Records of the Office of the Assistant to the Chancellor/President (James W. Armsey)
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Abstract
This collection is comprised of the papers of James W. Armsey, who worked as the Assistant to the Chancellor, Henry T. Heald, at New York University (NYU) for four years starting in 1952. It is made up of clippings, personal letters, and public relations documents.
Biographical Note
James William Armsey was born December 13, 1917, and he received his B.S. at the University of Illinois in 1941 and his M.A. in 1946. After graduation, Armsey worked in the Public Information Office of the University of Illinois Professional Colleges. After a year at this post, Armsey went on to serve five years as the Public Relations Director at the Illinois Institute of Technology. This experience prepared him to serve as Assistant to the Chancellor at New York University (NYU) beginning in 1952. During his four years at NYU, Armsey would hold several positions. Besides being Assistant to the Chancellor, Armsey was also the head of Public Relations, and the Vice President and Director of the New York University Press. He was an administrator for the Challenge newspaper and had ties to the Alumni Bulletin, Alumni News, and the NYU Daily Bulletin. Armsey was also a member of the Community Planning Board #2, helping to clean up the Washington Square area and acquire sites for buildings to expand the Washington Square campus. During Armsey's time at NYU, Henry T. Heald was Chancellor. Heald had been President of the Illinois Institute of Technology, and when he was appointed Chancellor of NYU, he brought Armsey to New York with him as his assistant. When Heald became president of the Ford Foundation, Armsey joined him there.
Sources Hevesi, Dennis. "James Armsey Dies at 90, Oversaw College Grants", The New York Times, November 19, 2008
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of personal letters, correspondence, press releases, newspaper articles, pamphlets, transcripts, and meeting minutes relating to New York University from 1952-1956. The papers contain information on the gift of the land estate of Frank Jay Gould, the dedication of the Gould Student Center, and the NYU-Bellevue Medical Center. There are a number of files on various aspects of fundraising, the expansion of the NYU Press, public broadcasting, and plans to make a film history of NYU. This collection also contains materials pertaining to Edwin Berry Burgum. Burgum, a tenured faculty member in the Department of English, was subpoenaed by the Senate Internal Sub-Committee on the Judiciary in October 1952 and was dismissed by Chancellor Heald after his appearance and refusal to testify. Burgum protested and requested a review, and as a result, a lengthy hearing was held by the faculty membership of the University Senate. On April 15, 1953, it recommended that Burgum's dismissal be sustained. The files on Burgum include news clippings, the transcript of the Senate Sub-Committee hearings, news releases, excerpts from the minutes of an October 1952 NYU Council meeting, and replies to letters on Burgum's suspension.
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Conditions Governing Access
Administrative records and unpublished reports of New York University are closed for a period of 20 years from the date of their creation. Access to files spanning multiple years will be opened to researchers based on the date of the most recent materials. Board of Trustees records are closed for 35 years from the date of creation. Materials related to personnel, grievances, job and fellowship searches and applications, and all files that fall under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) are permanently restricted. Additional restrictions may apply to other materials in this collection. For questions regarding specific restrictions, please contact the University Archives.
Use Restrictions
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the creator are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from New York University Archives, (212) 998-2646, university-archives@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); The Records of of the Office of the Assistant to the Chancellor, James W. Armsey; RG 3.1.1; box number, folder number; New York University Archives
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred from the Office of Public Relations.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Processing information before 2019 is unavailable.