A Guide to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Office of the Director. Subject and Correspondence Files, 1974-1997 State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Office of the Director. Subject and Correspondence Files, 1974-1997 36681

A Guide to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Office of the Director. Subject and Correspondence Files, 1974-1997

A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Accession Number 36681


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Library of Virginia

The Library of Virginia
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Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/

© 2002 By the Library of Virginia.

Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Laura Drake

Repository
Library of Virginia
Accession number
36681
Title
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Office of the Director. Subject and Correspondence Files, 1974-1997
Physical Characteristics
7.5 cu. ft.
Physical Location
State government records collection, Acc. 36681
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Office of the Director. Subject and Correspondence files, 1974-1997. Accession 36681. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

Transferred 30 June 1999.

Biographical/Historical Information

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia was created by an act of the General Assembly on March 10, 1956, to act as the state's coordinating and advising body for institutions of higher education. The purpose of the Council is to promote the development and operation of an educationally and economically sound, vigorous, progressive, and coordinated system of education in the Commonwealth. Among the Council's significant responsibilities are: to develop a master plan for higher education and to conduct other planning activities; to establish guidelines for operating and capital outlay budgets of the institutions of higher education and to review and to make recommendations on budget requests to the Governor and General Assembly; to approve changes in institutional missions; to approve any new degree programs; to terminate non-productive degree programs; approve enrollment projections of the institutions; to grant approval to in-state, private institutions to confer degrees; to involve the private and proprietary institutions to confer degrees; to involve the private and proprietary institutions in the state's overall planning for postsecondary institutions in the state's overall planning for postsecondary education; to administer statewide student financial assistance programs; to provide guidelines for determining the domiciliary residence of students applying for in-state tuition rates; to establish and revise, as necessary, guidelines for patent and copyright policies developed by the public institutions; to coordinate the continuing education offerings of the public institutions; and to develop guidelines for the assessment of student achievement. The Council consists of eleven members appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly.

Dr. Gordon K. Davies served as the Assistant Director of SCHEV from 1974 to 1977 and Director of SCHEV from 1977-1997. Dr. Davies is credited with having guided the state-supported institutions within the Commonwealth of Virginia to new levels of excellence. His tenure as Director ended in April 1997 when the Council voted to not renew his contract. The Council's move to release Dr. Davies was controversial and prompted the resignation of several Council members.

Scope and Content Information

Comprised of the administrative papers of Dr. Gordon K. Davies, Director of the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV), 1977-1997. Contains correspondence, speeches, publications, reports, newsclippings and other materials related to Dr. Davies' activities as director. Also included in the collection is documentation regarding his activities outside of SCHEV as a member of the Desegregation Settlement Compliance Committee for the Louisiana Board of Regents, an evaluator of the Kentucky Centers of Excellence and Endowed Chairs, and as a member of a National Governor's Association group that travelled to Nepal to study the institutions of higher education in that country. Documentation regarding the working dynamics of the agency are primarily found in electronic correspondence.

Arrangement

Organized into the following series: I. Correspondence; II. Speeches and writings; III. External activities; IV. Termination as Director of SCHEV; V. Gordon K. Davies; and VI. Miscellaneous Materials.

Contents List

Series I: Correspondence, 1975-1997

Divided into three (3) subseries: General Correspondence; Electronic Correspondence; and Letters of Reference. All correspondence is arranged chronologically, and are described individually.

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Series II: Speeches and Writings, 1974-1997

Arranged into four (4) subseries: Speeches given by Dr. Davies; Speeches given by others; Writings and Publications; and Source Materials. Items are arranged chronologically within each series. Each subseries is described individually.

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Series III: External Activities, 1987-1996

Comprised of five (5) subseries: Kentucky Centers of Excellence and Endowed Chairs; State of Louisiana -- Desegregation Settlement Agreement Monitoring Committee; Virginia Commonwealth University, University Honors Program; Mary Sue Terry Gubernatorial Campaign, and Nepal. Contains correspondence, clippings and other materials related to Dr. Davies' activities outside of SCHEV as a consultant and educator.

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Series IV: Termination of Director of SCHEV, 1997

Divided into three subseries: correspondence; clippings; and notes. All subseries are arranged chronologically. Includes correspondence, memos, newspaper accounts, and other materials relating to the April 1997 action of the Council to not renew Dr. Davies' contract.

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Series V: Gordon K. Davies

Arranged alphabetically by folder title. Contains biographical information about Dr. Davies.

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Series VI: Miscellaneous Materials

Arranged alphabetically by folder title. Contains materials related to Dr. Davies' activities inside and outside of SCHEV.

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Series VII: Legal Materials

Arranged by series and follows scheme of arrangement of the series of origin.

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