11th Anniversary of name change to Delaware State University

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Written by: Leigh-Anne Yacovelli

Today’s post celebrates the 11th anniversary of the day that Governor Thomas Carper signed the name change from Delaware State College (DSC) to Delaware State University (DSU) into law. This important event stemmed from a unanimous vote made on September 10, 1992 by the DSC Board of Trustees to conduct a study on the merits of changing the institution’s name. By May 13, 1993, they agreed it was a wanted change, and authorized the DSC’s president to send a formal request for name change to the General Assembly. 

Visit the Archives to read this report.

Why is it so important? After all, the size of the institution does not tip the scale from a college to a university. By 1991, different states developed different rationales for changing the name of an institution from college to university. Some states insisted the school be able to provide doctoral degrees, while others had to offer a minimum number of graduate degrees, or a minimum number of students enrolled in degrees not designed to produce teachers.

The designation of “university” resonates as a solid, worthy institution. For instance, institutions carrying that designation are more likely to gain notice over those simply labeled “college” when donors are deciding on where to contribute their money. For DSC, a name change would bring it on par with many of its peer institutions. The Board of Trustees noted in a background paper supporting the name change (written for the Governor and members of the Delaware General Assembly) that, of the 17 historically black land-grant institutions, only DSC and Fort Valley State College (in Georgia) are not designated as “university.”

If you want to learn more, come visit the archives or check out our past posts on DSU history.

Delaware State University at the Delaware Public Archives

Screen capture of some DPA materials on the
Delaware Heritage Collection.

Written by: Cale McCammon

The DSU Archives isn’t the only repository with materials relating to the history of the university. We maintain a working relationship with the Delaware Public Archives (DPA) and often refer researchers if we don’t have what they’re looking for.

If you need information on DSU’s buildings, you may not even have to drive the few miles down the road to DPA as they’ve digitized appraisals of various buildings around campus, as well as some photographs.

DPA has many other materials relating to DSU that intersect with records of the Delaware state government. Their website and contact information can be found here.

Treasure: Portrait of Mrs. William C. Jason

Mrs. William C. Jason, ca. 1911(?).

Written by: Emily Cottle

As we highlighted in a post back in March, the Archives received a large transfer from the Office of Alumni Relations that included, among other things, large quantities of photos.

During processing, we discovered the portrait, included here, of Mrs. William C. Jason, the wife of the second president and the library’s namesake, Dr. William C. Jason. It appears to have come from the photograph collection of Charles C. Showell and be from around 1911.

We have very little information about Mrs. Jason in our collection, but this beautiful portrait is certainly a treasure that we wanted to share with our readers.

Course Catalogs

Written by: Cale McCammon

Cover of the 1947-48 catalog.

While a selection of recent course catalogs is now available online, the Archives has a run of the course catalog from 1947 to 2006. In addition to containing descriptions of courses, which may be useful if you ever need to provide proof of what you learned at DSU, the catalogs also provide comprehensive trivia about the university across many academic years. This information includes descriptions of the physical plant, the rate of tuition, the academic structure of the university, and the curricula of each discipline. The early catalogs even outline some of the university’s policies on student life which really demonstrate how times have changed. Here are some regulations from the 1947-1948 catalog:

• “The College encourages simple and inexpensive dressing for all students. They are expected to wear warm, comfortable clothing, and to refrain from the use of wearing apparel that will endanger their health or that is inappropriate.”
• “No young lady may receive ‘off campus’ men friends without the approval of the Matron or Adviser to Women.”
• “Any student who marries while enrolled in this College without first receiving permission from the president may be asked to withdraw.”

Whether you need to reassure someone about that course you took years ago or whether you want to be reminded that student life has in many ways gotten easier, you are sure to find what you need in our collection of catalogs.

Staff profile: Leigh-Anne Yacovelli

Written by: Leigh-Anne Yacovelli

Leigh-Anne processing materials from the Office of Public
Relations collection.

My name is Leigh-Anne Yacovelli, and I am very excited to begin my short time here at the Delaware State University Archives and Special Collections. As a recent graduate, my experience working in an archives has been limited. In addition to what you can read in my bio, I was also asked to answer a few more questions. Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below.

DSU Archives: How did you decide you wanted to work with archives and special collections?

Leigh-Anne: I learned the value of online access to collections while an undergrad at APU. The history teachers required the use of primary sources for every paper, which was extremely difficult since so little had been digitized and made available on the Internet. I came to realize that in every town there is a relatively unknown collection (or two or three!) tucked away in all sorts of places, from volunteer-run historical societies to universities such as DSU. I felt a library science degree could teach me how to improve visibility of, and access to, these collections, so that others can enjoy and learn from them.

DSU Archives: What excites you the most about working at Delaware State University?

Leigh-Anne: I get really excited when I think about the opportunity I have to dig through the history of the university and add material to the Delaware Heritage Collection. This is a chance to find and showcase items that feature DSU, both the institution and its people’s contributions to national, state, and local events.

DSU Archives: What are your favorite materials to work with, and why?

Leigh-Anne: I like working with photographs and documents equally. There are things that can be said about both that show how difficult it is to pick one over the other. You see, photographs provide visual clues to not just the people, but also their surroundings. They freeze images for future generations to see things ranging from clothing and hairstyles to room furnishings, all within the context they appeared. Since most photographs are not arranged like paintings, where clues to people’s personalities, hobbies, and lines of business are deliberately included in the image, historical documents can provide this missing information, as well as other bits of valuable information like facts and figures of events (and even the names of the people in the photos!), to help researchers learn more.

Promoting the Archives

Written by: Emily R. Cottle

In addition to promoting the Archives to our fine blog readers, during this past spring, I also attended two conferences to get the word out about our young repository. 

At the end of April, I presented as part of a panel at the Mid Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) spring meeting in Rochester, NY featuring individuals charged as the first professional archivists in their institution’s history. This session focused on the challenges of building an archive from scratch and the ongoing challenges that young repositories face.

Poster from the MLA/DLA conference.

In May, I presented a poster at the joint conference of the Maryland and Delaware Library Associations in Ocean City, MD. Here the focus was on the ways that the Archives has had to work to fit into the existing library structure and highlighting some of the similarities and differences between the Archives and the rest of the library. 

It’s always fun to get out and talk about our repository and spread the word about all the exciting work we’re doing here.

Fashion Tips from The Hornet

From The Hornet, May 29, 1955.

Written by: Cale McCammon

With the cold weather finally letting up and commencement celebrations underway, it’s time to consider what you should be wearing if you want to be fashionable this summer. The May 29, 1955, issue of The Hornet suggests a “dainty off-the-shoulders blouse with the pin pleated skirt.” For colors, consider the following: “blue sky, sun white, sandalwood red, avocado, sun pink, butterpale, shrimp, pinkviolet, tangerine, shell p[i]nk, goldenrod, and mauve.”

Our collection of The Hornet extends from 1950 to the present. You can find many recurring columns like this one which offer interesting glimpses into student life back in the day, and you might even walk away from them with a better fashion sense.

Come visit the Archives to browse past issues of The Hornet.

Campus events: Commencement

Written by: Emily Cottle

A few sample commencement programs available in the Archives.

This past Sunday, Delaware State University held its spring commencement ceremony. The keynote speaker was Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., prominent legal theorist, civil rights attorney, mentor to President Barack Obama and author. Photos taken at the event are available here.

As we celebrate this newest class of DSU alumni, it can be fun to look back down memory lane at commencements past. The University Archives holds collections of commencement programs, containing lists of graduates and speakers. We also have a wonderful photograph collection documenting these important campus events. A sampling of these photos are available online at the Delaware Heritage Collection, but come visit the archives in person to see the many more that we have available.

Congratulations to all the 2014 graduates from the University Archives!

History: The Delaware State Ceremonial Mace

Written by: Emily Cottle 

 Introduced during the tenure of Delaware State’s seventh president, Dr. Luna I. Mishoe, the ceremonial mace was designed to be a “permanent emblem of the authority of the Office of the President and will be used at commencement exercises and at other College affairs of special significance.”

Pages from a pamphlet housed in the Archives giving
information on the history of DSU's ceremonial mace.

The preceding quote was taken from a publication on the ceremonial mace, the cover of which is pictured here. It described how the mace was designed and constructed by Mr. John McCollough, an assistant professor of Art Education at Delaware State College, in spring 1963. It is constructed with sterling silver alongside ebony from Africa, rosewood from Africa and India, lace wood from Australia, mahogany from the Philippines, pear wood from Switzerland, lignum vitae from South America, and walnut wood from North America. Its symbolism is derived from the incorporation of silver with the wood from different continents.

The mace is 48 inches long and weighs over 6 pounds.

Yearbooks Now Housed in the Archives

Written by: Cale McCammon

The yearbooks in their new home.

The DSU yearbooks have been moved from the Delaware Room to the Archives (Room 227) so that they can be kept in perpetuity along with all the other materials that are central to the university’s history. But don’t worry, this won’t impact their accessibility. Extra copies will be on reserve at the circulation desk, and the archival collection will be available from 8am to 5pm. 

The collection runs from 1960 to 2007, so feel free to check out faculty and student fashion trends or what Mom and Dad looked like in their glory days.