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Academic Affairs. Dean, College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences. Communication & Journalism Department (University Of Maine) Records

 Record Group
Identifier: UA RG 0006-003-005

Scope and Contents

The records contain textual information created and curated by the University of Maine Department of Speech which after a number of combinations and name changes would become the Communication and Journalism Department. Mostly contains information regarding theater enterprises including Children’s Creative Theater’s summer sessions, Regional One Act Play Contest, and Summer Theater including: their history, script, cast lists, programs, press releases, planning material, and correspondence. Also, various items regarding the WORO and WMEB radio stations, including their history and various items regarding the Maine Radio Guild, including: copies of constitutions and by-laws, correspondence regarding equipment needs, lists of Guild members, mailing lists, meeting material, and copies of the IBS Bulletin. And also copies of various Seminar in Speech papers.

Dates

  • Creation: 1949-1991
  • Creation: 1950-1969

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Kept at Fogler Library's offsite storage facility. One week's notice required for retrieval. Personal identifiable and legally protected information will be redacted before release.

Conditions Governing Use

Information on literary rights available in the Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Department.

Biographical / Historical

Speech courses have been taught at the University of Maine since 1868 under Merritt Caldwell Fernald. The Public Speaking Department was established in 1915 and in 1939 would become the Department of Speech with Mark Bailey appointed the first head of the Department; Bailey had previously been head of the Public Speaking Department. Bailey continued to teach in the Department until 1946, but in 1940 was succeeded as head of department by Dr. Howard Runion. In 1948, Wofford G. Gardner was appointed department chair a position he wuld hold until 1975.

The Department of Speech offered programs in public speaking, theater, play production, and stage direction culminating in stage productions held at the University of Maine that would provide students with the experience of putting on a production. The Department was also instrumental in establishing and overseeing radio and television stations at the University of Maine. The Department sponsored high school debating tournaments and theater workshops and competitions at the University of Maine.

The Department of Speech would later be combined with Speech Disorders with responsibilities for managing the University of Maine’s Speech and Hearing Clinic and organizing the Summer Speech Correction Institute. The Department would go through a number of combinations and reorganizations to become the Communication and Journalism Department.

Extent

1 box

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

The Records Group is broken down intellectually into subseries: 1. Department of Speech. More record series will be added once Special Collections receieves additional records from the University of Maine Communication and Journalism Department.

Box number has changed:

  1. Old Box #359 (New Box 1)

Accruals

Accurals from the University of Maine Communication and Journalism Department are anticipated.

Related Materials

Department of Speech Chair Wofford G. Gardner's papers, SpC MS 196 contains a history of debating at the University of Maine from 1931-1979.

Office Of the President Records, UA RG 0003 includes records on the Department of Speech.

There are syllabi records from the Department in University Of Maine Syllabi Records, UA RG 0017.

The Raymond H. Fogler Library Records, UA RG 0006.012.001 includes a copy of dissertation from the Department of Speech Communication.

Bibliography

"About the Department", University of Maine, https://cmj.umaine.edu/about/(accessed May 2017).

Processing Information

Processed by Matthew Revitt, May 2017, Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Department. Processing involved a collection survey and intellectual arrangement into series and the creation of this finding aid. Material was also rehoused into appropriate archival folders and the boxes and folders numbered and titled added using information from ArchivesSpace.

Title
University of Maine. Communication & Journalism Department Records
Status
Completed
Author
Matthew Revitt
Date
May 9, 2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Raymond H. Fogler Library University Archives Repository

Contact:
5729 Raymond H. Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono ME 04469-5729 United States
207-581-1686