Curriculum Committee Correspondence, 1975 - 1977

The Records of the Medical School under Dean James E. Eckenhoff fill sixteen archival boxes, spanning the years 1968 to 1985. The records reflect the state of the Medical School under Eckenhoff with a strong emphasis on educational improvement, and consist of correspondence, transcripts, reports, publications, and minutes. The collection is divided into seven subseries: Allied Health, assemblies and lectures, councils and committees, faculty and research, graduate medical education, hospitals and medical centers, and the Medical School (general).

Biographical Materials includes general information about James E. Eckenhoff ‘s tenure as Dean of the Medical School as well as press releases concerning his retirement and death.

The Allied Health subseries spans the years 1969-1984, consisting of ten folders. Included are correspondence and reports relating to the undergraduate and non-M.D. graduate programs that were referred to collectively as Allied Health. Programs included the Health Science and Arts program and the Nursing program.

The Assemblies and Lectures subseries includes transcripts of lectures given at the Medical School along with pertinent correspondence. The March of Dimes Convocations, which featured renowned medical figures such as Dr. Jonas Salk. These folders are primarily comprised of correspondence pertaining to the set up and preparation of these assemblies.

The Council and Committees subseries consists primarily of minutes and correspondence of the various administrative groups within the Medical School, including the General Faculty Committee, and committees on the curriculum, educational policy, and research-related topics. Items of interest include the Council of the Chairmen, which consisted of the heads of all of the schools at Northwestern.

The Faculty and Research subseries is comprised of material relating to the Medical Faculty Senate, which Eckenhoff instituted in 1970. Within the MFS folders, there are correspondence, bylaws, and minutes of the meetings held by this group. Also included within this subseries are Research and Publications.

The Graduate Medical Education subseries consists of sixteen folders, spanning the years 1969 to 1984. Established in 1969, this program offered residency training in internal medicine, ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopedics, urology, otolaryngology, neurology, psychiatry, and anesthesiology. It was formally introduced as the Northwestern University Housestaff Program in 1973, becoming the first private, integrated, inter-hospital residency program in the country. While some of the materials relate to the administration of the program in general, the majority of the files deal with the Medical Education Database.An item of interest includes the Millis Report, which illustrates the growth of the Gradate Medical Education program.

The Hospitals, Clinics and Medical Centers subseries contains material relating to the McGaw Medical Center and to the hospitals, clinics and other centers affiliated with the Medical School. Items of interest include the reports focusing on the plan for the centralization of laboratory services, which would help control health care costs and increase the efficiency of delivering the proper care to patients (box 12, folder 6).

The Medical School (General) subseries contains general information regarding the Medical School under Dean Eckenhoff. These folders consist primarily of correspondence. Also, there is information reflecting the increased funding during Eckenhoff’s administration. The Student/Faculty Art Show, which included contributions from the students and faculty of the Medical School, was established in 1976 by Michael Foley, a second-year medical student.