Frank Newman Papers

University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632

email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Published in 2001

Collection Overview

Title:	Frank Newman Papers
Date range:	1948-1987
Creator:	Newman, Frank
Extent:	21 box(es) (10 linear feet)
Abstract:	The Frank Newman Papers contain files on past University of Rhode Island president, Frank Newman (1974-1983) activities before and during his tenure. Materials include reports, correspondence, research materials, course materials, publications, and so on.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	University Archives and Special Collections
Collection number:	Mss. Gr. 152

Scope & content

These records contain files on Newman's activities before and during his tenure at the University of Rhode Island. Much of the collection revolves around Newman's work with the two federal task forces on higher education that he was chairman of in the early 1970's. A large percentage of this collection is devoted to research material he used to write his dissertation in the early 1980's. The actual notes, drafts, and copies of the dissertation are contained in Series II. There is also a correspondence series that contains general correspondence files organized chronologically from 1977 to 1982, as well as correspondence that is filed by subject and person. The last series contains published material relating to the task force projects and miscellaneous publications.

Series I, Subject Files, consists of records pertaining to trusteeships, federal task force projects, post-URI plans, events attended, drafts and criticisms of speeches and reports, news articles and releases on the "Newman Reports," political science course materials, interspersed correspondence, and several files on women's issues. Also included are five black and white photographs of Newman giving a classroom lecture. These records are filed alphabetically by subject.

Series II, Research, is organized alphabetically by subject. These records were used as research materials for Newman's dissertation, "The Era of Expertise: the Growth, the Spread and Ultimately the Decline of the National Commitment to the Concept of the Highly Trained Expert, 1945 to 1970." They consist of news and journal articles, government reports, correspondence, published government and private reports, handwritten and typed notes, business directories, scholarly journal articles, data sheets, and company profile booklets.

Series III, Dissertation, is organized alphabetically by subject matter. These records represent the work performed by Newman on his dissertation, "The Era of Expertise: the Growth, the Spread and Ultimately the Decline of the National Commitment to the Concept of the Highly Trained Expert, 1945 to 1970," for which he received a Ph. D. in History from Stanford University in 1981. Separate folders are included for bibliographies, first and second rough drafts, and style sheets. Box 19 contains the notes for each chapter, one through eight, plus the epilogue.

Series IV, Correspondence, is filed alphabetically by subject. Most of these files consist of general correspondence that contain letters to and from colleagues in the education, business, and political fields. Many of the letters express congratulations and thanks for favorable comments on past and present successes. There are also files on personnel, inauguration, promotion and tenure, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and the University of Rhode Island's Administrative Council.

Series V, Publications, consists of one document box containing a paperback copy of the Report on Higher Education; a hardcover copy of The Second Newman Report: National Policy and Higher Education; three reports to the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Sidney P. Marland, titled Report on Higher Education: the Federal Role. There are also three unrelated booklets--two pertain to higher education and one is on science-based industry in Israel. These materials are listed alphabetically by author or editor's last name and accompanied by the title of the work and the date of publication.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into five series as follows:

• 1. Subject Files
• 2. Research
• 3. Dissertation
• 4. Correspondence
• 5. Publications

Biographical note

Frank Newman was born on February 24, 1927, in Orinda, California. He graduated from Brown University in 1946 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Naval Science and Economics. In 1949 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, also from Brown. Later that year he traveled to England, where he studied economics at Oxford University. Upon returning to the States, Newman began working for the Honeywell Regulator Company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His last position at Honeywell was as a market manager in New York, N.Y. He graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Science in Business Administration, which he earned during his employment at Honeywell. In 1955 he started a new job with Beckman Instruments, Inc., where he worked until 1966, ending his employment for Berkeley as Division Manager in Richmond, California.

Newman began working as Director of University Relations for Stanford University in 1967. His responsibilities included federal, state, and public relations management, public and cultural events coordinator. He was also Associate General Secretary, and participated on the President's staff. In 1969, while still Director of University Relations at Stanford, Newman was asked by Secretary Robert Finch of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) to chair the first Task Force on Higher Education. The project was being funded by the Ford Foundation and Newman was given the opportunity to choose the people he wanted to serve on the task force. He selected a handful of education professionals, but most of the research and preparation was done by interns and university students. In 1971, they presented HEW Secretary Elliot Richardson with the 130 page Report on Higher Education. This was the first of two documents that later became known as the "Newman Reports." The findings revealed that many of the federal financial aid policies available to students of higher education were inordinately selective and biased towards the agendas of the institutions that regulated them. The report was received enthusiastically by HEW officials, but remained controversial and widely debated in the academic community.

In 1973, the Assistant Secretary of HEW, Sidney P. Marland, appointed a second Task Force to recommend an itemized plan to address the problems raised in the first Report on Higher Education. This project was supported by the federal government and received national attention. Newman was again chosen as chairman of the Task Force on Higher Education and, in January of 1974, he and his staff produced The Report on National Policy and Higher Education. This second report recommended increased funding for work-study and internship programs, tuition credit for community service modeled after the G. I. Bill, and increased fellowships for graduate students. It also strongly recommended that the federal government adopt a strict anti-trust position toward organized professions, such as the medical and legal, and investigate prerequisites for certifying and licensing examinations. Both these reports helped generate expanded student scholarship and loan programs and encouraged increased educational opportunities for minorities.

Newman became the eighth president of the University of Rhode Island on August 1, 1974, succeeding Dr. Werner A. Baum and academic vice president Dr. William R. Ferrante, who had served as acting president during the interim. The selection process was one of the most extended and involved in the University's history. It took an eleven-member panel six months to review 389 applications and recommendations. The panel consisted of four faculty members, two administrators, two students, an alumni representative, a regent, and a member of the staff of the state commissioner of education. The field was narrowed to three candidates and further inquiries were conducted until one was chosen.

In 1981, Newman received a Ph. D. in History from Stanford University. His dissertation, "The Era of Expertise: the Growth, the Spread and Ultimately the Decline of the National Commitment to the Concept of the Highly Trained Expert, 1945 to 1970," focused on the success of higher education institutions to adapt to rapid advancements in technology while at the same time adapting to unpredictable economic environments.

Newman served as President for nine years until July 31, 1983, when he resigned to accept a presidential fellowship with the Carnegie Foundation, where he was asked to develop a new national policy on education. During his tenure at URI, he managed to secure over 25 million dollars in annual funding for University research within the oceanography, resource economics, robotics and pharmacy programs, which in due course gained international prestige. His emphasis on human resource development and academic excellence helped keep the University of Rhode Island's reputation intact despite numerous state and federal budget cuts throughout the latter half of his presidency.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Any qualified person doing scholarly research is permitted to use material housed in the Special Collections Unit.
Use of the materials:	Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Preferred citation:	Frank Newman Papers, Mss. Gr. 152, University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections.
Contact information:	University Archives and Special Collections 15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011 Tel: 401-874-4632 email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The Frank Newman Papers were transferred to Special Collections from the Carlotti Administrative Building in several installments between 1984 and 1985. They were part of a larger collection called Records of the President's Office, which are kept in the University Archives. Since these records were not generated by activities associated with the University of Rhode Island, they were set aside and treated as a manuscript group.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Mark J. Dionne.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Mark J. Dionne 2001, updated by Erin C. Mullen on 2012 March 16, updated by Mark Dionne on 2020 April 22.
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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Inventory