RG-DEV:  Development Office Records 1913-1990

Collection

RG-DEV:  Development Office Records 1913-1990

14.00

The Development Office is responsible for the fund-raising operations of the college.  These records document its activities.

History & Background of the Office:

Perhaps the first donation to Grinnell College was in 1846 when J.J. Hill, one of the Iowa Band, made the gift of a silver dollar to challenge his colleagues to endow the College. Since that time, the College has been almost continually involved with fund-raising campaigns. In 1897 a Semi-Centennial Fund was established for enlarging the campus and for adding to the endowment. Four groups were targeted: alumni, trustees, faculty; citizens of Grinnell; Congregationalists of Iowa; and friends of education everywhere. Solicitations were sent out from the Semi-Centennial Committee.

In 1913 the Grinnell College Foundation was established to work with the Trustees of the College to manage and sell real estate, principally farm lands, given to the college under annuity plans. The Foundation financed men's and women's dormitories built in the second decade of the twentieth century. The College also had a number of endowment campaigns after the turn of the century. During the first half of the century, the College Treasurer and Business Officers were involved with development efforts, especially Louis V. Phelps (1915-49) and Charles Kaufman (1948-66). The fund-raising activities of the College were run by the administration, especially the President, and the Trustees for many years. In the late 1950s President Bowen hired the fund-raising counselling firm of Marts & Lundy to study the feasibility of raising substantial funds to meet the ongoing needs of the College. Then early in the 1960s, with the assistance of a matching grant from the Ford Foundation, the College hired its first, senior, fund-raising officer, John McFarland. From that time until 2005, development activities have been run from the Development Office. In 2005, the Development Office, the Alumni Office, and the Office of Communications and Events were combined under one Vice-President for College and Alumni Relations.

Development Officers:

1963-65 John R. McFarland, Jr. Vice President for Development 1966-66 Russell W. Fridely Vice President for Planning and Development 1966-71 James O. Avison Director of Development 1971-73 James O. Avison Vice President for Resources Planning 1973-76 James O. Avison Vice President for Institutional Development 1976-80 David L. Murphy Vice President for Development 1980-82 Richard T. Jenkins Vice President for Development 1982-92 Thomas K. Marshall Vice President for Development 1992-93 Michael S. Bever Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations 1994-96 E. Kevin Cornell Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations 1996-2001 Angela Voos Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations 2001 - 2005 Todd A. Reding Vice President for Alumnit Relations and Development, 2005 - 2010 Mickey Munley, Vice President for College and Alumni Relations

Files are arranged in seven series.

Some records are open for research; others are confidential and require authorization from College officials to access.

• Annuities -- Iowa
• Black Students Coordinating Committee (Grinnell College)
• Bridges
• Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
• College life films -- Iowa -- Grinnell
• College students -- Conduct of life
• Fairgrounds (Grinnell, Iowa)
• Herrick Chapel
• Inner-City Seminar (Grinnell College)
• Insurance -- Iowa
• Investments -- Iowa
• Iowa Band
• Multiculturalism -- Iowa -- Grinnell
• Students -- Religious life
• Students, Black
• Trusts and trustees -- Iowa
• Tutors and tutoring -- Iowa
• Volunteer workers in social service
• Wills -- Iowa

• Grinnell College (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Admission (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Alumni and alumnae (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Board of Religion (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Carnegie Library Endowment (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Chalutzim (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Chaplain's Office (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Development Office (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Dibble Scholarship Fund (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Finance (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Foundry (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Funds and scholarships (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Genealogy (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Herrick Chapel -- Design and construction (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Herrick Chapel Fund (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- James Hall (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Multicultural Task Force (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- President's Committee for a Stronger Minority Presence (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Presidents (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Rand Professorship (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Religion (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Students (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Theater Department (Subject)
• Grinnell College -- Treasurer's Office (Subject)
• Cleveland, John M. -- Correspondence (Subject)
• Cook, Shane Bellis (Class of 1956) (Subject)
• Cushman, Job -- Correspondence (Subject)
• Dibble, Martha Cleveland -- Correspondence (Subject)
• Eilert, Amy (Subject)
• Eldridge, Roger Lee (Subject)
• Haas, Dennis W. (Subject)
• Hawk, R.A. -- Correspondence (Subject)
• Hietala, Heather Kenvin (Subject)
• Kaufman, Charles -- Correspondence (Subject)
• Phelps, Louis V. -- Correspondence (Subject)
• Reed, Julius A. -- Correspondence (Subject)
• Roberts, Fred M. -- Correspondence (Subject)