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J. Frank Ligon Papers, 1965-1979

By Elizabeth Nielsen

Collection Overview

Title: J. Frank Ligon Papers, 1965-1979

ID: MSS Ligon

Primary Creator: Ligon, J. Frank (John Frank) (1917-)

Extent: 0.5 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The J. Frank Ligon Papers consist of materials created and assembled by Ligon in the course of a series of administrative roles for academic programs at Oregon State University – specifically his roles in the 1960s and 1970s as Director of Summer Term, Assistant to the President for Continuing Education, Curriculum Coordinator, and Assistant to the President for Community College Relations.  J. Frank Ligon was a faculty member and administrator at Oregon State University from 1946 until his retirement in 1981.

Scope and Content Notes

The J. Frank Ligon Papers consist of materials created and assembled by Ligon in the course of a series of administrative roles for academic programs at Oregon State University – specifically his roles in the 1960s and 1970s as Director of Summer Term, Assistant to the President for Continuing Education, Curriculum Coordinator, and Assistant to the President for Community College Relations.   A portion of the records were created and assembled by Ligon’s predecessors and represent activities prior to his appointment to a specific role.  The records primarily consist of correspondence, reports, subject files, and related documentation.

The bulk of the records pertain to academic programs for undergraduates, undergraduate advising and general education requirements, and the coordination of academic programs with other Oregon State System of Higher Education institutions and community colleges.  In the mid-Willamette Valley, this coordination work was done through the Linn Benton Area Coordinating Council for Continuing Education and Community Service.   Materials documenting interactions with the Oregon Institute of Technology, Southern Oregon College, Eastern Oregon State College, and the Oregon College of Education are included.

Of special note are materials documenting efforts to reach and provide services to non-traditional college student populations.  These include adult students who were returning to college after a period of absence, residents of the Oregon State Penitentiary, low income or physically disabled students, and women.  The collection includes a 1967 report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Higher Education for Mature Women at OSU; a report of the Special Services Consortium – a consortium of community colleges and Oregon State that provided services to “low income or physically disabled students”; and materials assembled for a television program targeted at adult students.  The Oregon State Penitentiary program materials were assembled by Robert Philipps who preceded Ligon as Summer Term Director and was an instructor in the program in the 1960s.

Finally, the collection includes files documenting the arrangements for campus speakers hosted by the Summer Term Office – specifically, Julian Bond and Willi Unsoeld.  Bond was initially scheduled to speak in July 1969, but his visit was cancelled due to illness.  He subsequently spoke at Oregon State as part of the convocations and lecture series in October 1970.  Willi Unsoeld spoke at Oregon State in June 1969 about his climb of Mt. Everest and his work for Outward Bound as Executive Vice President.  The Unsoeld folder includes a copy negative of a print of Unsoeld.

Biographical / Historical Notes

J. Frank Ligon was a faculty member and administrator at Oregon State University from 1946 until his retirement in 1981.  Ligon joined the Oregon State College faculty in 1946 as an Instructor in English and rose through the academic ranks to Professor of English, a position he held until 1973. In the early 1960s, Ligon began a series of administrative roles at Oregon State primarily focused on the University’s academic programs.  From 1962 to 1977, he served as Curriculum Coordinator and played a key role in the development of degree programs in the arts, humanities, and social sciences which had been authorized at the time Oregon State became a University in 1961.  As Curriculum Coordinator, he was also instrumental in the development and refinement of general education requirements for undergraduates.  In 1974, he also became the Assistant to the President for Community College Relations.  Finally, in 1978, Ligon was selected as the Director of Summer Term and the Assistant to the President for Continuing Educational Services and Institutional Relations.  Ligon retired from that position in December 1981.

John Frank Ligon, Jr. was born in Reidville, South Carolina on October 10, 1918 and died in Corvallis, Oregon, on October 6, 1992.  He earned an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1938, an M.A. from Peabody in 1940, and his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1961.



Author: Elizabeth Nielsen

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 2 boxes; 1 photograph

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: These materials were donated to the former University Archives by Frank Ligon in early 1982 soon after his retirement from Oregon State University.

Related Materials: The Special Collections and Archives Research Center’s holdings include numerous collections documenting academic programs and the administration and coordination of those programs within and beyond Oregon State.  Other collections of specific interest to users of this collection may be the records of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies (RG 113), Curriculum Coordination (RG 029), Summer Session (RG 270), and Academic Affairs (RG 022).  The College of Liberal Arts Records (RG 143) include additional materials pertaining to the Oregon State Penitentiary program.

Preferred Citation: J. Frank Ligon Papers (MSS Ligon), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: These materials were placed in the Continuing Higher Education and Summer Term Records (RG 179) when they were received in 1982.  In 2019, they were separated from that collection to form the J. Frank Ligon Papers.  In the early 1980s, the papers were prepared for microfilming (removed from original folders and most fasteners removed), but the microfilming was not completed.  For the preparation of this finding aid, the materials have been retained in the order established for microfilming; one folder of correspondence pertaining to scholarship donors and recipients has been weeded from the collection.

Creators

Ligon, J. Frank (John Frank) (1917-)
Oregon State University. Summer Term Office.
Phillips, Robert (Robert Lee) (1931-2016)

People, Places, and Topics

Adult college students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Bond, Julian, 1940-2015
Community colleges--Oregon.
Oregon State System of Higher Education
Oregon State University--Curricula.
Oregon State University--Undergraduates.
Oregon State University. Office of Curriculum Coordination
Oregon State University. Summer Term Office.
Universities and colleges--Curricula--Oregon.
University History
Unsoeld, William Francis, 1926-1979
Women--Education (Higher)--Oregon--Corvallis.

Forms of Material

Film negatives.


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