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Rice University James A. Baker College Records

 Collection
Identifier: UA 0082
Finding aid note: Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Scope and Contents

The collection includes cabinet meeting minutes, reports such as budget and annual reports, news clippings, correspondence, Baker Books, college publications, programs, photographs, video, and theatrical material as well as other college files on O-Week, freshman week and more.

Dates

  • Creation: 1956 - 2020

Creator

Access Restrictions

This material is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

User Restrictions

Permission to publish from the James Addison Baker College Records must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Historical Note

Baker College was established as one of the five original residential colleges at Rice in the fall of 1957. It was named in honor of Captain James Addison Baker who served as the Rice Institute’s first chairman on the Board of Trustees.

The College went co-ed in the Fall of 1973. Following the opening of the Institute in 1912, the first buildings that comprise the present Baker College were constructed. The first unit to be completed in the residence area of the new institution was the present Commons of Baker, which was to serve as the central dining hall for the entire campus for forty-three years. The next building completed was East Hall, which is now known to members as the “Old Wing” of Baker. These buildings remained unchanged until the installation of the college system at Rice in 1957 when the addition of the “New Wing” and Baker House completed the present Baker College. The Baker House is home of the College Master and his family.

The Charter Members of Baker College, under the leadership of the first cabinet, declared the purpose of their college to be: “to provide and maintain an atmosphere and environment which will encourage the intellectual and social growth of its members through the development of a sense of responsibility in all spheres of community action.” Excerpted from "Baker College Hell-O Week Book," 1997

Extent

29.5 Linear Feet (49 boxes)

0.57 Gigabytes (Nearline access: UA0082aip_001 (0.57 GB))

0.0137 Gigabytes (Nearline access: UA0082aip_002 (0.0137 GB))

0.72 Gigabytes (Nearline access: UA0082aip_003 (0.72 GB))

0.38 Gigabytes (Nearline access: UA0082aip_004 (0.38 GB))

9.13 Gigabytes (Nearline access: UA0082aip_005 (9.13 GB))

27.4 Gigabytes (Nearline access: UA0082aip_006 (27.4 GB))

1.02 Gigabytes (Nearline access: UA0082aip_007 (1.02 GB))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Baker College is one of the five original residential colleges at Rice University. These records consist of material related to college business, social activities, publications, and correspondence, as well as photographs, video, and scrapbooks.

Acquisition Information

The original files were transferred to the Woodson Research Center in the 1970s. On May 2, 1990 Pat Magee added to those records and additional materials arrived in 2010 and 2012. Elena Lacey and Jarrod Boyd donated materials in 2012. In May 2014, Venora Frazier, the longtime College Coordinator, donated all of her files.

Accruals

Future additions are expected for this material.

Related Material

See the Rice University Archives for records about other Rice University residential colleges. See also Information Files for more about the residential college system or the Baker family. Contact Woodson Research Center staff for assistance.

Bibliography

The history of student life at Rice University : a series of papers; editor, Michael Raphael; project director, Patricia Martin; authors, Colin Delany ... [et al.]. [Houston, Tex.]: Rice [University], c. 1990. A history of Rice University: the Institute years, 1907-1963; Fredericka Meiners; published in cooperation with the Rice University Historical Commission [by] Rice University Studies, 1982.
Title
Guide to the Rice University James Addison Baker College Records, 1956-2020
Status
Completed
Date
2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA
713-348-2586