Athens Economic and Community Development Committee

The Alan Geiger Papers are a group of 38 boxes that contain the records of Ohio University as kept by Alan Geiger. Dr. Geiger was hired in 1967 as OU's first Campus Planner under the tenure of Vernon Alden. He worked his way up to become the Assistant to the President under three different presidents of the university: Charles Ping, Robert Glidden, and Roderick McDavis. He was also the Secretary to the Board of Trustees and Director of Government Relations. When he retired in 2007, he left behind his extensive records. This collection spans the years from 1965-2010, and 6 presidents of Ohio University are represented in it. This is arguably the most complete and comprehensive set of records about the University for those 40+ years, and there are many things of note contained within it.

The records of the Board of Trustees in this collection start in 1978 and end in 2007. They mostly consist of the BOT minutes, with a few other things scattered throughout. The Board deals with matters pertaining to the University, so a lot of big decisions are documented there. The Ohio Board of Regents also has a place. The OBOR makes decisions about higher education in Ohio, including issuing an annual report on the condition of higher education. The years 1991-2005 are represented.

Included in here as well, are the relationships with Ohio University and the Community of Athens, Ohio. There are three specific folders listed that are named for the relationship, but there are also other folders that include: Planning, Zoning, Comprehensive plans, Country Club, Historical Society, Port Authority, Library, Transportation, Economy, Technology and the Athens Mental Health Center (before it was bought by the university). OU was involved in philanthropy events with Athens as well, including United Way and United Appeal. The university is in close partnership with the region of Appalachia, and there are many folders that document this. Most notable are the NBIA, which helps keep businesses in Athens, folders about health care, and folders about how to keep the economy of Athens strong. Geiger also worked with the Athens Chamber of Commerce, and has records from 1992-2005, and was an active member of the Athens Country Club.

Ohio University also has a long and storied history of working with foreign universities. Leipzig University in Germany, many universities in Japan and China, and schools in Malaysia and Botswana are just a few. Many folders, organized by country name or the name of the university, are contained in the collection. Dr. Geiger and the Vice Provost for International Programs Felix Gagliano kept in touch to make sure the programs with foreign universities were running smoothly. Relations with alumni of the university are well documented also, spanning the years 1979-1994. As Assistant to the President, he fielded concerns from alumni and presented them to the president.

Dr. Geiger was Secretary of many boards at the university, including the OU College of Osteopathic Medicine. He kept abundant records from the 1975-2005 Advisory Boards to OU COM. He was secretary to The Edison Biotechnology Institute as well, and has records from 1982-2003. The Institute is a scientific research facility that brings in a lot of revenue for the university. He was on the President's Cabinet as well. The President's Cabinet is the body that guides the president, and Geiger took notes at the meetings from 2003-2006.

As Campus Planner, Dr. Geiger kept records for and dealt with space issues for the university. He decided what department went in what building and how to keep those buildings running. As a result of that, there are a lot of folders containing information about the various buildings on campus and their use. The Utilization of Space subclass would be particularly useful in that regard.

The Athletics subclass has papers from most of the sports played at OU, and has a particularly large amount of papers about football. Athletics have always meant a lot to the university, and Dr. Geiger even served on the planning committee for the aquatic center.

Student activism has always been important at OU, and there is quite a bit of information about various protests in the collection. Free Burma/Amnesty International, Anti-ROTC, Anti Fee Hikes, you name it, it's here. OU students love to protest, and there are records from one of the most high profile protests at OU, the Dysart Woods crisis in 2002.

A huge legal battle between OU and Ohio State University is also documented here. During the "Trademark: OHIO" battle, tensions between OU and OSU ran high, and there was a race to find out who used "OHIO" on athletic uniforms first. It turned out OU did, and they won the case.

The Ridges is an important landmark in Athens, and has a long history. The university acquired it in the late 80s/early 90s, and it is now used as office space and the Kennedy Museum. The records here document the transition and planning stages right after it was transferred to OU's possession. Included are blueprints, news articles, planning, and other information about the Ridges.

The Inter-University Council is an association of public universities that guide collegiate decisions in Ohio. Geiger kept records from 1990-2003, and a lot of issues like tuition increases and government funding are contained in this subclass.

A main function of the Assistant to the President is dealing with the correspondence that gets sent to the office. Geiger kept a lot of those letters, and they are classified here by subject: University, General, Students, Legislative, and Miscellaneous. These are a good way to get firsthand accounts.

Dr. Geiger was a member of the Hocking Valley Bank's advisory committee and kept records for the budget at OU from 1989-07, and monitored fundraising activities at OU. The main philanthropy/fundraising body at the university is the OU Foundation, and their records start into 1965 and end in 2003, making this subclass one of the most detailed in the collection. Their account, the 1804 Fund, also has space here, and runs from 1977-1995.

There is a lot of information in the Alan Geiger Collection, beyond the things skimmed over here. This collection is good for the person who wants to learn more about day to day operations at the university, and it is all contained in one convenient place.