Detailed inventories for each of the following record groups are available. Please contact the repository for additional information. Read the Archives Accessibility Policy.
I. Board of Trustees
The records of the Board of Trustees range from 1824 to the present and include minutes, dockets, committee files, papers of secretaries and members, honorary degree files, reports, and correspondence.
II. President's Office
The terms of the college’s past presidents are documented through the general correspondence and office files, reports, council and committee files, and addresses found in this record group.
III. Provost and Academic Deans Offices
Office files of the Provost and Academic Deans record the day-to-day administration of the academic life of the College. Deanships at Lafayette evolved throughout the 20th century and have included deans of the faculty, college, studies, and academic/enrollment services. The Provost’s office was established in 1967.
IV. Dean of Students
The records of the Dean of Students provide information on campus life and student affairs at Lafayette, primarily during the latter half of the 20th century. Student organizations and events are documented, as well as the operations of the physical education and athletics departments and the activities of the chaplain’s office and College Church.
V. Development and Alumni Affairs
Files of this record group document the College’s relations with alumni, fundraising campaigns, and publicity. Alumni chapters and organizations of recent years as well as PICRO, PIO, and Sports Information Office records are also archived here. Files include sports teams from the 1960s - 1990s and biographical files of faculty and staff.
VI. Fiscal Affairs
Fiscal Affairs records date from the College’s inception in the first half of the 19th century through the latter half of the 20th century and primarily originate from the Treasurer’s Office. Files include budgets, statements, reports, ledgers and correspondence pertaining to the College’s endowment, expenses, loans, income, financial aid, etc.
VII. Department of Buildings and Grounds
General correspondence, subject files, and individual building records from this office document the construction, maintenance, and renovation of both campus facilities and off campus properties and primarily date from the 20th century. Files include plans, constructions bids, contracts, agreements, and specifications.
VIII. Faculty and Academic Departments
This record group includes faculty meeting minutes, faculty committee files, departmental correspondence and subject files, and the records of the now defunct Education Department. Faculty meeting minutes dating from the 1840s to the present offer a comprehensive history of the educational functions of the College from the faculty’s perspective.
IX. Student Activities
These files document a wide range of student academic research, class work, papers and projects from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Some of the earliest records include sketchbooks with mechanical drawings, notebooks syllabi, exams, and labs. More recent files document Technology Clinic courses.
X. Auxiliary Services
A wide variety of professional, social, administrative organizations associated with Lafayette College are documented in this record group, including the Women’s Auxiliary, American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Faculty Club, College Store, Friends of Skillman Library, Health Center, and Presbyterian Historical Society.
XI. Human Resources
Employee information---record group closed.
XII. Communications Division
Documents support of the College's marketing goals and strategic objectives through design, media relations, social media, photography, and video.
XIII. Alumni Association, before 1967
The College’s earliest alumni organizations and events are documented in this record group. Minutes, financial records, correspondence, and event files record the work of alumni committees and chapters from the mid-19th century to its reorganization in 1967.