Featured here is an overview of specific University Archives collections that are related to the activity of Black students, faculty, and staff, as well as efforts from UNH Administration to build a more diverse campus. This guide emphasizes the specific records of individuals and organizations as they sought to build a more inclusive campus culture. To view these materials, please set up an appointment on our website.
The University Archives is actively seeking to collect records related to the presence of Black history, activism, and curricular development within the University of New Hampshire in a concerted effort to enrich its collections related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. For further questions or prospective donations, please email kai.uchida@unh.edu.
Formats of records include, but are not limited to: correspondence, ledgers and receipts, legal papers, letters and postcards, minutes and reports, financial records, newspapers, clippings, manuscripts and typescripts, and photographs.
[Pictured below: scan of the February 1994 List of Demands made to UNH]
Affirmative Action Office Diversity Archive Notebook, Vol. 1 1979 – 2000
Collection Number UA 2/3/13
Included in this collection are materials from UNH’s first volume of a “Diversity Archive” assembled by the Affirmative Action Office (now known as the Civil Rights and Equity Office). Featured within these records are institutional goals to build and retain a multicultural campus population across faculty, staff, and students, dialogue between UNH leadership and important organizations on campus like the Black Student Union, and plans to institute new curricular offerings like an African American Studies program.
Ann Weaver Hart Papers, 2002 – 2006
Collection Number: 2/1/18
This collection features the records of Ann Weaver Hart, the eighteenth President of UNH. Included in this collection are legacy correspondence, agreements, and documentation related to the Office of the President’s communication with the Black Student Union Commission. They approached the President’s Office in February 1994 to advocate for a more inclusive learning environment and ask for significant institutional changes that would improve the experience of the Black Student body. included are the list of demands proposed by the Black Student Union, the agreements made between them and UNH Leadership, and reports regarding campus and faculty diversity.
Gregg Sanborn, 1970 – 2005
Collection Number: 2/2/6
Gregg Sanborn, class of 1966, served as Executive Assistant to the President during five different administrations and occupied several roles at UNH between 1970 and 2005. Featured here are materials related to his time as an Executive Assistant, with several records dedicated to the work of the Diversity Committee, the President’s Office’s reports on efforts to increase campus diversity, statements made to the Black Student Union and the University Community, and other associated records.
Office of Multicultural Student Affairs Files, 1991 – 1999
Collection Number: 7/6/1
This collection features the collected materials of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA), who worked with and provided advocacy to students with diverse racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identities to ensure their academic success and retention at UNH. The sustained activism and campaigning for a more inclusive campus culture by the Black Student Union is well represented in the collection, with records related to the R.E.A.D. (recruitment, economics, academics, and development) program, their 1994 commission demands, and the subsequent promises made by UNH administration. Also featured are flyers and events related to protests, OMSA programming, and diversity efforts made across UNH campus.
Office of the President’s Papers, 1941 – 1980
Collection Number: 2/1/12
This collection contains files which were maintained by the Office of the President. They cover a wide range of topics that were addressed by the Office of the President, 1941-1980. Numerous files span more than one academic year and more than one presidential administration.
Featured in this collection are a collection of records related to UNH’s involvement in the African Scholarship Program of American Universities, an initiative launched in 1961 and dedicated to providing African secondary school graduates the opportunity to pursue professional training and advanced degrees at American Universities. This collection also contains records related to the reformed Joint Board of Black Affairs from 1971, which was charged with reviewing the status and welfare of black students and faculty on campus.
Operating Staff Council Minutes and Correspondence, 1975 – 1997
Collection Number: 2/3/5
This collection features minutes, agendas, and correspondence of the Operating Staff Council, which was created in 1975 to provide effective communication between the administration of UNH and its operating staff. Featured in these materials are records related to Affirmative Action and its implementation across UNH campus, with a specialized focus on issues around recruitment and a diverse workforce as it relates to its operational staff.
Phyllis Killam Abell Faculty Papers, 1972 – 2003
Collection Number 9/6/2
This collection features the work of Phyllis Killam Abell, class of 1950, who taught several courses in the Women’s Studies Department, served on the UNH Women’s Commission, and was a major organizer of UNH’s Race, Culture, and Power Program. Abell was noted as a strong advocate for students of color on campus and addressed a number of social justice issues on campus. Highlighted in these collections are her records related to the development, accreditation, and implementation of the Race, Culture, and Power Minor, along with several articles and reports about diversity on UNH’s campus.
President’s Commission on the Status of Women Files, 1972 – 2004
Collection Number: UA 2/3/14
This collection highlights the activities of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, a group established in February of 1972. They were charged with surveying the condition of women and their equality on campus. Included are reports related to Affirmative Action implementation, a report on a 1992 Students of Color Forum, information about diverse curricula in the Women’s Studies department, and information related to a group called Shades of Beauty Sister Circle, which was a group for women of color at UNH.
Student Organization Committee Files, 1937 – 1971
Collection Number UA 7/5/4
The Student Organizations Committee is a part of UNH Administration that reports to the Vice President of Student Affairs. Featured in this collection are materials related to the creation of the African Student Union in October 1964, including a proposal, constitution, and approval from the Office of Student Affairs. Also included are materials related to student worker rights, and other associated records regarding student initiatives around academic freedom, civil rights, and protest.
Vice President for Student Affairs Files, 1963-2005
Collection Number: UA 7/5/3
This collection features records from the Vice President for Student Affairs, which is an office that deals with all aspects of student life at UNH. Relevant records from this collection include the office’s response to the 1994 Black Student Union list of demands, associated newspaper clippings from The New Hampshire after the list was released, and associated plans for the Vice President of Student Affairs to meet with Black Student Union leadership throughout the early nineties.
