MSS 261
Educational Reform Project and Free University Files
Table of contents
Contact Information:
Special Collections
Michigan State University Libraries
100 Main Library
East Lansing, MI 48824
517.884.6471
E-mail:spc@mail.lib.msu.edu
URL: http://specialcollections.lib.msu.edu
Date Received:
Unknown
Date Processed:
Unknown
Acquisitions Information:
Unknown
Preferred citation:
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Box number, Folder number and/or title, Educational Reform Project and Free University Files, MSS 261, Special Collections, Michigan State University Main Library
Copyright Notice:
Copyright is retained by the author of the items in this archive, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Usage Restrictions:
None
Photoduplication Restrictions:
Collection Summary:
A collection of materials (e.g. correspondences, pamphlets, flyers, newspapers, catalogs, ephemera) representing educational reform and alternative education in its widest possible form. There are also materials related to progressive/radical politics, feminism, environment, co-ops/communes, and radio/television. The majority of materials are from the Lansing/East Lansing/MSU area, although some from California, Ann Arbor, and elsewhere. The time period is generally 1965-1975.
Historical Background:
The history of this collection is unclear. The materials appear to have been collected and organized as part of the Free University, an alternative educational entity based at MSU in the late 1960s. As their Fall 1971 catalog of courses states, “free [sic] university functions as an alternative to what we feel is a rotten educational system. we [sic] offer classes which cost no money, which give no grades, and which anyone who feels qualified can teach and anyone who wants to can attend.” The materials, all or some may have resided as office files located in 329 Student Services, MSU.
Additionally, some of the materials may have been gathered, organized, and used as part of a course, Interdepartmental University College 300, entitled “Educational Reform” and offered in 1970. According to a course statement written by W. Meyers and W. Martin, two Humanities professors, “Several faculty members of University College were recently approached by an ad hoc group of students who proposed what they regarded as an exciting innovation: an experimental course in which an interdisciplinary faculty would offer its resources of information and experience to a class which would study the subject of educational reform at the same time that it tried out new methods in the classroom. The focus was to be on higher education.”
“Educational Reform,” February 10, 1970. Box 2, Folder 1
Processing Note:
None
Arrangement:
| Box | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Personal, business correspondence – Free University, MSU |
| 2 | Free University Materials – MSU | |
| 3 | Free University catalogs/courses | |
| 4 | Free U/Free School Open City materials: Wayne State U, U of Detroit | |
| 5 | Heliotropi: The Open University materials (Sand Francisco/Marion County, CA.) |
|
| 6 | University for Man Materials, Manhattan, KS | |
| 7 | Center for Participant Education (CPE) materials (Berkeley, CA) | |
| 8 | Mid Peninsula Free University materials – Santa Cruz, CA | |
| 9 | Communiversity materials – Boston, MA | |
| 10 | New Schools Exchange Newsletter; New Schools Exchange materials (Santa Barbara, CA). |
|
| 11 | Education Warehouse materials – Cambridge, MA | |
| 12 | Ortega Park Teacher Laboratory materials | |
| 13 | Free school brochures, p.r. material, educational, free school, free university newsletters. |
|
| 14 | Various reports on and publications of experimental colleges | |
| 15 | Free schools and universities – directories | |
| 16 | M.I.T. High School Studies Program materials |
| Box | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Educational Reform Project/new Community Materials – MSU, East Lansing, MI |
| 2 | Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) materials | |
| 3 | Colloquy, University of Pennsylvania | |
| 4 | Summer Training Program at University of California | |
| 5 | Radical Education Project materials – Ann Arbor, MI | |
| 6 | Educational Reform conference materials; work-ins, demonstrations. | |
| 7 | Co-operations (retail) materials | |
| 8 | Co-operative living; communal living materials; housing/tenants’ rights materials. |
|
| 9 | EnAct (Environmental Action for Survival) materials – Ann Arbor | |
| 10 | Ecology/Environmental Action materials (Berkley, CA) | |
| 11 | Women’s Liberation Materials | |
| 12 | Peace Corps materials | |
| 13 | Free-Form education materials | |
| 14 | Materials on students’ academic freedom and legal rights | |
| 15 | Misc. anti-war materials; peace movement materials | |
| 16 | Misc. materials on racism | |
| 17 | Labor activism materials | |
| 18 | San Francisco State University, strike materials | |
| 19 | Arab/Israel materials |
| Box | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | Consumer pamphlets; child rearing pamphlets, diet-health; children’s health. |
| 2 | Vocations for social change materials | |
| 3 | The Listening Ear materials/ Crisis Center materials – East Lansing | |
| 4 | Various resource guides and bibliographies | |
| 5 | Philip Werdell materials | |
| 6 | Carl Rogers materials | |
| 7 | Thomas Keone’s class notes/anti-examination materials | |
| 8 | Robert Theobold materials | |
| 9 | Michael Rossman materials | |
| 10 | Christopher Sower materials | |
| 11 | Education/book catalogs and brochures | |
| 12 | Publications of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions | |
| 13 | NSA Center for Educations Reform publications/Ed Ceatric | |
| 14 | Articles/bibliography on non-grading | |
| 15 | Learning games materials | |
| 16 | Preschool/early childhood educational materials | |
| 17 | Miscellaneous bibliographies of teaching articles/ materials reference materials. |
|
| 18 | Various education reform periodicals, pamphlets |
| Box | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | Free radio/WKAR/student broadcasting materials |
| 2 | Materials from Justin Morrill College, James Madison College, MSU residential colleges. |
|
| 3 | Residence Halls Program Office – MSU – Drugs | |
| 4 | Residence Hall Program Office reports – MSU – Student mental/emotional health |
|
| 5 | Residence Hall Programs Office – MSU – Colloquy on Sexuality | |
| 6 | Residence Hall Programs Office – MSU – Misc. Files | |
| 7 | East Lansing newspapers – The Grapevine Journal, Point Issue | |
| 8 | East Lansing High School materials – East Lansing, MI | |
| 9 | Various educational reform articles | |
| 10 | Notecard from MSU student ed. Reform files | |
| 11 | Misc. Lansing area materials/Michigan materials | |
| 12 | Misc. MSU materials |
| Box | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | Educational reform materials: communities of faith |
| 2 | Course proposals and syllabi | |
| 3 | Carnegie corporation publications | |
| 4 | Wayne State University materials | |
| 5 | Michigan State government publications | |
| 6 | Various periodicals | |
| 7 | Various magazine and newspaper clippings/newspapers: education and labor. |
|
| 8 | Various student campus organizations materials | |
| 9 | Various personal narratives, poetry | |
| 10 | Various proposals/organizations for educational reform | |
| 11 | Unidentified/unidentifiable class notes | |
| 12 | Unfilable misc. materials | |
| 13 | Educational reform project materials |