Wesley College Records, 1890-1997

Wesley College Records

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Collection Overview

Title: Wesley College Records, 1890-1997

ID: UA063

Primary Creator: Wesley College

Extent: 8.25 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 00/00/1961. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Education, Grand Forks - Education, University of North Dakota - Wesley College

Languages: English

Abstract

Contains correspondence, financial and other administrative materials, and faculty/student records of the former Wesley College, which was affiliated with the University of North Dakota.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Wesley College Records are organized into the following series: Presidential Papers, Administrative and Financial Records, Education, Programs and Publications, Assorted Materials, and Photographs.

The Presidential Papers are further divided into two subseries: Edward P. Robertson and Other Wesley College Presidents. These contain correspondence and related documents of the various presidents of the school. Robertson served as president for 32 years, retiring in 1931, and guided Wesley College during its affiliation with the University of North Dakota and subsequent relocation to Grand Forks. His correspondence spans most years of his presidency as well as his years as President Emeritus. Other presidents of Wesley College were Charles L. Wallace (1931-1939), T. Ross Hicks (1940-1946), Marcus J. Birrell (1947-1957), C. Maxwell Brown (acting president; 1957-1958), Phillips Moulton (1958-1963), and Wesley Sheffield (1963-1965).

The collection includes the former Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection 18 (Wesley College) and records from the Wesley College buildings. Many financial records were destroyed according to the State Board of Higher Education Records Disposition Schedule.

Collection Historical Note

Wesley College, a school associated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, was established in 1891 as the Red River Valley University in Wahpeton, North Dakota. The school officially opened in October 1892 with Reverend M.V.B. Knox as president. In addition to preparatory and normal departments, it offered courses in business, languages, science, math, music, and art. Informal discussions began several years later, during the presidency of Edward P. Robertson, about the future of the school and its curriculum. Among the proposals was an alignment with the University of North Dakota (UND), initiated by UND president Webster Merrifield. After further discussions and meetings, the relocation to Grand Forks and affiliation with UND was approved at the North Dakota Methodist Conference in 1905. This was the first instance of a religious college officially joining with a state university in the United States.

The school acquired 80 acres of property just to the north of the UND campus. This addition was called University Place. Dr. Robertson chose names of leading institutions of higher learning (Columbia, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, etc.) for the streets of University Place. Hamline was included as one of the street names because Robertson was a graduate of Hamline University.

The school was renamed Wesley College and operated under the auspices of Red River Valley Corporation. For governance, Wesley College had its own board of trustees and executive committee. The initial programs were a conservatory of music, with courses in piano, voice, and violin, and a school of arts, with classes in religion and philosophy. A department of expression was added about 1914. The curriculum at Wesley College was designed to complement the course offerings available at UND. Students at either institution could earn credits toward a B.A. degree by taking classes at the other institution.

The affiliation of Wesley College with UND continued until 1965. In that year, following approval by the Wesley College trustees, Wesley College sold its buildings to UND and the name was officially changed to Wesley Center of Religion. It continued to fund one faculty position in the Department of Religious Studies at UND for several years and supported a student center program. Properties adjacent to UND that were still owned by Wesley were sold in 1968 and 1973 to the University. The Wesley Center then relocated to an office in Wesley United Methodist Church in Grand Forks and proceeds from its investments are used to support programs consistent with its mission and vision.

Subject/Index Terms

Education
Grand Forks - Education
University of North Dakota - Wesley College

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Accruals: Additional materials were deposited in April 1988 and by Carleton Green in August 1999. Other materials were added from University Publications.

Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the Rules and Regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Acquisition Source: Wesley College

Acquisition Method: Deposit - the original materials constituted a collection in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection before being transferred to University Archives Record Group 63 in the 1970s.

Separated Materials: Photographs relating to Wesley College are in the file cabinets for University Archives Photographs.

Related Publications:

Wesley Center of Religion (Formerly Wesley College). Sheffield, Wesley. Green, J. Carleton, joint author.; University of North Dakota. 1983 (LD3983 .S52 1983).

The story of the affiliation of Wesley College with the University of North Dakota. Robertson, Edward P. 1935 (LD5899.W42 R6x).

A good investment: the story of Wesley College and that of the mother institution - Red River Valley University - as well as the story of still earlier plans of the Methodist Church to promote educational work of college rank in North Dakota. Henry, George A. 1948 (LD5899.W42 H45x).

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Wesley College-Wesley Center of Religion Records. UA 63, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid added to Archon in June 2016.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Presidential Papers],
[Series 2: Administrative and Financial Records],
[Series 3: Education],
[Series 4: Programs and Publications],
[Series 5: Assorted Materials],
[Series 6: Photographs],
[All]

Series 2: Administrative and Financial Records

Box 1

Folder 27: A.J. Sayre - Canadian Timber Investments, 1919-1937
Folder 28: A.J. Sayre - Correspondence and Donations, 1910-1941
Folder 29: A.J. Sayre Death, July-August 1941
Folder 30: A.J. Sayre Estate, 1941-1946
Folder 31: A.J. Sayre - Investment Property in Saskatchewan for Wesley College, 1941-1945
Folder 32: Annual Reports, 1960-1962
Folder 33: Articles of Incorporation and By-laws, 1891-1939
Folder 34: Board of Trustees - Assorted Materials, 1905-1947
Folder 35: Board of Trustees - Minutes, 1946-1965
Folder 36: Board of Trustees Minutes - Wesley Center of Religion, 1965-1972
Folder 37: Carnegie Corporation Financial Request - Letters of Support, November 1933
Folder 38: Corwin and Larimore Halls Financing and Construction, 1908-1919

Box 2

Folder 1: Donors (Wesley College Builders), 1948-1958
Folder 2: Endowment from E.J. Lander, 1910-1916
Folder 3: Endowment Fund Reports, 1950-1957
Folder 4: Estates and Annuities - Various, 1913-1931
Folder 5: Executive Committee Minutes - Red River Valley University, 1899-1903: Also includes minutes from a special building committee in 1900.
Folder 6: Executive Committee Minutes - Red River Valley University and Wesley College, 1905-1909
Folder 7: Executive Committee Minutes, 1947-1968
Folder 8: Financial Audits, 1930-1949
Folder 9: Financial Bonds - Assorted, 1907-1956
Folder 10: Financial Correspondence and Pledges - Red River Valley University, 1891-1917
Folder 11: Financial Statements/Reports, 1909-1931
Folder 12: Financial Statements/Reports, 1936-1944
Folder 13: Financial Statements/Reports, 1944-1953
Folder 14: Financial Statements/Reports, 1955-1959
Folder 15: Financial Statements/Reports, 1959-1960
Folder 16: Financial Statements/Reports - Red River Valley University, 1899-1904
Folder 17: Frank Lynch - Financial Correspondence, 1900-1937
Folder 18: Frank Lynch - Honorary Degree, 1928-1930
Folder 19: Frank Lynch Estate - Financial Correspondence, 1939-1940
Folder 20: Frank Lynch Estate - Financial Correspondence, 1941-1942
Folder 21: Frank Lynch Estate - Financial Correspondence, 1943-1958
Folder 22: Frank Lynch Estate - Legal Papers, 1936-1942
Folder 23: Frank Lynch Estate - Legal Papers, 1943-1960
Folder 24: Fundraising Campaign 1959-60 - Correspondence, Folder 1 of 2
Folder 25: Fundraising Campaign 1959-60 - Correspondence, Folder 2 of 2
Folder 26: Fundraising Campaign 1959-60 - General Information
Folder 27: Fundraising Campaign 1959-60 - George Mecklenburg Speaking Opportunities
Folder 28: Fundraising Campaign 1959-60 - Results
Folder 29: Fundraising Campaigns, 1914-1919
Folder 30: George A. Henry - Correspondence, 1931-1953: Dr. George Henry was a professor of religion at Wesley College, then chair of the faculties, and, in 1947, dean of the school. Earlier correspondence deals with ministerial matters, while later correspondence pertains mainly to Wesley College.
Folder 31: Gilmore Cunningham Estate (Mountrail County Property), 1919-1938
Folder 32: Hazlett Lectureship Fund, 1907-1932
Folder 33: Hermann Buegel Account, 1932-1935
Folder 34: Hilborn Prize, 1907-1932
Folder 35: Insurance and Appraisal of Buildings, 1933-1952
Folder 36: James A. Ames Estate, 1927-1938
Folder 37: Larimore Endowment (Lewis Viger Contract - Ramsey County Property), 1919-1933
Folder 38: Materials for Campus Buildings and Grounds including Utilities, 1906-1942
Folder 39: Maughan Property in Valley City, 1928-1932
Folder 40: Mortgages/Leases - Other Properties in Grand Forks, 1930-1946
Folder 41: Pledges/Donations, 1905-1958
Folder 42: Property of Red River Valley University in Wahpeton, Richland County, 1892-1930
Folder 43: Property Transactions - Cass County, 1924-1937
Folder 44: Real Estate - University Place in Grand Forks, 1914-1957

Box 3

Folder 1: Record of Donations to Funds, 1952-1959: mainly Wesley College Builders and Lillian Samuel Scholarship funds
Folder 2: Red River Valley University - Relocation to Grand Forks, 1904-1906
Folder 3: Reports/Proposals, 1906-1944
Folder 4: Rev. A.R. Henry - Pledges to Wesley College, 1924-1944
Folder 5: Robertson Hall - Groundbreaking, Construction, and Dedication, 1926-1929
Folder 6: Robertson Hall Financing - Correspondence with John Hancock, 1927-1930
Folder 7: Sayre Hall - Design and Construction, 1905-1907
Folder 8: Statistical Reports for the Board of Education of the Methodist Church, 1943-1952
Folder 9: Stinson Memorial Professorship, 1918-1932
Folder 10: Wesley College Associates - Pledges and Payments, 1948-1951
Folder 11: William Campbell - C.B. McMillan Financial Contract, 1909-1934

Box 5

Ledger 1: Student Fees, 1914-1917: Includes entries for music lessons, dorm rooms, and classes. Name index in front of ledger.
Ledger 4: Record of Pledges, 1918: mostly Grand Forks donors (alphabetical)
Ledger 5: Treasurer Records - Red River Valley University, 1891-1905: Itemized credits and debits (1801-1905) and lists of pledges (1903-1905)
Ledger 6: Red River Valley University Accounts, 1892-1900: Receipts (mainly tuition payments) and disbursements (mainly salaries)
Ledger 9: Red River Valley University Subscriptions 1891-1899: Records of donations to Red River Valley University.
Ledger 10: Record of various funds and accounts, 1905-1914: Includes salary details, expense accounts, and donations to specific funds.

Ledger 11: Finances 1919-1931

Ledger 12: Expense Distribution, 1919-1933

Ledger 13: Cash Book, 1919-1929

Ledger 15: Pay Roll, 1919-1932

Department of Special Collections
Digital Finding Aids