College of Engineering Records, 1930-2002

Title: College of Engineering Records, 1930-2002

Predominant Dates: 1943-1983

ID: RG 062

Primary Creator: Oregon State University. College of Engineering

Extent: 23.0 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The records consist of 24 series: 1. Deans's Office, 1936-2001; 2. Instruction, 1944-1991; 3. Conferences and Short Courses, 1944-2001; 4. Facilities and Equipment, 1930-1988; 5. Research, 1942-1996; 6. Water Resources Research Institute, 1966-1971; 7. Historical Essays and Outlines, 1946-1984; 8. Students, 1946-2000; 9. Organizations - Civic and Research, 1945-1961; 10. Engineering Organizations - Educational, 1944-1969; 11. Engineering Organizations - Professional, 1946-1981; 12. Engineering Extension Services, 1944-1969; 13. Engineering Experiment Station, 1944-1979; 14. OSU Administration and Services, 1939-1972; 15. Committees, 1942-1983; 16. OSU Instructional Divisions, 1931-1981; 17. Oregon State System of Higher Education (OSSHE), 1951-1989; 18. U.S. Governments, 1947-1971; 19. Oregon State Government, 1948-1981; 20. Colleges and Universities, 1952-2000; 21. Accreditation, 1960-1993; 22. Publications, 1973-2002; 23. Army Specialized Training Program, 1943-1945; and 24. Academic Year Institute for High School Science and Math Teachers, 1953-1965.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

These records were generated and assembled by the College of Engineering and document the administration of the College and the instructional, research, and professional activities of engineering faculty at Oregon State University.

Access to the "Women in Engineering" file in Series 8 (Box-folder 25.1) and transcripts of academic records on microfilm reels 1-3 in Series 23 is restricted due to the presence of confidential information. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.

Digitized copies of unrestricted materials on reel 3 are available in the SCARC reading room upon request. The contents of Box-Folders 1.11-1.13 in Series 1, Sub-Series 2, and Box-Folder 4.7 in Series 1, Sub-Series 11 have been digitized and are available upon request.

The College of Engineering Records document the instruction, research, and outreach activities of the College, the professional activities of engineering faculty, and the collaborative programs between the College and other OSU units. The records include reports, correspondence, proposals, publications, news clippintgs, and floor plans. The bulk of the records are in paper form; some series are available only on microfilm.

The records address a variety of topics in addition to engineering instruction and research, including regional and national professional engineering associations, accreditation of the the College's degree programs, development of the Water Resources Research Institute, women and minorities in engineering, facilities and buildings, the Capitol Planning Commission for Oregon, the cooperative program between Oregon State College and Kasetsart University in Thailand, and Oregon State College's involvement in the Army Specialized Training Program during World War II and other military training activities.

The publications include copies of The Oregon State University Engineer that were published from 1991 to 2000.  These were prepared by the College of Engineering Dean's Office and provide information about OSU engineering faculty, research programs, alumni, and students.  They were issued once or twice per academic year.

The contents of Box-Folders 1.11-1.13 in Series 1, Sub-Series 2, and Box-Folder 4.7 in Series 1, Sub-Series 11 have been digitized and are available upon request.

Instruction in engineering at Oregon State dates back to the 1880s, when mathematics professors incorporated concepts in engineering as a part of their teaching of math. In 1889, Grant Adelbert Covell was appointed to the first professorship exclusively devoted to engineering and soon following this appointment, he formed the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The first two graduates of this new department received their degrees in 1893. Soon after the first undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering were awarded, the college established instructional departments in three other branches of engineering: Electrical (1897), Mining (1904), and Civil (1905).

In 1908, a School of Engineering was formed to bring the four engineering departments together under a single administrative umbrella. Covell served as the school’s first dean. Chemical Engineering, which was established in 1917 as an independent department reporting to the President’s office, later incorporated into the school in 1932. Other engineering curricula established at OSU that expanded the school further included Industrial Engineering (1943), Nuclear Engineering (1968), and Computer Science (1974). In 1947, the Schools of Agriculture and Engineering reached an agreement to cooperatively administer curriculum in Agricultural Engineering (later to become Biological and Ecological Engineering).

Other benchmarks reflecting the growth of engineering curricula at OSU are the establishment of a doctorate program in engineering in 1945 and the upgrade of the school to the status of college in 1983. Since the inception of engineering coursework in 1889, it is estimated that a total of about 29,000 students have received degrees in engineering at Oregon State.

Collaboration between the School of Engineering and the Extension Service was an early feature of engineering research and instruction at OSU, beginning with the establishment of the Experimental Engineering Department in 1914. A year later, the first Extension courses in engineering were offered in Portland and by 1927, the college created the Engineering Experiment Station.

In addition to the management of instructional departments, the College of Engineering has also administered a number of research center and institutes at OSU, one of the earliest of which was the Water Resources Research Institute. Others currently include the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, the Kiewit Center for Infrastructure and Transportation, the Western Regional Hazardous Substance Research Center, the Space Grant Program, the National Center for Accessible Transportation, and the Energy Resource Research Laboratory.

The first building constructed to serve the needs of engineering students and faculty was Mechanical Hall, which was erected in 1889 and expanded significantly in 1893. This original Mechanical Hall burned in 1898 and was rebuilt in 1900. The second Mechanical Hall was renamed Apperson Hall in 1920. It is currently undergoing an extensive remodel and will be renamed Kearney Hall when completed in 2008.

As instruction and research in engineering expanded rapidly at OSU into the twentieth century, other buildings were constructed on campus to satisfy the growing demand for space among the various branches of engineering. These buildings consist of the following: Merryfield Hall (1909), Batcheller Hall (1913), Graf Hall (1920), Covell Hall (1928), Dearborn Hall (1949), Gleeson Hall (1955), the Radiation Center (1963), Rogers Hall (1967), Owen Hall (1988), and the Kelly Engineering Center (2006).

Accruals: Additions to the collection are expected.

More Extent Information: 24 boxes, including 1 oversize box; 9 microfilm reels

Statement on Access: Access to the "Women in Engineering" file in Series 8 and transcripts of academic records on  microfilm reels 1-3 in Series 23 is restricted due to the presence of confidential information. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center. Digitized copies of unrestricted materials on reel 3 are available in the SCARC reading room upon request. All other materials in this collection are open for research.

Acquisition Note: Transferred from the College of Engineering in numerous accessions from the 1960s through 2007.

Related Materials:

Documentation of engineering faculty, students, research, and instruction at OSU is also represented elsewhere in the holdings of the Special Collections and Archives Research Center. Interaction between the College of Engineering and other administrative and academic units of the university can be found in the records of the President’s Office Records (RG 13), the Agricultural Experiment Station Records (RG 025), and the College of Agricultural Sciences Records (RG 158). Records of the Research Office Records (RG 170) contain materials from the Water Resource Research Institute.

There are also records from the various departments within the College including the Bioresource Engineering Department Recorsd (RG 001), Chemical Engineering Department Records (RG 153), Civil Engineering Department Records (RG 030), Electrical Engineering Department Records (RG 121), and the Mechanical Engineering Department Records (RG 213).

Collections of working and personal papers from engineering faculty can also be found in the following holdings: the Dean E. Booster Papers (MSS Booster), Grant Adelbert Covell Papers (MSS Covell), Samuel H. Graf Collection (MSS Graf), Hugh J. Hansen Papers (MSS HansenHJ), J. Ronald Miner Papers (MSS Miner), James A. Moore Papers (MSS MooreJA), Edgar Raymond Shepard Letters (MSS Shepard), and Robert Claude Wilson Papers (MSS WilsonR).

The archives also has a number of collections of from alumni of the College including: the Jean Mater Papers (MSS Mater), John H. Gallagher Sr., Collection (MSS Gallagher), Emile Pernot Photographs (P 230), Robert Rankin Papers (MSS Rankin), Arthur Byron Smith Papers (MSS SmithAB), Mervyn Stephenson Collection (MSS Stephenson), Neal Van Devender Papers (MSS Vandevender), and Ralph L. York Papers (MSS York).

Images depicting engineering faculty, students, instruction, buildings, and research activities can be found in the following photograph collections: College of Engineering Photograph Collection (P 069), the Bioresource Engineering Department Photograph Collection (P 106), the Industrial Arts and Industrial Manufacturing Department Photographs (P 189), the Mechanical Engineering Department Lanter Slides (P 229), Experiment Station Publications Photographic Collection (P 132), Buildings Photographic Collection (P 016), the President’s Office Photographs (P 092), E. E. Wilson Photographic Collection (P 101), John Garman Photographic Collection (P 095), Gwil Evans Photographic Collection (P 082), and Harriet’s Photograph Collection (P HC).

Documentation of engineering at OSU on films, videotapes, and other moving images are featured in the following collections: College of Engineering Moving Images (FV 069), the Agricultural Engineering Department Motion Picture Films (FV 106), the Industrial Arts Department Motion Picture Film (FV 189), and News and Communication Services Motion Picture Films and Videotapes (FV 057).

Newsletters and other publications generated by engineering students are also represented in the Center's holdings. In addition to paper copies of the Technical Record (PUB 10-15b) of the Associated Students of Engineering, several other student publications such as Electrical Discharge (PUB 10-22d), Survey (PUB 10-22g), and Slide Rule (PUB 10-22h) can be found on microfilm in the Archives. Circulars, bulletins, and reprints reflecting Engineering Experiment Station research and activities are also featured in publication groups in the archives.

Preferred Citation: College of Engineering Records (RG 062), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Oregon State University. College of Engineering
Burgess, Fredrick J. (1926-)
Dearborn, Richard Harold
Gleeson, George Walter (1905-)
Oregon State College. School of Engineering
Oregon State University. School of Engineering
Rogers, Harry Stanley (1890-)

Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology (U.S.)
Army Specialized Training Program (U.S.)
Engineering--Study and teaching--Oregon.
Engineering schools--Oregon.
Engineering students--Oregon--Corvallis.
History of Science
KOAC (Radio station : Corvallis, Or.)
Mahāwitthayālai Kasētsāt
Military education--Oregon--Corvallis.
Natural Resources
Oregon. Capitol Planning Commission
Oregon State College--Faculty.
Oregon State College--Research.
Oregon State College--Students.
Oregon State College. Engineering Experiment Station
Oregon State University--Buildings
Oregon State University--Faculty.
Oregon State University--Research.
Oregon State University--Students.
Oregon State University. College of Engineering
Oregon State University. Water Resources Research Institute
Salem (Or.)
Technical education--Oregon.
University History
Women in engineering--Oregon--Corvallis.
World War, 1939-1945--War work--Schools.