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G. Ernst Giesecke Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 0011

Scope and Contents

This collection contains notes, published works, speeches, correspondence, memoranda, course material, meeting minutes, and one audio tape relating to Giesecke’s career in academia.

Series I: Higher Education, 1948-1976, consists of material relating to the state of higher education in the United States, university administration, reform of university policies and educational programs, and unrest on university campuses. Divided into three sub-series: Trinity College Degree Mill, Case Studies and National Study Organizations, and University Reform. Related material created in relation to the administration of Sangamon State University is located in Series II.

Series I, Sub-series A: Trinity College Degree Mill, 1948-1976, contains material relating to the investigation of Trinity College. Arranged alphabetically.

Series I, Sub-series B: Case Studies and National Study Organizations, 1968-1970, contains files on specific universities and on national organizations researching higher education. Arranged alphabetically.

Series I, Sub-series C: University Reform, 1968-1975, contains material relating to the reform of educational programs and administration at universities. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II: Sangamon State University, 1961-1983, contains material relating to Giesecke’s work at SSU. It is divided into four sub-series: University Administration, Community College File, Community College Correspondence File, and Courses Taught.

Series II, Sub-series A: University Administration, 1970-1978, contains material relating to the administration of Sangamon State University. Includes memoranda, correspondence, notes from meetings with administrators, university publications, and related material. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II, Sub-series B: Community College File, 1961-1983, contains information relating to community colleges; their curriculum, articulation policies, the experiences of students, administration, and related subjects. Includes files relating to the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Junior College Faculty Association, the Council on Community Colleges, Community College Frontiers, and the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II, Sub-series C: Community College Correspondence File, 1969-1978, contains correspondence between Giesecke and members of various community colleges. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II, Sub-series D: Courses Taught, 1971-1972, contains material relating to two courses taught by Giesecke, Issues in Higher Education and The Two Year College and the Educational Establishment.

Series III: Research and Projects, 1937-1979, contains material relating to Giesecke’s academic work. Includes notes, published papers, speeches, conference material, and correspondence. Includes a ¼ inch open reel audio tape interview of Giesecke. Arranged chronologically.

Dates

  • 1937-1983

Creator

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the University of Illinois-Springfield (UIS).

Copyrights

Copyrights to this collection are held by UIS.

Biography

Gustav Ernst Giesecke was born September 13, 1908, in Marble Falls, Texas. He received his A.B. in German and Political Science (1931) M.A., thesis in philosophy (1934), and Ph.D, dissertation in historical linguistics (1939) from Stanford University. From 1931-1932 he studied at Philipps Universität in Marburg/Lahn, Germany.

Giesecke worked at the University of Illinois as an instructor of German until 1942, when he joined the Navy, serving in the Naval Reserve until 1946. He then rejoined the University of Illinois as an assistant professor of German, as well as assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and assistant dean of Galesburg Undergraduate Division. From 1949 to 1953 he held the position of dean of the School of Applied Arts and Sciences at North Dakota Agricultural College, and from 1953 to 1959 he was the vice president of Texas Technological College in Lubbock, Texas. In 1959 he took on the roles of professor of higher education, associate dean of the Graduate School of Education, and director of the M.A.T. Program at the University of Chicago, and in 1965 joined the University of Toledo as Provost.

Giesecke joined Sangamon State University in 1970 as a professor of humanities and higher education and briefly as Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs (1970-1971). In 1971, he additionally became the Director of Community College Relations and held that position until his retirement in 1976; he worked extensively to develop and maintain relationships between Sangamon State University and the state’s community colleges. Giesecke retired in 1976 and passed away on January 4, 1995.

Extent

8.8 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Provenance

Transferred to the archives by G. Ernst Giesecke in 1976, 1977, and 1983.

Property Rights

UIS owns the property rights to this collection.

Processing Information

This collection was reprocessed in August 2024.

Title
Finding Aid to the G. Ernst Giesecke Papers
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the UIS Archives/Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Archives/Special Collections LIB 144
One University Plaza, MS BRK 140
Springfield IL 62703-5407 US
217-206-6520