The American University in Cairo Administration, Faculty, and Staff Personnel Files Collection, 1916-1991: A Guide to the Collection

Scope and Content of the Collection

The Administration, Faculty, and Staff Personnel Files Collection comprises the administrative documents compiled for university employees including administrators, faculty, staff members, and graduate fellows. The records cover the years from 1916 to 1919, when the university was being planned and early personnel-related activites took place, and from the university's founding in 1919 to the early 1990s. The bulk of the files document the 1940s to the 1980s. The files contain reports, forms and correspondence related to hiring, separation, rank, salary, and other personnel matters, as well as curriculum vitae, certifications, school transcripts, and letters of reference. Materials documenting individuals' professional activities (such as academic papers and lists of publications by faculty members) are also contained in the files, as well as items describing job performance. While the files represent a relatively comprehensive personnel record, the files for a number of individuals cannot be found here, including some prominent university figures like President Christopher Thoron. In addition, the file for an individual may not represent that employee's complete personnel record. New material may have been added for employees whose files were transferred before they left the university (ie., for individuals hired in the late 1960s). In addition, related personnel documents (pertaining to hiring or disciplinary action, for example) may be found among other records (see "Related Material" below).

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Organization of the Collection

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Restrictions

Access and Restrictions

The collection is open to researchers, with the exception of files for active university personnel.

Use of Materials

Items in the collection do not circulate and may be used only within the Rare Books Library. Users must comply with the Rare Books Library's rules on handling and care of materials.

Permission to publish or reproduce collection materials must be received from the University Archivist. Items may be subject to copyright. The user must also secure permission to publish from the copyright owner.

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Related Material

Personnel matters pertaining to individual employees and university faculty and staff as a whole are also documented by the records of the President and Dean of Faculties. These records contain duplicates of items contained in the personnel files as well as unique materials on hiring and job performance. The records of the Board of Trustees' Executive Secretaries Herman Lum and Ward Madison also include personnel-related material ( 2000 especially related to recruiting and hiring) from the 1920s to 1950s. Personnel files can also be found among the records of individual university units like the Center for Adult and Continuing Education. Records for university bodies like the University Council and Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee contain information on personnel matters as well. The Biographical Files Collection includes information files for prominent university figures. A collection of lists of administrators, faculty, and staff is also available, as are university catalogs containing similar lists.

Photographs attached to applications, forms, and other personnel documents have been removed and added to the University Archives' Photograph Collection's "Portraits" series.

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Subject Headings

Organizations

Topics

Places

Document Types

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Citation

The preferred citation for quoting material from this collection is: The American University in Cairo Administration, Faculty, and Staff Personnel Files Collection, 1916-1991, [Box/Folder #], [Folder Title], University Archives, Rare Books and Special Collections Library, The American University in Cairo.

Acquisition Information

The personnel files were included among the records collected in 1972 and 1973 by faculty member Lawrence Murphy, who was assembling material in order to create a university archives and to write a history of AUC. These records had been located in storage areas in university buildings and in the offices of the President and the Dean of Faculties. Some files may have been collected from the Business Office or Personnel Office as well. In 1986 the Dean of Faculties' office sent another set of personnel files to the University Archives, and in 2002-2003 personnel files were included among the records transferred from AUC's New York Office.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Stephen Urgola, Nada Yassen Abdel-Fattah, Rana Kadry, and Ahn (Peter) Hyo Gwang in 2003-2005.

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Other Finding Aid

A comprehensive finding aid including names and departments of personnel members is available in the University Archives. Please contact archives staff for assistance.

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Detailed Description of Collection

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