Scope and Content Note
The records of the Center for International Higher Education Documentation document the early years of the Center as a depository for the files of the International Encyclopedia of Higher Education Project as well as the Center's administrative, research, and programming activities, particularly from the late 1970s and into the early 1980s. There are two series in the collection, Administrative and Projects. The Administrative series includes annual reports, brochures, conference proceedings, correspondence, meeting minutes, memoranda, newsletters and publications. The Projects series documents the research activities of the Center and include articles, correspondence, data collection reports, project summaries, and survey forms. Of interest in the collection is research data collected for the project, Status of Academic Women. The project offers an historical perspective of women in foreign institutions of higher learning during the late 1970's and early 1980's, including information on their training and professional development. The project focuses heavily on Central America.
Dates
- Creation: 1966-1986
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1977-1985
Creator
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.). Center for International Higher Education Documentation (Organization)
Language of Materials
The majority of the records are in English. There is correspondence with foreign universities in French, Spanish, German, and Swiss. The Project series contains research articles and surveys in French, Spanish, German, and Swiss, and Russian.
Conditions Governing Access:
Student Records (Box 3: Folders 1-24) are closed for 75 years from their date of creation.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use:
Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the University Archivist.
Historical Note
The Center for International Higher Education (CIHED) was established in 1976 to house the research files of Dr. Asa Knowles's International Encyclopedia of Higher Education. The project, begun in 1972 with the support of Northeastern, resulted in the publication of the ten-volume encyclopedia in 1977. The Center was created to preserve the resources and expertise cultivated during its assemblage and key members of the editorial staff were retained to operate it. Former editor Joy Viola was named as founding director. In its early years, the Center, housed in Dodge Library, worked to catalogue the collection and keep the materials up to date. The collection consisted of over 12,000 monographs, journals, and newspapers covering international systems of university and collegiate education. It included information about academic fields of study, academic and administrative policies and procedures, and major research facilities around the world. The Center also kept current editions of foreign university catalogues. In addition to maintaining the collection, CIHED hosted lectures, seminars, and conferences on international topics. The Center's staff supported faculty needs in internationalizing existing curricula and worked with students researching study abroad opportunities. The Center also hosted visiting educators from around the world. In 1977, CIHED conducted a University-wide survey to assess the international expertise of Northeastern University staff and faculty. It published a personnel directory that included information on language skills, teaching, research, and consulting activities in foreign countries. In 1978 it began research for a study titled, The Status of Women in Academics which examined the presence of women in administrative and teaching positions and as students in academia. The study was expected to yield a databank that could serve as a foundation for continued study, but funding was exhausted and it ended in 1982. The Center also collaborated with Northeastern's Cooperative Education Research Center on a study of work-experience programs at post-secondary institutions around the world. On the service side, CIHED provided credential evaluations for individuals, holding foreign degrees or other academic credentials, who wished to work in the U.S. The Center would grow in this capacity and was referred to by the US Department of Education for equivalency verifications.
The Center's efforts were aided by President Ryder's desire to develop Northeastern University's international appeal. In the spring of 1980, delegates from Northeastern, including CIHED director Joy Viola, accompanied President Ryder to China. This new emphasis also included the recruitment and enrollment of foreign students, many of whom were assisted by CIHED through the services it provided. In 1981, Director Joy Viola left to direct the newly established Office of International Affairs (OIA). Assistant Director, Solveig Turner, was appointed director of CIHED. With services being shifted to other offices, such as the OIA and International Student Office (ISO), the operations of CIHED were reduced. Due to economic cutbacks, the Center closed in 1986 and its collections were absorbed into the Library's main collection.
Chronology
- 1972
- Asa S. Knowles begins work on The International Encyclopedia of Higher Education; Joy Viola is Senior Editor
- 1975
- International Students Office (ISO) separates from the Student Center to become its own entity
- 1976
- CIHED established by President Ryder to house the research files for the International Encyclopedia of Higher Education Project, with Joy Viola as the founding director
- 1977
- CIHED conducts institution-wide survey of the international expertise of Northeastern's faculty and staff and publish directory; The International Encyclopedia of Higher Education is published in ten volumes by Jossey-Bass, Inc. of San Francisco
- 1981
- Office of International Affairs (OIA) established; Joy Viola appointed as Dean; Solveig Turner named director of CIHED
- 1986
- CIHED closes; CIHED collections merged with the Library's general collections
Extent
9.75 cubic feet (10 containers)
Overview
The Center was established in 1976 to house the research files of Asa Knowles' International Encyclopedia of Higher Education. As part of the internationalization of Northeastern, it served as a hub for international activities, arranging conferences on global topics and hosting foreign visitors. The Center conducted research on topics such as the role of multinational corporations in foreign education, the status of women in academics, and an international survey of cooperative education programs. In 1981, director Joy Viola left to head the Office of International Affairs. Assistant director Solvang Turner took over and expanded their credential evaluation service beyond Northeastern to outside agencies. In 1986, due to economic cutbacks, the Center was closed.
Overview
This collection documents the early years of the Center as a depository for the files of the International Encyclopedia of Higher Education Project as well as the Center's administrative, research, and programming activities, particularly from the late 1970s and into the early 1980s. Topics include: women in international higher education, comparative systems of cooperative education, evaluation of education credentials, and documentation centers.
System of Arrangement:
Organized into two series: 1. Administrative and 2. Projects.
Physical Location
36/1
Bibliography
- Frederick, Antoinette. Northeastern University: An Emerging Giant: 1959-1975. Boston: Northeastern University, 1982. LD4011.N22 F7x
- Frederick, Antoinette. Northeastern University: Coming of Age: 1975-1989. Boston: Northeastern University, 1995. LD4011.N22 F732 1995
Subject
- Knowles, Asa S. (Asa Smallidge), 1909-1990 (Person)
- Turner, Solveig (Person)
- Viola, Joy W. (Person)
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.). Center for International Higher Education Documentation (Organization)
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.). Cooperative Education Research Center (Organization)
- UNESCO (Organization)
- Mosbacker, Wanda (Person)
- Title
- Finding aid for the Center for International Higher Education Documentation Records
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Cheryl Ostrowski
- Date
- February 2013
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections Repository