What is it Like to be a University President?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a university president? 

One of the greatest powers that archival repositories possess is the ability to transport researchers back in time to retrace the steps of other individuals.  When you research archival collections you have the ability to hear someone else’s voice and at times read his or her most intimate thoughts in the documents before you.  You touch the very same papers!

Among some of the most significant collections in the DSU archives are those of the university presidents.  Found within the presidential files are documents which speak to each president’s visions for the growth of Delaware State University. The collections include strategic planning reports, speech drafts, correspondence with other university presidents, meeting minutes for internal committees, travel itineraries, and so much more.  The records have the ability to inform researchers about the historic mission of Delaware State University, the incremental physical and intellectual growth of the university, the character of DSU students and faculty, and the significant contributions of the university to the world at large. 

I am pleased to say that efforts are beginning in order to publicly present the presidential files of Dr. Luna I. Mishoe (1960-1987) and Dr. William B. Delauder (1987-2003). Hopefully one day very soon you will be able to be transported back in time to walk in the shoes of two of the university’s most significant leaders. 

The collection of President DeLauder's papers contains a wealth of information about the opportunities and responsibilities of a university president. This travel itinerary is just one example.  Here we learn that President DeLauder traveled to the White House to attend a conference for historically black colleges and universities in 1989.