NSU Centennial Celebration Over 25 Years In The Making At University Archives

NSU Centennial Celebration Over 25 Years In The Making At University Archives

TAHLEQUAH With approximately a week to go until the launch of the Northeastern State University Centennial Celebration, the results of over a quarter-century of work are being clearly displayed across the institutions main campus in Tahlequah. The majority of the universitys history can be traced back to records contained in the University Archives by University Archivist Vickie Sheffler.

The NSU Centennial Celebration begins Friday, March 6, which is Founders Day at the institution. That dates marks the 100th anniversary of the Oklahoma legislature approving the purchase of the Cherokee National Female Seminary and surrounding land from the Cherokees to create Northeastern State Normal School.

Planning for the Centennial Celebration can be traced as far back as 1982. That year, then-president W. Roger Webb had the foresight to hire the energetic and dedicated archivist Vickie Sheffler to create University Archives.

Thanks to that decision, we had a 26 year head start on the planning of our Centennial, said Vickie, who has spent nearly every working day since preparing (both directly and indirectly) for the NSU Centennial Celebration. Our goal is to awaken people to the history of the university.

The University Archives serves as the corporate memory of NSU, a central source of information about the people, events and buildings that have created the rich history of this institution.

A charter member of the Academy of Certified Archivists, Vickie did post graduate studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It was there that Vickie met her mentor, Ruth Helmuth, president of the Society of American Archivists. She also spent an amazing summer interning at the Nixon Library at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. in 1979.

Before accepting the position at NSU, Vickie had a few recommendations to ensure that University Archives would be a valued resource for the institution, including moving the location from the main area of the library to a cold, windowless room in the small addition on the east side of the building.

This was a better place for storing our items, said Vickie. I told them they would have to move it or I wouldnt come.

Vickie has found a true work partner in the form of Brenda Cochran, who started in University Archives as a student worker. When Brenda graduated in December 2007 with one of the first degrees in Visual Communication offered by NSU, Vickie managed to keep her on in a part time capacity. At the start of this year, Brenda officially became the second full time employee in the history of University Archives, working as a combination archivist/graphic designer.

I know more about NSU now that I ever did as a student, said Brenda. we've had so many projects over the past few years getting ready for Centennial, were busy all the time.

The team is completed by student assistant Amanda Price, a junior from Battiest, Okla., who keeps Brenda and Vickie on schedule and helps with projects.

The projects have been numerous and diverse. Between scanning and restoring photos, along with copies of the Northeastern student newspaper, University Archives is also home to yearbooks, school catalogs, letters, photographs, athletic programs, maps and even underground student newspapers.

We have done an awful lot of preservation work to get ready for our Centennial Celebration, said Vickie. Every office on campus has something going on that we can help them with.

Departments and organizations across campus have utilized University Archives in the past few years in preparing for Centennial events, including the development of photos, historical photographs and creating a timeline of the universitys history.

This past fiscal year, we served 1,622 patron who used nearly 1,700 items in our collection, said Vickie. It takes time to scan, restore and print photos that are used not just within the university, but also throughout the community. In 2007-2008, we scanned 11,298 newspaper pages, mostly from the TNE. That averages to about 50 pages per day.

Centennial Countdown events have already showcased items found in University Archives, including photos on display during the American Association of University Women Homes for the Holiday Tour, Centennial Picnic, Honor Your Authors and Rosebuds, just to name a few. Photos from the archives were also displayed on banners throughout downtown Tahlequah.

Its a lot of work, but thats why were here, to document the history and to inform people about the wonderful things that have gone on here the last 100 years, said Vickie. Through us we can track the success of our graduates and track the degree programs as they have evolved over the history of our institution.

The Founders Day celebration begins March 6 at 2 p.m. with festivities beginning with the unveiling of the Sequoyah sculpture at the newly created Centennial Plaza. Events are free and open to the public.

Photographs from the Archives collection will on display at the NSU Centennial Photographic Celebration. An opening reception is scheduled on Thursday, March 5 from 4-6 p.m. at the NSU Art Gallery. The collection will be on display from March 5-8.

2/26/2009

Published: 2009-02-26 00:00:00