to support this rapid growth, the university's economic and social in southern Illinois, athletics, and student life, including political activity of the 1960s.
Office of the President of the Southern Illinois University System records
The Office of the President of the SIU System was established in 1979. These records document the administration of the university system as a whole. Highlights include the Academic Program File which concerns creating or eliminating academic programs at Carbondale and Edwardsville, the Minority, Women, and Disabled Students, Faculty, and Staff annual reports, and strategic planning.
Community Development Service records
The Community Development Service performed economic and social development work in towns throughout southern Illinois, predominantly in the 1950s and 1960s. The records document the conditions of education, population, recreation, social organizations, industry, retail and trade, churches, housing, agriculture, government, and public health for the represented locations.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale photograph collection
This is the primary photograph collection documenting all aspects of university activity including student life and organizations, athletics, faculty, administration, staff, campus buildings and infrastructure, and annual and special events. The bulk of the material was created by the Photographic Service and dates 1950-1980s. Pre-1950 photographs are included but fewer in number, and photographs from the mid-1980s to present are in the Photocommunications records or University Communications and Marketing records.
University News Service records
The University News Service existed from 1945-2002 and was responsible for disseminating news releases about all aspects of SIU such as athletics, faculty research, activities of the colleges and departments, student life, and special events.
John W. Allen papers and photographs
John W. Allen (1887-1969) was a historian who served as Historical Director of the SIU University Museum, wrote a weekly column in the Southern Illinoisan, wrote university news releases, and published books on southern Illinois history, culture, and folklore. His papers include research notes, photographic material, correspondence, maps, legal documents, and newspaper clippings organized by town, county, or topic. The topics include, but are not limited to, locations, people, families, indigenous peoples, slavery, folklore, geography, businesses, agriculture, historic sites, cemeteries, churches, schools, organizations, and transportation.
Katherine Dunham (1900-2006) was a dance pioneer who founded arguably the most prominent Black dance company that toured the word from the mid-1930s to early 1960s. Using her educational background in anthropology, she incorporated Haitian and Caribbean culture into much of her work. She became an SIU faculty member in the mid-1960s and oversaw the Performing Arts Training Center based out of East St. Louis before retiring in 1982. Her papers, and the corresponding photograph collection, document the span of her performing and teaching career, her involvement in Civil Rights causes, and political activity such as her 1992 fast in support of Haitian refugees.
Dr. Paul Arthur Schilpp was the Visiting Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Southern Illinois University from 1965-1980. He founded the Library of Living Philosophers in 1938 and served as editor until July 1981. His papers document issues related to the Library of Living Philosophers, personal matters, philosophical concepts and ideas, and professional organizations and conferences. Some esteemed correspondents include Albert Einstein, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, John Dewey, and Edmund Husserl.
Henry Nelson Wieman was a Visiting Distinguished Professor of philosophy at Southern Illinois University from 1956-1966, and considered a leading theologian of religious naturalism. His papers document his philosophical and theological ideas and personal matters. Included are correspondence, teaching materials, sermons, audio recordings, speeches, manuscripts, and printed material. Correspondents include Martin Luther King Jr., Paul Tillich, William Ernest Hocking, John Dewey, Charles Hartshorne, and Alfred North Whitehead.