The alphabetical series consists of 100 linear inches of materials arranged alphabetically by correspondent. The files were arranged by Hester's office previous to the installation of the subject files and numbering system that began in 1969. Consequently this series represents every aspect of Hester's job as President of the University. There is correspondence with professors, students, the community, and prominent individuals.

Files are arranged alphabetically by title, department, or individual name. General correspondence files include documents such as correspondence with the public and invitations to off-campus social events as well as communications with several individual correspondents. The broad folder titles may make it more difficult to locate desired subjects.

The administration series consists of 20 linear inches of material organized alphabetically by subject. Within each folder the material is organized chronologically. The series relates to general administrative activities and academic matters, including office services, research, libraries, legal matters, university history, the Hall of Fame, the art collection, and program development.

Box 21 consists primarily of information regarding alumni and announcements and circulars from the President's office. In the original inventory, alumni affairs was a separate series and included all New York University alumni activities, associations, and correspondence with or regarding an individual alumnus. Because this information consisted of only two folders, it has been incorporated into the administration series.

Box 22 contains materials of considerable interest to researchers. Folders 4-7 include information about the disagreement between President Hester and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses over whether or not the Hall of Fame would be moved after NYU abandoned the Heights campus. Folder 8 contains information about the history of NYU and the Washington Square area in general, including a report on NYU's budget from 1849. Box 22, folder 9 and Box 23, folder 1 contain information about the establishment of the NYU Archives and its early history.

Box 23, folders 2-11 and Box 4, folder 1-3 contain information about NYU's legal difficulties with professors and students. Folder 11 includes information on NYU professors who protested denial of tenure.

Box 24, folder 5 contains information about the debate over NYU's purchase of a nuclear reactor and a community protest on the matter. There is also additional information about NYU's participation in the United States Bicentennial celebration. Material on this subject also exists separately in the University Archives (MC 144). The minutes regarding the bicentennial have been removed from this collection and stored with the other material.

The associations series consists of 65 linear inches of materials arranged alphabetically by name of association. The correspondence, minutes, and publications in this series contains little information about the University. The information pertains to a number of professional educational organizations to which Hester and NYU belonged. It relates to the broader educational world, and only rarely gives insight into NYU. However, the series shows the attitudes of educational administrators during the mid and late 1960s and early 1970s.

The development series consists of 18 linear inches arranged according to Hester's original numbering system. Development's responsibilities included fundraising efforts for the University either through foundations and wealthy individuals. Boxes 38 and 39 contain correspondence and press releases concerning the 25 million dollar grant from the Ford Foundation. Reports from NYU to Ford were separated into their own collection (RG 15.4). Box 40 contains correspondence with the Rockefeller Foundation, Standard Oil, John B. Snow, and the U.S. Government. Box 41 contains correspondence with Xerox and Alumni.

The facilities and services series consists of 17 linear inches arranged according to Hester's original numbering system. This series contains files on many of the University buildings. Materials include correspondence, renovation plans, and attempts at finding funds for new buildings.

Boxes 42 and 43 contain almost exclusively material about Bobst Library. Researchers will find correspondence with contractors, neighborhood residents, major contributors, and library namesake Elmer H. Bobst, among other materials relating to the library's construction. Box 44 continues files on special services of the library such as food service and security.

The finances series measures 28 linear inches and is arranged alphabetically by subject. It consists of material related to auditing, banking, budgets, financial reporting, investments, and related financial matters.

There are 6 boxes relating to finances. Box 1 consists of general financial information. The file on banking (folder 1) contains a letter from the bank asking NYU to reduce its outstanding debt as well as correspondence about the voting of proxies over dealings with South Africa. The folders on the budget contain general information except for the folder on the five-year plan, which was formulated to put the University on a sound financial footing. This folder also contains the State approval of the plan. The original inventories contains references to folders on expenses. These expenses were not considered of importance to the collection as a whole and have been disposed of.

Of primary interest in this collection is the information on financial crises both at NYU and in higher education in general. Box 45 contains clippings regarding the financial crisis at NYU. Box 46 contains information about a Task Force established by President Hester to review NYU's financial condition and make recommendations that would alleviate the crisis. Hester also requested suggestions from the faculty and these suggestions are contained in the file entitled "Faculty Responses to Hester Memo of 1/28/71." Among other things, the University realized that many professors would have to be denied tenure and there was an attempt by the University to establish a faculty placement service. The information on these attempts and on the crisis at institutions of higher learning in general is also in Box 46.

Box 47 contains considerable correspondence regarding the recommendation that NYU save money by closing the Graduate School of Social Work. Initially the University viewed this as a necessary solution unless sufficient funds were raised to guarantee support for the school. The first folders on this controversy are a response to the recommendation to close. As it became obvious that sufficient funds would be raised, the correspondence changed to congratulations on having found a solution.

Box 47 also contains the Hurd Commission Report. Hurd was appointed chairman of a State Task Force on the Financing of Higher Education in New York State in November 1971. The file consists of his report, findings and recommendations circulated by Commissioner Nyquist, and comments by Professor Arnold Goren. Also in this file is information on NYU's investments including statements from banks and other managers of the endowment funds, and suggestions from within and outside of the University on how to improve income.

Box 48 contains information on the decision to sell the Heights campus and the response from alumni and students. Initially the University tried to seek an alternative to the sale through appeals legislators and a variety of alternative proposals. When it became obvious that the sale would take place, the material changes to agreements and contracts including a merger agreement between NYU's Engineering and Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. These plans were vigorously opposed by the students and alumni and there is considerable correspondence about the decision to close the Heights campus in Box 49. Box 49 also contains information and correspondence about the decision to merge the school of engineering with the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, a plan that was also strongly opposed by alumni and students.

Box 50 consists of University memos regarding finances. These memos provide a quick understanding in chronological form of what the administration was trying to do about the financial crisis.

The governance series consists of 45 linear inches of materials and contains information on the operation of the University and the higher authorities to whom the University was responsible. Box 51 is devoted to correspondence to the Regents Advisory Committee of the NYC Regional Plan for Higher Education. Box 52 contains correspondence with the State University of New York Regents Council for Post Secondary Education in New York City. Box 53 and 54 contain correspondence with the State Education Department and the Board of Trustees. Individual files on Board of Trustee members, which contain correspondence as well as biographical material also begin in Box 54 and continue into Box 55. Most end with a note of condolence to the member's surviving family. Files on the President's councils for such divisions as the College of Public and Business Administration begin in Box 55.

Boxes 56, 57, and 58 continue with the President's Councils and contain such divisions as the School of Education, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School of Social Work. Box 59 contains folders on the administrative officers including the President, the Provost, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, and the University Senate. There is also a folder on student involvement at the end.

The several folders on the President concern trips taken by him and do not represent the official function of the office.

This series consists of 15 linear inches of materials arranged alphabetically by subject. The series documents the way in which the University communicated with the Federal, State, and City governments. Box 61 contains a telegram sent to President Richard M. Nixon by President Hester urging him to expedite removal of troops and end US involvement in Vietnam.

This Series contains 15 linear inches of materials arranged alphabetically by subject. Information within the series pertains to the University`s personnel. Box 63 contains some folders of search committees while the remainder of the collection deals with the unionization efforts of the staff and a strike.

This series contains 15 linear inches of materials of information on community relations and public occasions as well as invitations to university events.

This series contains 6 linear inches of materials arranged alphabetically by school. There are files for each school and division, which contain general information. Box 69 contains files on the Law School, the Law School Foundation, and the C.F. Mueller Company which was owned by the Law School Foundation.

The student affairs series consists of 25 linear inches of material arranged alphabetically into 5 boxes. Within most folders, material is arranged chronologically. This material relates to all student activities including admissions, athletics, campus disorders, clubs, associations, financial aid, dormitory regulations, placement, student publications, centers, and conduct. The bulk of the material in this series relates to the hiring and firing of John F. Hatchett, the director of the Martin Luther King Center for Afro-American Studies.

The material on Hatchett begins in Box 1, folder 4 and continues until Box 5, folder 6. Briefly, the controversy began when the University attempted to reintegrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Afro-American Student Center into NYU. The Center asked the University to hire Hatchett as director of the Center. Hatchett had been dismissed as a school teacher when he took his students to a Malcolm X memorial service despite an explicit order from the school system not to do so. According to the correspondence from the President's office and memos on the subject, the University was unaware when it hired Hatchett that he had published an article accusing Jewish school teachers of being unable to teach black school children. This article was viewed as anti-Semitic by the Jewish community. When President Hester became aware of this controversy, he discussed the problem with Hatchett and determined that Hatchett was not anti-Semitic. The University defended its decision to hire Hatchett in an internal memo sent to alumni and faculty. Many of the alumni responded with threats to discontinue financial contributions to the University. Since many of the alumni were Jewish and the University was suffering a financial crisis, this threat was taken seriously. Hatchett then made a speech accusing Richard Nixon, then Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and Albert Shanker of being "racist bastards." This remark prompted the University to fire Hatchett. A controversy remained over whether Hatchett was actually fired over this comment or because he had been such an embarrassment from the beginning that the University was looking for an excuse. The letters regarding the Hatchett controversy are filed alphabetically instead of chronologically because that is the way they were received.

Box 5 contains an exchange between the alumni and the University over the decision to discontinue intercollegiate basketball and diminish encouragement of track because of financial difficulties. This box also contains a dispute over scholarship aid and placement of Puerto Rican students in the Graduate School of Social Work. Also of interest is a folder on the Students for a Democratic Society, which contains posters and bulletins circulated by the organization and the administration response.

Folder names followed by an asterisk (*) contain materials of a sensitive nature. Researchers must consult with the archivists before being granted access.