James J. Whalen, Executive Vice-President Records

The contents of this collection contain the administrative papers of James J. Whalen while he held the position of Executive Vice-President at Ohio University. These papers range from Student affairs to vacation schedules from 1968-1969. Most of the collection includes speeches that Whalen had prepared, letters to other faculty members, schedules, plans, and letters from parents. This collection is organized in nine Hollinger boxes in alphabetical order. There is no specific chronological order to the collection, but all of the contents range from 1968-1969.

James J. Whalen was first brought to Ohio University in 1965 and was appointed Dean of Students by President Alden. By the year 1967, Whalen was already appointed as Executive Vice-President of Ohio University. He was officially appointed in November of 1967, which meant that he actually started his job in 1968. This collection contains the administrative papers from 1968-1969. These are the specific years the Whalen was acting as Executive Vice-President. These papers are specific to this particular position that Whalen held, and do not include anything from when he was Dean of Students. With this being said, the collection ends in 1969 due to the fact that James Whalen left Ohio University at that time. He was appointed the President of Newton College of the Sacred Heart near Boston, Massachusetts.

Vice President Whalen was not a much liked faculty member at Ohio University. He was very business-like in his actions causing some problems in the way he handled situations. He was not the most personable person because of this and his decisions and actions were not always the kindest towards everyone. Although he was missed once he left, he was not as appreciated while he was at Ohio University as he was when he left.

This collection is a good description of the events that took place during the years 1968-1969 and how they specifically were handled by administration. It is interesting to see how well the different student riots were handled by the administration, how they dealt with the repercussions, and how they responded to other administrative members. The administrative aspect of these situations is very interesting to look at, specifically the angry interactions with parents and other faculty members who disagreed with their methods. It is also interesting to learn about how they chose how to handle these situations in the first place.