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University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library

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James J. Duderstadt Papers, 1963-2016 (majority within 1970-1996)

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Restrictions:
The James J. Duderstadt collection is comprised of two subgroups: Paper Documents (physical paper-based materials) and Digital Documents. Series within the Paper Documents subgroup closed for...

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Summary

Creator:
Duderstadt, James J., 1942-
Abstract:
Nuclear engineer, professor and eleventh president of the University of Michigan (1988-1996), leader in efforts to transform the University of Michigan, and higher education generally, into a culturally diverse, financially secure, and technologically advanced institution. Collection consists of both paper and digital documents, including speeches, presentations, writings and images. Portions of the collection are restricted. This collection represents the "personal papers" of president Duderstadt. Other material relating to his presidency is located in the record group "University of Michigan. President."
Extent:
28.5 linear feet
2215 digital files
Language:
English.
Call Number:
9811 Aa 2
Authors:
Finding aid prepared by: Nancy M. Deromedi and Kathy L. Steiner, July 1998, Nancy M. Deromedi, November 2001 and 2003. Updated in May 2019.

Background

Scope and Content:

The James J. Duderstadt papers span the years from 1963 to the present, although the bulk of the material covers 1970 to 1996. The collection, consisting mainly of Speeches, Position Papers, and Presentations, effectively documents Duderstadt's vision, agenda, and planning process. There are two subgroups in the collection: Paper Documents and Digital Documents.

The Paper Documents subgroup is comprised of thirteen series: Biographical / Background Material, Speeches and Accompanying Material, Computer Printouts of Speeches, Position Papers, Publications, Presentations, Correspondence, Research, Topical Files (Pre-Presidency), Teaching, Presidential Transition Files, Strategic Planning, and Diaries and Notebooks. It includes a few papers from his years as engineering dean and his term as provost, along with a substantial amount of material from his years as professor of nuclear engineering and as president of the university.

A second subgroup, Digital Documents, is comprised of material created and maintained in electronic form (utilizing a number of software programs), and is particularly strong for representing Duderstadt's entire term as president of the university. The subgroup includes eight series: Speeches, Idea Files, Strategy, Position Papers, Presentations, Write Files and Legacy Files. The digital files of speeches and position papers frequently contain various and well-organized iterations of key documents. Of particular note are the Strategy Files, which hold substantial planning documents, many designed to encourage and promote vigorous response to change at many levels within the university. The subgroup also contains a series of Digital Images, most of which appeared in the 1996 publication Rebuilding the University: 1986-1996.

Biographical / Historical:

Nuclear engineer and eleventh President of the University of Michigan, James J. Duderstadt worked both to position the university as a leader in higher education and to transform the university into a new institutional "model" for higher education --an institutional model that could readily adapt to the changing needs of society.

Born on December 5, 1942 in Iowa, Duderstadt was raised in Carollton, Missouri, a small farming community of 4,000 persons. Duderstadt earned his B.S. in electrical engineering (summa cum laude), Yale University (1964); M.S. in engineering science, California Institute of Science (1965); and Ph.D. in engineering science and physics, California Institute of Technology (1967). Duderstadt's dissertation won the American Nuclear Society Mark Mills award, an honor presented to the nation's most outstanding Ph.D. dissertation in nuclear science and engineering. He married a high school classmate, Anne Marie Lock, in 1964. The Duderstadts have two daughters: Susan and Katharine.

After completing his master's and doctoral degrees in just three years, Duderstadt held a postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission located in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The project involved the development of a nuclear rocket intended to fly to Mars. However, the NASA project lost funding, and in 1969 Duderstadt accepted an appointment as assistant professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Duderstadt was promoted to the rank of associate professor in 1972 and achieved the status of full professor in 1976.

In the classroom, Duderstadt was the recipient of many awards for both his teaching and research efforts including Outstanding Nuclear Engineering Educator Award in 1974 and College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher in 1980. He was the primary supervisor for twenty-two doctoral dissertations, co-authored several engineering textbooks, and published over sixty journal articles in the areas of nuclear reactor theory, radiation transport, kinetic theory and statistical mechanics, plasma physics, and computer simulation.

In 1981, Professor Duderstadt was appointed dean of the University of Michigan's College of Engineering. At age 38, he was the youngest person ever to be appointed dean in the history of the college. His appointment occurred at the same time the state of Michigan was suffering from a downturn in the economy due to the effects of a national recession in the automobile industry. However, despite the economic atmosphere of the early 1980s, Duderstadt established the college as a "high priority" both in the university and in the state. He secured additional financial support from state, corporate, and private sources. During this period, the College of Engineering general fund went from $11 million to $34 million; private fund-raising grew from $2 million per year to $7 million per year; and federal and industrial sponsored research support rose from $16 million per year to $36 million per year during the last year of his tenure.

As dean of the College of Engineering, Duderstadt was also instrumental in the development of several high technology research initiatives. Major programmatic initiatives included: The Center for Research on Integrated Manufacturing; The Center for Machine Intelligence; The Center for Advanced Electronics and Optics Technology; and the Computer Aided Engineering Network (CAEN). Academic programs introduced under his direction were the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and Applied Physics programs.

By 1986, Duderstadt had "rebuilt" the Engineering campus and reestablished the prestige of the college within the university and state of Michigan. In that spring, Duderstadt stated, "The job in Engineering is winding down. We've accomplished what we set out to do." That spring he was appointed University of Michigan's Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

As provost, Duderstadt's role was that of chief academic and chief budget officer. He also held approval responsibility for all faculty and academic staff appointments. The composition of the Ann Arbor campus at that time included 35,000 students, 3400 faculty, 15,000 staff members, a total operating budget of $1.2 billion per year, and a General Fund budget of $430 million per year.

Duderstadt's appointment to Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs marked another "first" at the University. He was the first engineer to be appointed to this position. Duderstadt's appointment began during the final year of the university's "Five Year Plan" a plan focused on budget reallocation and reduction implemented by the university in reaction to a dramatic decrease in state support that began in the early 1980s. As provost, Duderstadt worked to shift the university's stance from "reactive to pro-active" by instilling an approach towards the external environment that was challenging rather than threatening. To achieve this objective, he implemented a series of well planned strategic retreats with key university administrators and academic units.

Duderstadt was just in the second year of his appointment as provost when President Harold Shapiro announced on April 28, 1987 that he had accepted the presidency at Princeton University. Former President Robben W. Fleming served as Interim President and on June 10, 1988, the Regents of the University named James J. Duderstadt the 11th president of the University of Michigan.

As president of the university, Duderstadt maintained a full steam ahead, energetic management style. He can be credited with instituting several changes in the cultural and physical landscape of Michigan. Most significantly, Duderstadt worked to alter the ethnic and racial composition of students, faculty, and staff at the university. His vision was to "build a community that values and respects and, indeed, draws its intellectual strength from the rich diversity of peoples of different races, cultures, religions, nationalities, and beliefs." His vision of a multicultural community for the twenty-first century resulted in a strategic plan for the university titled The Michigan Mandate: A Strategic Linking of Academic Excellence and Social Diversity. In addition to the "Michigan Mandate," Duderstadt worked to create a more equitable environment for women at the university as evidenced in "The Michigan Agenda." In this paper, Duderstadt challenged the university -- "By the Year 2000, the University of Michigan will become the leader among American universities in promoting and achieving the success of women of diverse backgrounds as faculty, students, and staff." Taken together, the Michigan Mandate and the Michigan Agenda outlined his vision for the future of minorities and women at the university.

The contours of the campus landscape also shifted significantly during the Duderstadt tenure. New construction, renovation, and major improvements were realized through an enthusiastic fund-raising campaign called the "Campaign for Michigan." The Campaign effort raised over 1 billion dollars and paved the way for the implementation of a major plan to strengthen the university's infrastructure. In sum, the Campaign effort led to the rebuilding of the Central and Medical campuses, expansion of the North Campus, renovation of the Athletic Campus, and the development of a landscaping plan for the entire campus. New construction included the Lurie Engineering Center, the Media Union, Cancer and Geriatrics Center, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, and the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Building for Aerospace Research.

In addition to his efforts in shaping the campus both culturally and physically, Duderstadt can also be credited with overseeing the development of several research initiatives. A selection of new initiatives includes the Media Union, the Institute for the Humanities, the Institute of Molecular Medicine, and the Davidson Institute for Emerging Economies.

On September 27, 1995, President Duderstadt shocked the university community with the announcement that he would be leaving the position effective June 30, 1996. In an open letter to the community announcing his decision Duderstadt stated, "Working together, we have indeed built a truly extraordinary university. But we have built a university for the twentieth century, and that century is rapidly coming to an end. It is now time to lead the University in new directions, to transform ourselves to better serve a rapidly changing world. And I believe that such new directions may benefit best from new leadership, fresh visions, and untapped energy."

Upon his departure as president of the University of Michigan, Duderstadt returned to the classroom as Professor of Science and Technology at Michigan. In addition, he heads the Millennium Project. The Millennium Project is a research center in the Media Union concerned with the impact of technology on research and teaching. Information about current research and a selection of Duderstadt's "legacy documents" are available online at: [http://milproj.ummu.umich.edu].

Summary of positions held at the University of Michigan
Date Event
1969-1972 Assistant Professor
1972-1976 Associate Professor
1976- Professor
1981-1986 Dean, College of Engineering
1986-1988 Provost and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs
1988-1996 President
1996- President Emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering
Acquisition Information:
The Duderstadt Papers (donor no. 8513 ) were transferred to the library in several accessions. The first paper material arrived in 1996 and the first digital material in 1997.
Processing information:

At the time the digital documents were accessioned to the library, a large number of the files were already considered obsolete, since they had been created with the software application MORE 3.1. After testing for information loss a decision was made to convert the obsolete files to a standard word processing program. After testing and analysis, it was decided to convert the MORE 3.1 files to Microsoft Word 6.0. It was also decided to migrate all of the files from the Macintosh operating system to a Windows platform to insure compatibility with the computers in the library reading room. The original file name, directory title, directory structure, and original date created were preserved. The original directory name, file name, and date created to provide access points to the digital files. The digital files that are currently open for research use are viewable online either in the Bentley Historical Library reading room or via remote access. For full access to the files, a researcher will need the following software or application plug-ins:

  1. Internet Browser (Netscape 3.0 or later or IE 4.0 or later)
  2. Microsoft Word 6.0 or Word 2000
  3. Excel 5.0
  4. PowerPoint 4.0

The on-line files are accessible through this finding aid. Click on the "View Files" links in the Digital Documents subgroup. The digital files that are restricted are stored on CD-ROM.

A number of digital image files of campus buildings are not included in the extent statement above.

Arrangement:

The Duderstadt collection is organized into two subgroups: Paper Documents and Digital Documents, each of which include several series and subseries.

  1. Paper Documents
    • Biographical / Background
    • Speeches and Accompanying Material
      • Miscellaneous by Subject
      • Miscellaneous by Date
      • 1981 -1982
      • 1983-1984
      • 1985-1986
      • 1986
      • 1987
      • 1988
      • 1989
      • 1990
      • 1991
      • 1991-1992
      • 1993
      • 1994
      • 1995
      • 1996
    • Computer Printouts of Speeches
    • Position Papers
    • Publications (Legacy Documents)
    • Presentations
    • Correspondence
    • Research
    • Topical Files
    • Teaching
    • Presidential Transition
    • Strategic Planning
    • Diaries and Notebooks
  2. Digital Documents
    • Speeches
      • 1986-1987 Speeches
      • 1987-1988 Speeches
      • 1988-1989 Speeches
      • 1989-1990 Speeches
      • 1990-1991 Speeches
      • 1991-1992 Speeches
      • 1992-1993 Speeches
      • 1994-1995 Speeches
      • 1995-1996 Speeches
      • Athletic Talks-Speeches
    • Idea Files
      • 1986-1987 Ideas
      • 1987-1988 Ideas
      • 1988-1989 Ideas
      • 1989-1990 Ideas
      • 1990-1991 Ideas
      • 1991-1992 Ideas
      • 1992-1993 Ideas
      • 1993-1994 Ideas
      • 1994-1995 Ideas
    • Strategy
      • 1986-1987 Strategy
      • 1987-1988 Strategy
      • 1989-1990 Strategy
      • 1990-1991 Strategy
      • 1994-1995 Strategy
      • 1995-1996 Strategy
      • 1996-1997 Strategy
    • Position Papers
      • 1986-1987 Position Papers
      • 1987-1988 Position Papers
      • 1988-1989 Position Papers
      • 1989-1990 Position Papers
      • 1990-1991 Position Papers
      • 1991-1992 Position Papers
      • 1992-1993 Position Papers
      • 1993-1994 Position Papers
      • 1994-1995 Position Papers
      • 1995-1996 Position Papers
      • 1996-1997 Position Papers
    • Presentations
      • 1987-1988 Presentations
      • 1988-1989 Presentations
      • 1989-1990 Presentations
      • 1990-1991 Presentations
      • 1991-1992 Presentations
      • 1992-1993 Presentations
      • 1993-1994 Presentations
      • 1994-1995 Presentations
      • 1995-1996 Presentations
      • 1996-1997 Presentations
    • Write Files
      • 1988 and earlier Write
      • 1988-1989 Write
      • 1989-1990 Write
      • 1990-1991 Write
      • 1991-1992 Write
      • 1992-1993 Write
      • 1993-1994 Write
      • 1994-1995 Write
      • 1995-1996 Write
      • 1996-1997 Write
    • Legacy Documents
    • Digital Images

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The James J. Duderstadt collection is comprised of two subgroups: Paper Documents (physical paper-based materials) and Digital Documents.

Series within the Paper Documents subgroup closed for research use until July 1, 2037:
  1. Diaries and Notebooks -- Boxes 25-29.
Series within the Digital Documents subgroup closed for research use until July 1, 2030:
  1. Ideas
  2. Position Papers
  3. Strategy
  4. Write Files
USE & PERMISSIONS:

Donor(s) have transferred any applicable copyright to the Regents of the University of Michigan but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright was not transferred. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Paper documents: item, folder title, box no., James J. Duderstadt Papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.

Digital documents: file name, creation date, series, James J. Duderstadt Papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan

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Collection

James J. Duderstadt Papers, 1963-2016 (majority within 1970-1996)
Call Number 9811 Aa 2
Total components 4,290
Items available online Online 3,297
Last indexed 2023-08-08