The administrative records of David D. Henry and Carroll V. Newsom span the years 1948-1956, with the bulk of the material having been created between 1952-1956. The subgroup measures approximately 6.3 linear feet; 5 linear inches remain from Newsom's tenure. The scant number of records attributed to Newsom suggest that he took many of his files with him upon being elected President of the University in 1956, leaving records that were indistinct or closely linked to the files of David Henry, as in the case of the educational television series. The records of David Henry contain some gaps as well; not all files seem to cover his full term in office. The material has been split into 3 series: administrative; educational television; and speeches and biographical information (Henry only).

The records of John E. Ivey Jr. measure approximately 6.3 linear feet. The bulk of the material spans the years 1957-1959, with some files dating back to 1954. This subgroup has been processed into one administrative series containing 17 subseries. Certain files covering student problems, faculty appointments and the selection of Deans are restricted.

The records exhibit many of the changes occurring at NYU during this period, such as the introduction of all university departments, a point of contention between the administration and the Deans (see subseries III & XV), and an increased awareness of international affairs during the height of the Cold War. A subseries on international affairs (XII) contains material on the Center for International Affairs, the Brazilian Institute, Israel and a ground breaking Soviet-U.S. engineering exchange program.

The volume of records pertaining to international affairs is just one example of Ivey's more extraverted approach to NYU's educational mission than that of his predecessors. The files reflect a continuing involvement in educational television (subseries XVIII), while demonstrating the emergence of other technological advances in the field of education, such as the language laboratory and improved computer facilities. In addition, a subseries on special projects (XVI) conveys the sense of a new creative spirit at NYU during the late 1950s and leading into the early 1960s. There are files on various arts groups, an experimental liberal arts program, atomic energy, and many research ventures, programs and proposals. Finally, a file on the American Association of University Professors contains further information on the case of Edwin Berry Burgum, the Professor dismissed for being a member of the Communist Party.

George D. Stoddard's appointment by the Board of Trustees as Executive Vice-President took place on January 25, 1960 during the tenure of President Carroll V. Newsom (1956-1962). Stoddard had directed the exhaustive Self-Study, published in 1956, which redefined NYU's educational mission and constituency. He played a central role in constructing a new hierarchy of administrative offices that centralized educational policy and budgetary control, and in 1960 assumed the office he helped design, the second-highest at NYU.

During Stoddard's tenure, the University expanded traditional instruction within the schools and fostered innovative programs in order to draw new students, such as the Communications Art Group and television instruction. The University experimented with international programs and cooperative education abroad while relationships with federal and state governments grew more diverse and complex. Stoddard associated himself with expansion of the Washington Square campus through renovation and construction, and several files in are concerned with space utilization and new construction. Wholly new programs appeared during his term of office, including recruitment and training for the Peace Corps and a new level of concern for on campus student health services. Of particular interest is Stoddard's attention and response to preservation of the University's faculty, student, and operating records dating from 1962, the year in which major cities in the United States were being menaced by Russian missiles based in Cuba.

Within the general correspondence files is correspondence regarding increasing levels of crime around the Height campus in 1959-1960 and its effect on faculty and students. Those files also contain restricted materials concerning a troubled student and a graduate whose credentials were questioned. The University College file contains a tentative policy statement of February 1960, regarding the education of women at the Heights campus. Stoddard's tenure spanned the period in which Newsom left office and James M. Hester became President.

The records are arranged in four series that reflect the four years of his tenure, and each series is arranged alphabetically. The sub-headings are not uniform for all the series because new topical headings presented themselves as the office and its responsibilities elaborated the record-keeping system, and care must be exercised when searching for like files and like subjects within the four series. Some files appear to be incomplete, and the earliest files, some dating from 1957, date from prior administrations. This subgroup has been rearranged and refoldered by the supervising archivist, who discarded the folder dates because they were inaccurate and misleading. A few files are restricted that contain records of faculty discipline and tenure cases and an ROTC commission declination.

The administrative records of Russell D. Niles measure 11 linear feet and span the years 1964-1966. The material has been processed into three chronological series representing each of the academic years of Niles' term, and a fourth series consists of administrative topics, Deans' Council minutes and mission statements originally set apart from the chronological series. The first series contains a small number of records from the final months of the George Stoddard administration. The third series, covering the academic year 1965-1966, was insufficiently processed by a student in the fall of 1987 and the finding aid to that series is not, in its present state, reliable. The excessive bulk in the Niles collection can be attributed, to a large extent, to the processing problems in series III. It must also be noted that the subseries on all-university departments in series II contains material spanning Niles' first two academic years, 1963-1964 and 1964-1965. Some files covering student grievances, the transfer of faculty members from one school to another, and specific faculty student relations are restricted.

In relation to the previous subgroups, Niles' records contain a substantial number of files composed of material on spaces and buildings (most notably in series III, subseries IV), reflecting the many proposed and actual physical changes taking place at NYU at this time. A file on the President of the University refers to NYU's attempt to acquire the Worlds Fair Spanish Pavilion and the Astor estate in Rhinebeck, New York. There are signs indicating the pending shutdown of the University Heights Campus and the subsequent need to strengthen Washington Square.

The files record changes that resulted from the Self-Study Final Report and the Ford Foundation study, such as the upgrading of admissions and efforts to achieve increased centralization. Mission statements (series IV, subseries III) demonstrate how well the schools and divisions meet the recommendations of the Self Study in planning their futures. Of particular interest are a series of files on "Project Apex," a program designed to train high-school students to teach in poverty stricken areas. In addition, the first series contains a report on early experiments with LSD.

Niles was committed to building a strong central core around the arts and sciences at NYU, making undergraduate schools his priority. The files attest to his goals and movement toward centralization that the Office of Chancellor and Executive Vice President was largely responsible for promoting. Niles' administrative records show him to be in touch with all aspects of University operations and demonstrates the growth of the position since the first years of David Henry's term.