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Henry S. Bienen Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 3/20/2

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The Henry S. Bienen Papers span the years 1956-2009, comprise 35 boxes, and document his experiences teaching and being an administrator at Princeton and Northwestern, as well as his work on various boards and committees. The papers include biographical information, subject files, correspondence, writings and publications, newsclippings, and various awards and certificates.

The first sub-series contains Biographical Materials relating to Bienen, and includes a number of curriculum vitas dating 1965-1999, as well as graduate school acceptance letters, correspondence, and a variety of miscellaneous items. The next sub-series, and the largest one, is composed of Subject Files kept by Bienen. These files have been kept largely in original order, although some additions have been made to it from other portions of the papers. This sub-series contains materials dating from 1993-2009, which is primarily the time during which Bienen was the president of Northwestern. Notable materials in Bienen's subject files include, among other things, items relating to his experience on the Board of Directors for the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as the Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs. There are also numerous files relating to Bienen's work on various boards, committees, and foundations. Examples of these include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Gates Foundation, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Matthews International, Shedd Aquarium, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and others. Also in the sub-series are files for courses taught by Bienen at Northwestern in management and political science, as well as files containing information on his research interests. Records of personal gifts made by the Bienens to Northwestern and various departments and groups within the university, as well as to other agencies, can also be found here. Lastly, a printed-out version of the website set up in 2008 commemorating Bienen's presidency at Northwestern can be found here. Of particular note is a menu from a dinner hosted at the Bienens' residence which included John Malkovich as a guest. This sub-series is arranged alphabetically by subject.

The next sub-series contains Correspondence ranging from 1960 to 2009. There are a number of high profile names included in this list of correspondence. Letters from numerous political figures are included, such as Tony Blair, Hilary Rodham Clinton, Richard M. Daley, and Barack Obama. There are also letters from celebrities, which include Charlton Heston, Princess Diana, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, and J.K. Rowling. Letters found here are photocopies, and are typically general greetings or responses to Bienen's request for the addressee to speak at commencement or receive an honorary diploma. This sub-series is arranged alphabetically by name.

Princeton Teaching and Research Files, the next sub-series, extends from 1967 to 2002. These files contain materials for courses taught by Bienen while he was at Princeton. The majority of items date from the late 1960s through 1994, when Bienen left Princeton to become the president of Northwestern. Also included here are notes files, which contain information on various topics researched by Bienen during his career at Princeton. The topics of these research files focus primarily on African politics, foreign policy, military rule in Africa, and the like. Bienen used these files for courses he taught as well as for publications. This sub-series is arranged alphabetically by subject.

The next two sub-series, Publications and Talks, contain published materials by Bienen, as well as notes and scripts for talks given by him. The publications sub-series includes articles ranging from 1967-2003, and is primarily comprised of articles and book reviews on political development in Africa. The talks section includes materials from speaking engagements done by Bienen between 1960 and 2009. The majority of talks included here are from Bienen's tenure as president of Northwestern, and are for dinners, alumni events, and memorial services. These sub-series are arranged chronologically.

The Awards & Certificates sub-series mostly contains congratulatory certificates from the presidents of various universities addressed to Henry Bienen upon his being named the president of Northwestern. Of particular note here is a certificate marking Bienen's honorary induction into DERU, an honorary organization at Northwestern. This sub-series is arranged chronologically.

The final sub-series contains Newsclippings, ranging in date from 1959-2009. This section is arranged chronologically within three topical groupings: Athletics, General, and Princess Diana. The general section is the largest, and contains clippings compiled by Bienen on a variety of topics. In 1996, soon after Bienen assumed the presidency, Northwestern's football team played in the Rose Bowl. That same year, Princess Diana visited Northwestern. Newsclippings for these two events have been separated from the general section.

Dates

  • 1956-2009
  • Other: Date acquired: 03/01/2009

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on use of the materials in the department for research; all patrons must comply with federal copyright regulations.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is stored at a remote campus location and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.

Extent

35.00 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Henry S. Bienen was born on May 5, 1939, and received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1960. His M.A. and PhD were received from the University of Chicago in 1961 and 1966 respectively. He is best known for being the president of Northwestern University from 1994-2009. The Henry S. Bienen Papers span the years 1956-2009, comprise 35 boxes, and document his experiences teaching and being an administrator at Princeton and Northwestern, as well as his work on various boards and committees. The papers include biographical information, subject files, correspondence, writings and publications, newsclippings, and various awards and certificates.

Source of Acquisition

Gift

Method of Acquisition

Received from Henry Bienen in 2008 and 2009 (accession #08-98, 09-102, 09-103, 09-141, 09-151, 09-156, 09-157, 09-163, 09-170, 09-205) and Judi Remington in 2009 and 2010 (accession #09-31, 09-96, 10-137).

Separated Materials

A small number of photographs taken by Bienen at the 1996 Rose Bowl have been transferred to the photograph collection. About half a linear foot of publications have been transferred to General Files. Another half linear foot of football media guides were transferred to the serials collection. Several ticket stubs for football games were transferred to the ticket stubs collection. Audiovisual materials, which include CD #95, DVD #328-331, and VC #2771-2789, have been moved to the appropriate audiovisual collections. These materials consist primarily of news footage of the 1996 Rose Bowl and Princess Diana's visit to Northwestern. Additionally, 6 boxes of artifacts have been separated and added to the artifact collection. Inventories of the artifacts are included with each box. Artifacts primarily consist of awards, plaques, and other decorative materials.

Title
Guide to the Henry S. Bienen Papers
Author
Benn P. Joseph
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
und

Library Details

Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository

Contact:
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635