Virginia Tech History Resources: Vice Presidents, Other Administrators & Units
This guide details resources intended to help those doing research on the history of Virginia Tech, including the use of Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, and related resources.
Vice Presidents & Deans of the College
Collections
See also the Presidents page on this guide, which includes additional resources for the Vice Presidents who later became Presidents of Virginia Tech.
- G. Burke Johnston Papers, Ms1983-005Papers--including correspondence, subject files, printed materials, and photographs--of George Burke Johnston, literary scholar, English faculty member, and administrator at Virginia Tech and the University of Alabama; U.S. Army officer; poet; author; artist; and printer.
- Records of the Dean of the College, Theodorick Pryor Campbell, RG 11/1This collection contains records of Theodorick Pryor Campbell, the dean of the college at Virginia Tech from 1920-1924. This collection consists primarily of correspondence with faculty, educational organizations, parents, presidents Julian A. Burruss and J. D. Eggleston, students, and government entities. Subjects include advertising, budget, disciplinary matters, hazing, and land purchases. Some correspondence dates to 1917-1919 when Campbell was Dean of the Faculty.
- Records of the Dean of the College, John E. Williams, RG 11/2This collection contains several series of documents related to Professor John E. Williams's (1867-1943) service as Dean of the College for Virginia Tech between 1924 and 1943. They include correspondence with businesses, governmental organizations, parents, alumni, and other administration members of Virginia Tech. Also included are lists of statistics on enrollment, student organization and university finances, scholarships, as well as reports on the honor and "rat" system. Williams was appointed as professor of mathematics at Virginia Tech in 1903 and served as Dean of the College between 1924 and 1943, when he died.
- John Edward Williams Papers, Ms1956-005Papers of John Edward Williams, professor of mathematics (1903-1924) and dean of the college (1924-1943) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Includes class notes taken by Williams as a graduate student at the University of Virginia; notes and solutions for various mathematical problems; texts of Williams' speeches; printed articles by Williams and others; diplomas and membership certificates.
- Records of the Dean of the College, C. P. Miles, RG 11/3This collection comprises correspondence, memoranda, reports, and other documents related to the duties of the office of the VPI Dean of the College during C. P. Miles' tenure from 1942 to 1950. The collection contains general administrative records relating to scholarships, complaints, student activities, class and semester formats, and Corps of Cadets records. It also contains student personal records, including disciplinary cases, financial aid data, and college resignations, which are restricted for 75 years. C. P. "Sally" Miles (1879-1966) graduated from Virginia Tech in 1901 and went on to serve as a professor, athletic director, and dean of the college.
- Clarence Paul Miles Papers, Ms1961-003Papers of Virginia Tech graduate, professor of modern languages, director of athletics, and dean of the college Clarence Paul "Sally" Miles, including grade books for courses in French and German, together with personal memorabilia and photographs.
- Records of the Office of the Vice-President, Walter S. Newman, RG 3/1Walter Stephenson Newman (1895-1978) was the first individual to hold the office of Vice-President at Virginia Tech. His tenure began 15 May 1946 but only lasted until 1 September 1947, when he became the tenth president of Virginia Tech, serving from 1947 to 1962. This small collection consists of correspondence concerning curriculum revisions, letters from and replies to other colleges on various matters, and copies of memoranda to faculty and department heads.
- Records of the Office of the Vice-President, Charles Clement French, RG 3/2Charles Clement French served as Vice-President of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute from January 1949 through August 1950. The collection contains primarily correspondence but also travel vouchers, budget materials, and materials related to the American Chemical Society of Virginia, American Council on Education, Board of Control of Southern Regional Education; Educational Policy and Program Committee; General Education Board; and student alcohol consumption.
- Records of the Office of the Vice-President, Louis A. Pardue, RG 3/3Collection contains 1,072 folders consisting of general correspondence, general reports, financial reports, enrollment statistics, commencement and inaugural reports, minutes, and departmental information collected by Dr. Louis A. Pardue from 1950 through 1963 while holding the offices of Vice-President and Director of Graduate Studies. There is also correspondence relating to the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Science (ORINS).
- Records of the Office of Vice-President and the Office of Executive Vice-President, Warren W. Brandt, RG 3/4This collection consists primarily of the correspondence of Warren Brandt in his capacity as Vice-President of Academic Affairs (1966-1968). However, it also includes many of his files from his period as Executive Vice-President (1968) as well as material from his term as Vice-President and Dean of the Graduate School (1963-1965). There is material and correspondence concerning budget matters, Center for Research in College Instruction of Science and Math, Corps of Cadets, the Dean of Students, EDUCOM, Engineering Experiment Station, ROTC, Student Government Association, Student Activities Committee, Summer School, and Visiting Scholars Program.
- Records of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for Special Projects, Alfred Krebs, RG 5/1/2/1The collection consists primarily of the correspondence and other materials of Alfred Krebs in his capacity as Vice President for Special Projects (1975-1976). The collection also includes materials from his period as Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs (1972-1975). His duties as Vice President for Special Projects included university financial functions, chairmanship of the Computer Committee, Systems Development, Institutional Research, and the coordination of the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Programs. There are materials regarding such subjects as consulting projects, cases from the Judicial Review committee, the Telecommunication Committee, and the University Council. Correspondence and other documents detail the formation and management of the Computer Committee, the creation and implementation of an Affirmative Action Plan, and procedures for implementing Title IX regulations.
- Records of the Office of the Vice President for Administration, Stuart K. Cassell, RG 6/1/1This collection consists primarily of correspondence with Stuart K. Cassell, first Vice President for Administration (1966-1975). There is a large amount of material concerning budget and other financial matters, as well as construction, buildings and grounds maintenance, and other physical plant matters. The collection also contains Cassell's records as Business Manager, 1945-1966. Because the bulk of the material concerns Cassell's position as Vice President for Administration, but the material is interfiled, the records have been kept together as one collection under RG 6/1/1.
- Records of the Office of the Executive Vice-President, William E. Lavery, RG 4/3,This collection contains correspondence and other official records of Lavery during his years as Executive Vice-President (1973-1974) and Vice President of Finance (1968-1973) before becoming President of the University. Collection includes materials concerning budget matters, Board of Visitors, Computing Center, Computer Science, Community Colleges, each of the Colleges, Building Committee, Institutional Research, Task Force for Innovative Approaches to Instruction, University Council and Commissions, V.P.I. Industry Center, and Virginia Public Telecommunications Council.
- Records of Karen DePauw, Vice President and Dean of Graduate Education, RG 22/1/1The Records of Karen DePauw, Vice President and Dean of Graduate Education include artifacts given to DePauw on international trips while at Virginia Tech. Items are from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, South America, and Africa.
Additional Resources
- Minnis Ridenour : BOV dinner, August 22, 2004Publication Date: 2004This video of a dinner in honor of the retirement of Vice President Minnis Ridenour features Charles Steger, Bill Lavery, Paul Torgersen, Leonard Sandridge, Ray Smoot, and Larry Hincker.
Other Administrative Units & People
- Records of Virginia Tech Dining Services, RG 8/2/1jThe Records of Virginia Tech Dining Services comprise award submission scrapbooks for events and dinners hosted by the Dining Services department of the Division of Student Affairs that were compiled and submitted for awards from 1994 through 2013. A 2009 schematic design for the food court Turner Place at Lavery Hall is also included.
- Gary Ann Giovanni Culinary Papers, Ms2006-011Papers of Gary Ann Giovanni, a chef, caterer and cooking teacher active in Blacksburg, Virginia. The collection contains records, menus, and recipes from her catering jobs, including at Virginia Tech functions, and from the cooking classes she taught for the local YMCA Open University. Also includes material related to the various community organizations for which Gary worked or volunteered, and some material associated with her sister, poet Nikki Giovanni.
- Talking About Work Oral History Interview Project, Ms2012-005Oral history interviews conducted by students of Dr. Emily Satterwhite's HUM 2504 Introduction to American Studies class with interviewees who work on or near the Virginia Tech campus. Interviews explore the particular jobs of the interviewees and the issues related to working for these interviewees. The collection also contains annotated bibliographies and reflections papers created by students about their interview experience. There are images of some of the interviewees.
University Libraries & Librarians
- Records of the Virginia Tech University Libraries, RG 23This collection includes minutes, correspondence, meeting notes, and more from departments, committees, and individuals in the Virginia Tech University Libraries.
- Ann Heidbreder Eastman Papers, Ms1991-053The collection consists of papers concerning Eastman's work as Virginia Tech's Faculty Publishing Officer, her work as Head of the Steering Committee for the Virginia Governor's Conference on Library and Information Services in 1991, and information on funding and support for libraries in Virginia. Materials in the collection date from 1978 to 1991.
- Ralph Minthorne Brown Papers, Ms1970-002Papers of Ralph Minthorne Brown, Virginia Tech head librarian (1926-1947), amateur historian and naturalist. Includes materials on Virginia Tech and local history, including typed transcripts of sources gathered for an intended history of Virginia Tech. Also included are Brown's Blacksburg ornithological and weather observations, a bibliography of Matthew Fontaine Maury, and other writings.
- Dorothy McCombs Collection, Ms1995-006The collection contains personal research notes, subject files, and writings; materials relating to the Virginia Tech University Libraries; course notes; dissertation research; work on textiles and arts & crafts history; genealogy notes; brochures on historic sites around Virginia; and maps collected by Dorothy McCombs, a reference librarian at VPI.
- Lucy Lee Lancaster Papers, Ms1990-069Lucy Lee Lancaster was one of the first women admitted to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (popularly known as VPI), graduating in 1925. After earning an MLS from Columbia University, she worked at the VPI Library for her career. The papers contain biographical materials, family papers, genealogy research, correspondence with family, friends, and business contacts, membership materials from local and regional organizations (including university groups), and travel memorabilia from her numerous national and international trips.
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Virginia Tech's Land Acknowledgement & Labor Recognition
Virginia Tech acknowledges that we live and work on the Tutelo / Monacan People’s homeland, and we recognize their continued relationships with their lands and waterways. We further acknowledge that the Morrill Land-Grant College Act (1862) enabled the commonwealth of Virginia to finance and found Virginia Tech through the forced removal of Native Nations from their lands in western territories. We understand that honoring Native Peoples without explicit material commitments falls short of our institutional responsibilities. Through sustained, transparent, and meaningful engagement with the Tutelo / Monacan Peoples, and other Native Nations, we commit to changing the trajectory of Virginia Tech's history by increasing Indigenous student, staff, and faculty recruitment and retention, diversifying course offerings, and meeting the growing needs of all Virginia tribes and supporting their sovereignty.
Virginia Tech acknowledges that its Blacksburg campus sits partly on land that was previously the site of the Smithfield and Solitude Plantations, owned by members of the Preston family. Between the 1770s and the 1860s, the Prestons and other local White families that owned parcels of what became Virginia Tech also owned hundreds of enslaved people. We acknowledge that enslaved Black people generated wealth that financed the predecessor institution to Virginia Tech, the Preston and Olin Institute, and they also worked on construction of its building. Not until 1953, however, was the first Black student permitted to enroll. Through InclusiveVT, the institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (that I may serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence, we commit to advancing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.
Full and short version of the acknowledgement can be found on InclusiveVT's website.