Missouri State University Libraries
General Counsel's Office
Volume: 5 cubic foot
Dates: 1938-1990 (Bulk mid 1960s - mid 1980s)
Provenance
The collection was acquired in 2003. It was processed in 2006 by Beth Aldrich.
Copyright
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United State Code).
Access
The collection is unrestricted. Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be obtained from the Department of Special Collections and Archives. Citations should be as follows: Identification of the item, box and folder number, General Counsel’s Office, [RG 1/5], Department of Special Collections and Archives, Missouri State University.
Biographical/Historical Sketch
Missouri State University was founded in 1905 as Missouri State Normal School, Fourth District, and changed names three more times before its final name change occurred in August, 2005. These records were obtained during the course of a National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant-funded project to enhance the University Archives. The records are primarily the records from the Business Operations office [antiquated]. At the time these records were created, the university did not have legal counsel in-house, but rather retained the services of a Springfield law firm.
Scope and Content
The contents of these files cover a range of topics dealing with the normal business operations of a university, but they also cover several topics of historical interest on the growth and development of Missouri State University. The records cover a period of expansion in both student enrollment and land acquisition. Presumably, these particular files remained with the General Counsel’s office because many of them touch on legal issues, were reviewed by the university’s counsel, or involved correspondence with legal counsel. The collection is divided into three series, as described below.
Series I: Subject Files
The records in this series cover a wide variety of topics such as acquisitions reports, the widening of Dollison
Street, the Health Center and Infirmary (including information regarding the Swine Flu Immunization Program in 1977),
Housing and Urban Development loans, campus parking, revenue bonds, insurance, and President Nixon’s Wage Price Freeze
in 1971.
Series II: Urban Renewal (1965-1975)
This series contains records of the university’s dealings with the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) of
the City of Springfield and the 1968 Urban Renewal Project under the federal Department of Housing and Urban
Development. Through these collaborations, Missouri State University was able to acquire surrounding property at a
relatively low cost to meet its needs for more student housing, classrooms, facilities, and parking. The records
include lists of property acquisitions, city and campus maps, correspondence, agreements and contracts, and the 1970
Land Utilization and Marketability Study done by the LCRA.
Series III: Wood Flour Fuel Project (1982-1990)
The Wood Flour Fuel Project was a $205,000 grant through the Higher Education Applied Projects Fund to convert the SMSU
campus boilers from natural gas to wood flour combustion, an alternative fuel. The grant for applied research was one
of two authorized by the 1982 Missouri state legislature at a time when the high cost of oil and gas was a concern.
Independent Stave Co., Lebanon, Missouri, was jointly involved in the project. The file contains copies of the grant
proposal, engineering designs and reports, feasibility studies, agreements and correspondence. Much of the material
deals with attempts to resolve problems that developed and the ultimate demise of the project.
Container List
The container list for this collection is available in PDF format. Adobe Reader is required to view the container list.
