Capstone History Papers on Oakland University History

Topics:

Oakland University's strategies and programs to increase minority representation among students and faculty (especially in the late 1960s-1980s period), relations with white students and race relations on campus, African American student organizations, OU black activism compared to other MI universities, etc. 

Selected sources at the OU Archives:

Papers of Manuel Pierson
Files from the Office of Student Affairs and Student Services, documenting minority programs at Oakland in the 1960s to 1980s, such as Project Upward Bound. Pierson was Dean of Student Services and assistant Vice-President for 28 year.

Subject files
These are materials collected by the Archives over the years on many different topics. For example:

• Folder “Student organizations at OU 1959-1980”: A detailed report includes the history of SDS and minority organizations.
• Folder “Urban affairs”: this OU department was responsible for support to African American students and outreach to the community
• Project Upward Bound, 1967.  OU's implementation of this federally funded program to give education to poor black students from Pontiac and other towns.

Chancellor Varner Papers
Durward "Woody" Varner was the first leader of Oakland University. His papers cover all aspects of OU's history from 1957 to 1969 and include many documents about Black students. For example:

• Box 1, Folder “Administrative group meeting minutes”: Discussions and decisions made by the administrators of OU. For example, at the meeting of August 15, 1966 administrators expressed concern about the lack of black students.
• Box 2, Folder "Black students association"
• Box 5, Folder “Continuing education 1969”: Project Pontiac with disadvantaged black male students.  
• Box 6, Folder “Dean of Students, 1967 June”: Special program for African American students in 1967- to recruit more (full report).
• Box 6, Folder “Dean of Students, 1968”:  Dean Dutton letter to Varner about the need to focus on Black recruitment in Pontiac.
• Box 6, Folders “Dean of Students -- Associate Dean of Students and Director of Special Projects -- Manuel H. Pierson -- Upward Bound”
• Box 16, Folders “Project Hope” and “Project 20”
• Box 16, Folder "Project 20 -- 1968-1969"
• Box 20, Folders “Urban Affairs Center”

Records of the School of Education, Short Term Teacher Training Program
A tripartite Short Term Teacher Training Program involving the Michigan Department of Public Instruction, Certification Division, the School District of the city of Pontiac and OU's School of Education. The goal was to train, evaluate and research teachers of underrepresented students (late 1960s-early 1970s).