Guide to the Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, J. Dennis O'Connor, Administrative Files, 1991-1995, UA.2.10.1991-1995

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, J. Dennis O'Connor, Administrative Files
Creator
University of Pittsburgh. Chancellor
Collection Number
UA.2.10.1991-1995
Extent
70.63 Linear Feet (70 record center boxes, 2 document cases)
Date
1991-1995
Abstract
This collection is comprised of material relating to J. Dennis O'Connor's tenure as Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh from 1991-1995. It includes material regarding ongoing developments with the university, the changing relationship with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and Chancellor O'Connor's actions in the larger community.
Language
English .
Author
Kathleen Donahoe.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Biography

J. Dennis O'Connor served as the sixteenth chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh from 1991 until his resignation in 1995. During his term he struggled with budget issues and the ramifications of Chancellor Wesley Posvar's controversial retirement plan. He worked to increase diversity at the university, implementing several different affirmative action programs for undergraduate and graduate students. O'Connor also oversaw the construction of Sutherland Hall, an undergraduate dormitory on upper campus, as well as the development of a Master Space Plan for Pitt.

O'Connor came to Pitt from the University of North Carolina (UNC), where he served as vice chancellor of academic affairs and provost, making him the highest-ranking academic official at the school. Prior to his time at UNC, O'Connor also served in several positions at the University of Southern California, including dean of the division of life science and chair of the biology department. He also served as a visiting professor at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and University of Nijmegan in Holland. O'Connor earned his B.S. from Loyola University in Chicago, his hometown. He earned a master's degree from DePaul University, and received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1968.

After stepping back from the chancellorship, O'Connor intended to take on a faculty position in the department of biology at Pitt. In December 1995, however, O'Connor left Pitt for the Smithsonian Institute, serving as Provost of that institution. He was also briefly the acting director of the National Museum of Natural History. In 2002 he left the Smithsonian for the University of Maryland, College Park to serve as their head of research and dean of graduate studies. He resigned from that role in 2004.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged with respect to the original order created by the Office of the Chancellor. This includes retaining the structure of their filing system, referred to as the Mail Log Files. Material was kept in the categories decided upon by staff at the time of its creation, with exceptions to those documents shown to be obviously misfiled. The categories for the mail log are as follows:

01. Office of the Chancellor

02. Secretary of the University

03. Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

04. Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement

05. Department of Athletics

06. Clerk of the Senate

07. Affirmative Action

08. Office of the Provost

09. Senior Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences

10. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)

11. Senior Vice Chancellor for Business & Finance and Treasurer

12. Associations and Organizations

13. Colleges and Universities

Each of these 13 categories has subcategories that follow, with individual number assignments of their own. These are included in the folder titles of the files in the collection. It should be noted that for the first year of Chancellor O'Connor's tenure, the Office of the Chancellor used the same numbering system as Chancellor Posvar's office did; this changes with FY1993 and remains the same for the rest of his time as chancellor. The files from that first year have been grouped with those of the same subject, but their title reflects this different mail log number.

The overall collection is divided into four series:

I. Mail Log Files

II. Subject Files

III. Chronological Files

IV. Speeches

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Preferred Citation

Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, J. Dennis O'Connor, Administrative Files, 1991-1995, UA.2.10.1991-1995, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Access Restrictions

Material in complaint files (1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 5.12) has been restricted to protect the privacy of those writing to the Chancellor's Office. Researchers accessing these files will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Scope and Content Note

The administrative files of J. Dennis O'Connor contain materials relating to all aspects of O'Connor's time as leader of the University of Pittsburgh, from 1991-1995. O'Connor began his time as "President" of the university, a holdover from the time of Wesley Posvar, but later asked the Board of Trustees to change the title back to "Chancellor." The records generally consist of correspondence, meeting minutes and supplementary materials, internal reports, university publications, chronological files, and speeches. It should be noted that many of the files in the O'Connor papers were facsimile printouts on heat transfer paper, which fades over time. As a result, all faxes have been photocopied and the originals removed from the collection.

The first series contains material sorted in the Office of the Chancellor's Mail Log File system, where every document has been previously categorized and sorted by the Chancellor's staff. Material within each mail log designation is sorted by fiscal year, which for the university begins on July 1st and ends June 30th of the next year (i.e., Fiscal Year 1992 is July 1, 1991 - June 30, 1992). Since Chancellor O'Connor stepped down on August 1, 1995, there is some material from FY1996 in the collection despite his only having been in office for one month of the fiscal year.

Chancellor O'Connor's collection continues after the mail log files with his chronological files, consisting of outgoing correspondence which may duplicate material present in the first series; his speeches, given at both Pitt and non-Pitt events; and subject files for materials not included in the mail log.

Areas of specific interest in the records may include the continuing development of Pitt's relationship with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), increased development of affirmative action programs by the chancellor, and the creation of the university's Master Plan.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Kathleen Donahoe from 2018 to 2020.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Office of the Chancellor in 2001.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • UPMC Health System
    • University of Pittsburgh. Chancellor

    Personal Names

    • O'Connor, J. Dennis

    Other Subjects

    • University of Pittsburgh
    • Universities and colleges -- Research institutes
    • Universities and colleges -- Accreditation
    • Universities and colleges -- Administration -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Universities and colleges -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- Records and correspondence
    • Universities and colleges -- Pennsylvania

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