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Guide to the Frederic W. Ness Papers, 1940-1995
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Table of contents
Title: Frederic W. Ness Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1940-1995
Creator:
Ness, Frederic W., 1914-1998
Extent: 2 linear feet
Photographs: In box 2.
Repository:
Henry Madden Library (California State University, Fresno).
Sanoian Special Collections Library.
Sanoian Special Collections Library.
Fresno, California
Language:
English.
The papers were donated by Frederic W. Ness in 1998.
The collection is open for research.
Copyright has been transferred to California State University, Fresno.
[Identification of item], Frederic W. Ness Papers, Sanoian Special Collections Library,
California State University, Fresno.
Frederic W. Ness was an academic who devoted his career to the world of higher education.
He attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the University of Cincinnati
where he received his master's degree in English literature. He then went on to Yale
University where he earned his Ph.D. and subsequently became a professor of English. His
teaching career took a turn due to World War II. He enlisted in the Naval reserves and
taught for four years at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Ness changed his focus from educator to administrator in 1946 when he became Assistant to
the Vice Chancellor at New York University. He left to become Dean at Dickinson College.
Ness held a variety of other administrative postions before he moved to California to
become the fourth president of Fresno State College in 1964.
Ness's years in Fresno proved to be short but effective. He implemented changes in a
college that needed reform. He began by addressing lack of decision making by faculty.
"In essence, what I would say is that no college in today's society can reach true
heights without intelligent faculty involvement" (Inaugural address, Box 2, Professional
career, Presidency, Inauguration, 1965).
In 1969, Ness left Fresno to become president of the Association of American Colleges
(AAC), a position he held until his retirement in 1992. Frederic Ness died in 1998 in
Annapolis, Maryland.
The Frederic W. Ness papers measure 2 linear feet and date from 1940 to 1995. The papers
are arranged in two series: Professional and Personal.
The bulk of the
Professional series (1940-1995) is comprised
of Ness's articles and speeches. Ness arranged his articles, speeches and reports
chronologically. They are bound together in various volumes and are listed in his
bibliography as well as on the inside cover of each bound section. Some of the speeches
are photocopies, others originals. The handwritten notes on them are Ness's.
While on a temporary leave of absence from Fresno State College in 1969, Ness researched
and wrote reports on British universities. The reports are entitled
Student-Faculty-Administrative Relationships at Selected British and Continental
Universities
and
Student Unrest in Great Britain.
His presidency at Fresno State College was marked by two controversies, the Marvin X-case
and that of Robert Mezey of the English department. The two cases address the issue of
academic freedom and tenure. Mezey was as an Assistant Professor who was not retained for
the 1968 academic year for "unlawful reasons" according to a petition to the chancellor.
The file on Mezey includes a photocopied court document with a memo from Attorney General
Evelle J. Younger. The file on Marvin X is much more extensive.
There are numerous photographs of Ness in this series. They include photographs of his
time at Dickinson College and Fresno State College. There are also photograhs of a major
art exhibit, Art USA, held at the Fresno State library in 1966 which Ness helpd to
organize. The event attracted thousands of viewers.
The
Personal series (1942-1948, 1962) contains Ness's naval
records. In a 1942 letter he asked to be assigned to active sea duty during World War II.
However he was detained at Fort Schuyler in New York by the chief executive director who
was in need of instructors. The photographs of a young Frederic Ness in this series are
photocopies.
Printed Works by Ness in the main stacks
- The Use of Rhyme in Shakespeare's Plays (1941)
- A Regional Faculty Orientation Program (1961)
- Graduate Study in the Liberal Arts College (1962)
- An Uncertain Glory (1971)
Printed Works by Ness in the University Archives
- The Use of Rhyme in Shakespeare's Plays (1941)
- A Guide to Graduate Study (1957)
- An Uncertain Glory (1971)
- Mostly Academic: An Eclectic Autobiography (n.d.)
Related Materials in the University Archives
- President Ness's address to Board of Trustees presenting master plan, June 26, 1968 (1/4" reel to reel tape)
- Marvin X--tv statements, October 1969 (1/4" reel to reel tape)