Established in 1965, the Research Office
oversees and directs research at OSU. The Research Office Records were
generated or acquired by the Research Office, the Natural Resources Policy
Institute, and OSU research centers and institutes. The records document the
formation of procedures and policies regarding research, review of various
research projects at OSU, and external funding of research through
grants.
Repository:
Oregon State University
Libraries University
Archives
Funding for encoding this
finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for
the Humanities.
Historical Note
The Research Office, headed by the Vice Provost for Research, oversees
and directs research in all of OSU's colleges as well as 20 multi-disciplinary
programs, centers, and institutes. The Research Office was established in 1965
in response to a steady increase in research funding available to universities
after World War II. Prior to 1965, the administration of research was directed
by the Associate Dean of the Graduate School. In addition to heading the
Research Office, the Vice Provost also serves as the chair of the Research
Council, which reviews all research proposals for funding support. Since its
inception, the Research Office has been headed by: Roy Young (1965-1976), John
Byrne (1976-1981), George Keller (1981-1991), Dick Scanlan (1992-1998), Wilson
"Toby" Hayes (1998-2001), and Richard Holdren (2001-). Roy Young also served as
Director of the Natural Resources Policy Institute from 1986 to 1990.
Content Description
These records were generated and acquired by the Research Office, the
Natural Resources Policy Institute and several OSU research centers and
institutes managed by the Research Office. In addition to reflecting the
administration of these offices, the Research Office records also document the
formation of procedures and policies regarding research, the review of various
research projects at OSU, and the compilation of summary data on grant
funding.
Given differences in the series designations between the paper and
microfilm records in this group, the microfilm reels are described separately
below and in the inventory.
The records in Subgroup 1, Research Administration, consist of nine
series: I. Reports and Summaries; II. Committees; III. Correspondence; IV.
Reports/Publications; V. Sea Grant Program; VI. Research Highlights; VII.
Research Council; VIII. Policies/Procedures; and IX. Reports of Gifts and
Grants. The records document the management of the Research Office and its
function of evaluating grant proposals, communicating with various University
committees and research centers on matters of procedure and funding, and
compiling summaries of the grant review process.
Series I contains reports summarizing research grant funding, proposals,
and applications at OSU. Most of the reports are organized by year and some are
listed by college and school, resource allocator and by function. Series II
consists of minutes, correspondence, and memoranda generated by University
committees involved in evaluating and coordinating research projects and
proposals, organizing presentations of outside researchers, and formulating
research policies and procedures.
Series III contains correspondence, memoranda, and research proposals
from research boards and organizations on campus and relates to the daily
management of the Research Office, membership in research-oriented fraternal
clubs, and specific research projects. Also included in this series are
announcements from the Vice Provost for Research e-mailed to various directors
and department heads. These announcements pertain to new regulations regarding
the use of animals and humans in research, Vice Provost for Research Wilson
Hayes, and the solicitation of topics to be presented at the OSU Biology
Colloquium. The reports in series IV consists on the proceedings on a research
grant writing seminar and a report on research opportunities.
Series V pertains to research projects undertaken by the Sea Grant
program and contains reports, correspondence, memoranda, and research
proposals. Series VI consists of a report from 1983 regarding current research
projects described in brief one-page statements and organized alphabetically by
department and faculty member. Series VII consists of minutes from the Research
Council. Reports and handbooks on research policies and procedures constitute
Series VIII. Series IX consists of notification and statement of grant awards
forms. The newspaper clippings in series X were clipped from The
Daily Barometer and the
Corvallis Gazette-Times and document various
research projects and findings by OSU staff.
The records in Subgroup Two document research activities at 17 OSU
centers and institutes managed by the Research Office and is arranged into 17
series by center. The records consist of correspondence, reports, studies, and
minutes.
Subgroup Three consists of records from the Natural Resources Policy
Institute and is organized into 5 series: I. Governor's Science Council; II.
Correspondence; III. National Institute of Ecological Sciences; IV. Grant
Proposals; and V. Committees.
Series I contains correspondence, minutes, reports, and informational
materials from the Governor's Science Council, an advisory committee made up of
representatives from the private sector, government, and academia with the
mission of promoting scientific and technological research in Oregon. Young
served on this council from 1987 to 1990. Series II primarily consists of
correspondence and reports relating to foundation funding of the Institute, the
campaign for HR Bill 3904, the impact of agriculture upon the environment, and
projects from OSU research centers and institutes.
Series III pertains to the federal bill (HR 3904) to establish a
National Institute of Ecological Sciences and consists of correspondence,
reports, and testimonial statements before congress. Series IV consists of
grant proposals sent to the Fred Meyer Charitable Trust and the William/Flora
Hewlitt Foundation requesting funds to support the Natural Resources Policy
Institute. Series V contains correspondence and minutes generated by university
committees and relates to matters of research, foundation and corporate
funding, and use of technology developed in research.
There are four series in the microfilm records: I. Correspondence
(1965-1980), III. Reports (1966-1971), IV. Research Projects (1960-1975), and
V. Committees and Councils (1964-1975). The records in all of these series'
pertain to the administration and funding of research and address a range of
procedural, ethical, and financial issues such as the protection of human
subjects, patent regulations, federal government funding, and promotion and
tenure guidelines. Included in the microfilm records are correspondence,
reports, project proposals, clippings, minutes, brochures, notes, publications,
bylaws, and newsletters.
About two-thirds of the microfilm records consist of correspondence
files organized in three different methods, by subject, by organization and
institution, and by individual.
On reel 3, folders 203 through 210 are personnel files containing
confidential information and fall under the guidelines for restricted access.
Original paper records that are illegible when on the microfilm are stored at
the end of the paper records and are organized numerically by reel and file
folder order.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
On the microfilm, there are personnel records that contain confidential
information. Access to these particular files are restricted and subject to
review by the Archives staff.
Preferred Citation :
Research Office Records (RG 170), Oregon State University Archives,
Corvallis, Oregon.
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The paper records are organized into three subgroups: 1. Research
Administration, 2. Research Centers and Institutes, and 3. The Natural
Resources Policy Institute. The microfilm records contain four series: I.
Correspondence; III. Reports; IV. Research Projects; and V. Committees and
Councils.
Related Materials :
In addition to the files of Research Office, there are other records
that document both the administration and funding of research at OSU. Files on
individual grant funded research projects summarized in Research Office reports
can be found in the Research Accounting Records (RG 26). Records and
photographs from the institutes and centers managed by the Research Office are
also represented in the Archives: the Agricultural Experimental Station (RG 25,
P 29), the Environmental Health Sciences Center (RG 155), the Environmental
Remote Sensing Application Laboratory (RG 218), the Gene Research and
Biotechnology Center (RG 216), the Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center (RG
194), the Oregon Productivity Center (RG 219), the Sea Grant College Program
(RG 201, P 185), and the Transportation Research Institute (RG 30-Civil
Engineering Dept. Records). The records of the Research Office include
photographs (P 181). The Archives holdings also include the personal papers of
Roy A. Young, the first Dean of Research and Director of the Natural Resources
Policy Institute.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Subgroup 1: Research
Administration, 1963-2002
Container(s)
Description
Series I: Reports and
Summaries, 1963-2000
Box
1
Summary of Research
Grants from outside agencies to OSU, 1964-1994, 1998/99-1999/00
1
Monthly Summaries of
Grants (from outside agencies to OSU) Received, 1999-2000
1
Grants from outside
agencies to OSU: Supplement List, 1967-1982
2
Grants from outside
agencies to OSU: Supplement List, 1982-1991
2
Grant Application
List, 1963-1995
2
Grant Proposal
Lists, 1966-1970
3
Grant Proposal
Lists, 1970-1981
3
Grant and Proposal
Statistics, 1977-1995
3
General Grant
Lists, 1967-1978
3
Research Support
Allocation Lists, 1972-1980
3
National Science
Foundation (NSF) Funded Research Lists, 1967-1969
3
Research Council
Allocation Lists, 1968-1972
3
Research Grants in the
School of Science, 1968-1973
3
Research Grants in the
College of Liberal Arts, 1967-1975
3
Research and Training
Grant Lists, 1967-1973
3
List of Active Research
Projects, 1965
Series II: Committees, 1970-1993
Box
3
Biology Colloquium
Committee, 1980-1986
3
Carcinogens
Committee, 1985-1986
3
Condon Lecture
Committee, 1980-1986
3
Faculty Research
Assistant Committee, 1991-1993
3
Marine Science
Commission, 1980-1981
3
Materials Science
Committee, 1984-1985
3
Natural Resources
Committee, 1970-1972
3
Research Assistants
Unclassified (RAU) Committee, 1980-1984
Series III: Correspondence, 1965-2002
Box
3
Announcements from the
Vice Provost for Research, 2000-2002
3
General, 1965-2001
3
Humanities Advisory
Board, 1986-1987
3
Humanities Development
Office, 1978-1986
3
Materials Research
Group, 1983-1984
3
Phi Kappa Phi, 1983-1985
3
Scanning Electron
Microscope Project, 1983-1984
3
Seismic Monitoring
Program, 1979-1984
Series IV: Reports/Publications, 1977-1992
Box
4
Proceedings of
Grantsmanship Seminar, 1977-1978
4
Research Opportunities
and Fellowships, 1983-1989
2 folders
4
Research at OSU:
Preparing for the Future, 1992
Series V: Sea Grant Program, 1978-1990
Box
4
Correspondence, 1978-1985, 1987-1990
Series VI: Research
Highlights, 1983
Box
4
Research
Highlights, 1983
Series VII: Research Council, 1962-1992
Box
4
Minutes, 1962-1992
Series VIII: Policies/Procedures, 1963-1997
Box
4
Handbooks on Human
Subject Research, 1975, 1997
4
OSU Policy Statement on
Outside Professional Activities, 1992
4
Procedures for Handling
Allegations of Scientific and Scholarly Misconduct, 1989
4
Research Handbooks:
Policies, Regulations, and Guidelines, 1963-1986