The collection documents the establishment of the School of Architecture, accreditation, undergraduate and graduate program development, staffing and budget issues, and student affairs. Included in the collection are departmental meeting minutes and materials from various committees, correspondence, planning documents and reports, brochures and miscellaneous publications, and project proposals. There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection. The files are organized alphabetically by personal name, name of office, or by subject, then chronologically.
Files can contain a variety of materials, including correspondence, staff memos, and reports.
In the 1950s the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects began campaigning for the creation of a school of architecture. The Board of Regents appointed John W. Wade as the first dean of the SAR, effective July 1, 1968. In April 1969, the Board of Regents gave final approval to the curriculum and that fall, classes began at the Extension Civic Center Campus. In late 1968, the students formed a chapter of the American Institute of Architecture, and in 1969, they published a formal newsletter called The Perspective . Name changes include The Helvetica Medium , and The Third Coast Review .