Records of the Office of the President (Oliva)
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Abstract
L. Jay Oliva (1933-2014) began his career at New York University as a professor of Russian history. He was president of NYU from 1991 to 2002 after spending more than three decades in academic and administrative positions at the University. In addition, Oliva was the co-founder of the George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising and he served as executive producer and chair of the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The Records of the Office of the President (Oliva) consist of materials created and collected by Oliva before, during, and after his presidential tenure. These materials include correspondence, speeches and writing, event programs and invitations, reports, and meeting minutes.
Biographical Note
Born in Walden, New York, on September 23, 1933, L. Jay Oliva (1933-2014) received his B.A. from Manhattan College in 1955, and his M.A. (1957) and Ph.D. (1960) from Syracuse University. He began his career at New York University (NYU) in 1960, as a night school history lecturer, becoming a full professor of history in 1969. Around this time, he began to take on administrative responsibilities in addition to his academic duties. From 1970 to 1975, he served as Deputy Vice Chancellor, and from 1971-1972, as Dean of Faculty for the University College of Arts and Science. He then became Vice President for Academic Planning and Services (1975-1977), Vice President for Academic Affairs (1977-1980), Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (1980-1983), Chancellor and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (1983-1990), and finally, President (1991-2002). In addition, Oliva was the co-founder of the George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising and he served as executive producer and chair of the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.
In 1990, the NYU Board of Trustees unanimously elected Oliva as the successor to John Brademas and NYU's 14th president. On November 21, 1991, Oliva became the first faculty member in the institution's 163-year history to be elevated to this position. Oliva's presidential tenure was marked by a major fundraising drive, started by John Brademas, and completed by Oliva five years early. He also completed a second $1 billion campaign in five years. Oliva also focused on transforming NYU from a commuter school into a global university by hiring well-known professors and offering more foreign-study programs. Applications tripled during his tenure. As president, Oliva continued to teach Russian history and served on various boards and committees, including the Institute of International Education (IIE), the University Athletic Association (UAA), and the League of World Universities, for which he was the main organizer. Prior to becoming the president of NYU, Oliva published two books, Misalliance: A Study of French Policy in Russia During the Seven Years' War (1964) and Russia in the Era of Peter the Great (1969); and various articles, including many related to sports, such as "How to Clean Up College Sports (The Washington Post, November 20, 1986), and others related to university-issues, such as "The Dorming of New York City" (The New York Times, January 28, 1989), among others. Oliva was the recipient of numerous awards, such as the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1992) and a National Italian American Foundation honor (1994), and honorary degrees from Tel Aviv University and Hebrew Union College, among others.
Oliva passed away in 2014.
Sources cited:
Martin, Douglas. "L. Jay Oliva, Who Led the Rise of N.Y.U. in the '90s, Dies at 80." The New York Times. April 22, 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/nyregion/l-jay-oliva-who-led-the-rise-of-nyu-dies-at-80.html.
Arrangement
The records are arranged into 11 series, one of which has been further arranged into subseries. The series and subseries arrangement of the records is as follows:
Series I. Correspondence
Series II. Writing and Speeches
Subseries II.A Writing
Subseries II.B Speeches
Series III. Administrative Files
Series IV. Associations
Series V. Development and Finance
Series VI. Events and Programs
Series VII. Governance
Series VIII. Schools, Offices, and Divisions
Series IX. Publicity
Series X. Art and Memorabilia
Series XI. Subject Files
Scope and Contents
The Records of the Office of the President (Oliva), 1960-2007, include the day-to-day operations and pursuits of the President's office under L. Jay Oliva's tenure. The collection consists of materials created and collected by Oliva before, during, and after his presidential tenure, encompassing his long career at NYU and exhibiting how his viewpoints were shaped over time. Materials include correspondence, speeches and writing, reports, meeting minutes, and publications from various departments and schools. There are fundraising materials (grant applications and reports, donor briefings, and budgets) which demonstrate Oliva's focus on campaigns and appeals during his term. Additionally, there are memos to departmental heads and committees; announcements and press releases; event materials (invitations, programs, and agendas); travel itineraries; reports to various stakeholders; and correspondence and related materials with other organizations (outside of NYU) on which Oliva served as a board member or committee participant. Many of these items, such as the event programs, speeches, and publicity materials, exhibit Oliva's goal of transforming NYU into a global university since they include the dedication of new or enhanced programs abroad (such as NYU in London and the various events at Villa La Pietra). The collection also includes memorabilia (commencement robe, plaques, and pins), artwork, and photographs.
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Conditions Governing Access
Governance records are closed for 35 years from the date of creation. Access to files spanning multiple years will be opened to researchers based on the date of the most recent materials. 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.
Series VI. Governance is closed until 2037.
The following series is closed and access is restricted:
Series IV. Development and Finance
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by L. Jay Oliva and the Office of the President are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the New York University Archives.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Records of the Office of the President (Oliva); RG 3.0.11; box number; folder number or item identifier; New York University Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials were transferred from the Office of the President in multiple installments. The accession numbers associated with this collection are 14.019, 98.027, 99.019, 02.009, 00.002, 04.009, 00.006, 01.017, and 02.013.
Appraisal
Floppy disks were deaccessioned because they contained duplicate materials already present in the collection. A list of deaccessioned books and journals is available in the collection file.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2019 are unknown.
At the time of processing, the collection was arranged and described into series and subseries based on the original order and the types of materials. Financial materials (payroll, invoices, and expenses), duplicate publications and documents (including those on floppy disks), publications available online, and documents with sensitive personal information were removed. Twenty floppy disks were forensically imaged and analyzed. New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity of the content. Eight boxes from RG 6.0.8 were incorporated into this collection because the dates of the materials corresponded with those of Oliva's presidency.