Lewis C. Mainzer Papers

1953-2000
4 boxes (4 linear feet)
Call no.: FS 160
rotating decorative images from SCUA collections

Since his arrival at UMass in 1953, Lewis Mainzer has been an affable, influential, and well-respected member of the university community. He joined the faculty of four that at the time made up the department of government, later the department of political science. A dedicated educator, he was instrumental in the expansion of that department and demonstrated a profound commitment to education reform and social engagement against the backdrop of campus upheaval during the 1960s and 1970s. Mainzer retired in 1997 and is now a professor emeritus and author of several books of poetry.



The Lewis C. Mainzer papers consist of personal notes, correspondence, meeting minutes, memoranda, and other materials documenting Mainzer’s activities as a member of numerous Faculty Senate and other committees, and the administrative responses to such events as the Vietnam War protests, the civil rights movement, the expansion of the UMass system, and higher education reform in Massachusetts. There are also materials relating to his interests as a poet, his professional work as an educator, and documents relating to various campus events of the late twentieth century.

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Background on Lewis C. Mainzer

Lewis C. Mainzer was born in New York on May 15, 1928. He majored in government at New York University, graduating in 1948, and earned a master's degree (1950) and a Ph.D. (1956), both in political science, from the University of Chicago. Mainzer arrived in Amherst at the University of Massachusetts as an instructor in 1953, joining the department of government which, at the time, consisted of only four other faculty members--and was not officially recognized as an academic department until 1956. Hired to teach courses on public opinion and administration, Mainzer saw the department expand quickly into the early 1960s, especially with the establishment of a graduate program, and then enormously as the university itself grew at a phenomenal rate. The government department became the Department of Political Science in the 1972-1973 academic year.

Mainzer was a dedicated teacher committed to educational reform. He served as Assistant Dean of the Graduate School from 1968 to 1969, and he was made full professor in 1971. He was active in the Faculty Senate, serving on many committees and advisory councils, as well as departmental and university committees, and as chairman of the UMass Amherst chapter of the American Association of University Professors. He served as editor of Polity, and his publications include Political Bureaucracy: The American Public Service and articles in Review of Politics, Public Administration Review, The Massachusetts Review, the Virginia Quarterly Review, and The Yale Review, among other journals. In addition to his scholarly work, Mainzer has written poems for more than forty years and had published several volumes of poetry.

Mainzer met his wife, Caden, in 1953, and they married in 1956. Unable to continue pursue her plans for a career as an opera singer due to damaged lungs, Caden became an elementary school teacher. As active in his community as on campus, Mainzer served on the Amherst Town Meeting for more than 50 years, beginning in 1966, and on the friends boards of the local public library and UMass's library. He retired from UMass in 1997 and holds the title of emeritus professor.

Scope of collection

Spanning most of the second half of the twentieth century, the Mainzer Papers document Mainzer’s roles in university and department administration while a member of the faculty of the UMass Department of Political Science. Comprising correspondence, memoranda, statements, proposals, reports, bulletins, notices, meeting minutes, drafts, notes, and research data for committees and university business, the collection reflects the files Mainzer kept of committees he served on, subjects and issues important to him and his work, and activities he participated in. Also included are copies of presentations, lectures, speeches, and addresses given by Mainzer and others, printed booklets, programs, and brochures, invitations, and flyers. A large number of newspaper clippings and letters pertain to Mainzer’s campus activities, the causes he aligned himself with--such as curriculum and educational reform--and events within the UMass system.

Series descriptions

Materials generated and retained in the course of Mainzer’s administrative and committee activities--as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences faculty, UMass Faculty Senate committees, and other University committees--comprise this series and include memoranda, minutes of meetings, newspaper clippings, reports, policy and organizational statements, notes, bulletins, forms, and transcripts of speeches. Also included are materials related to UMass governance and to notable events and issues on campus, including the impact of political and social issues, the Massachusetts legislature's role in higher education, academic and curricular matters, and the expansion of the university system.

The memoranda, correspondence, notes, reports, minutes of meetings, publications, and newspaper clippings mainly reflect Mainzer’s professional activities in the UMass Department of Political Science (Government) and in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and of Social and Behavioral Studies, including his role in establishing new programs in the department and in the discipline of political science in general. A small amount of material relates to Mainzer’s interest and involvement in poetry.

Inventory

Series 1. Administrative and committee work
1964-1997
College of Arts & Sciences: General


Arts & Sciences: University committees
1965-1969
Box 1: 1
Arts & Sciences: University memos and meetings
1966
Box 1: 2
Arts & Sciences: University memos and meetings
1967
Box 1: 3
Arts & Sciences: University memos and meetings
1968
Box 1: 4
Arts & Sciences: University memos and meetings
1969
Box 1: 5
Arts & Sciences: University memos and meetings
1970-1971
Box 1: 6
Arts & Sciences and University
1971 Sep-1972 Aug
Box 1: 7
Arts & Sciences and University
1972 Oct-1973 Nov
Box 1: 8
Arts & Sciences and University
1974
Box 1: 9
Arts & Sciences and University
1975
Box 1: 10
Arts & Sciences and University
1976-1977
Box 1: 11
Arts & Sciences and University
1977-1978
Box 1: 12
Arts & Sciences and University
1978-1979
Box 1: 13
Arts & Sciences and University
1979 Aug-1980 Sep
Box 1: 14
Arts & Sciences and University
1980-1981
Box 1: 15
Arts & Sciences and University
1981-1982
Box 1: 16
Arts & Sciences and University
1982-1983
Box 1: 17
Arts & Sciences and University
1991
Box 1: 18
Arts & Sciences and University
1992
Box 1: 19
Arts & Sciences and University
1993
Box 1: 20
Arts & Sciences and University
1994
Box 1: 21
Arts & Sciences and University
1995-1997
Box 1: 22
College of Arts & Sciences: Reorganization
1970
Box 1: 23
Ad Hoc Committees


Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1969-1972
Box 1: 24
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee
1970 Dec-1975 Jul
Box 1: 25
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1972
Box 1: 26
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1975 Mar-1975 Jul
Box 1: 27
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1975 Aug-1975 Dec
Box 1: 28
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1975
Box 1: 29
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1975 Aug-1976 Jan
Box 1: 30
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1975-1976
Box 1: 31
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1976 Feb
Box 1: 32
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee
1976-1982
Box 1: 33
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee
1981
Box 1: 34
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1981
Box 2: 1
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committees
1981-1982
Box 2: 2
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee
1982
Box 2: 3
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee
1982
Box 2: 4
Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee
1982
Box 2: 5
Reorganization of Public Higher Education
1975-1979
Box 2: 6
Reorganization of Public Higher Education
1975-1979
Box 2: 7
Reorganization of Public Higher Education
1976
Box 2: 8
Reorganization of Public Higher Education: Harrington Bill
1976
Box 2: 9
Reorganization of Public Higher Education: Harrington Bill
1976
Box 2: 10
Reorganization of Public Higher Education: Campus-Central Office Relations
1976 Jun
Box 2: 11
Reorganization of Public Higher Education: Harrington Bill
1977-1980
Box 2: 12
Reorganization of Public Higher Education
1980
Box 2: 13
Reorganization of Public Higher Education
1981
Box 2: 14
Reorganization of Public Higher Education
1982-1983
Box 2: 15
Reorganization of Public Higher Education: Chancellor’s Ad Hoc Committee
1980-1982
Box 2: 16
Reorganization of Public Higher Education: Chancellor Communications
1981
Box 2: 17
UMass Planning/Reorganization
1995-1999
Box 2: 18
Curriculum


Arts & Sciences Academic Advisory Council
1960-1965
Box 2: 17
Arts & Sciences Academic Advisory Council
1965
Box 2: 18
Arts & Sciences Academic Advisory Council
1965
Box 2: 19
Academic Advisory Council
1965-1968
Box 2: 20
Arts & Sciences Academic Advisory Council
1966
Box 2: 21
Arts & Sciences Academic Advisory Council
1966
Box 2: 22
Arts & Sciences Academic Advisory Council
1967-1968
Box 2: 23
Arts & Sciences Academic Advisory Council: Basic courses of study
1967
Box 2: 24
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform
1964-1966
Box 2: 25
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform
1964-1966
Box 2: 26
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform
1964-1966
Box 2: 27
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform: Cook Committee
1966
Box 2: 28
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform: Cook Committee
1966
Box 2: 29
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform: Cook Committee
1966-1967
Box 2: 30
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform: Cook Committee
1966-1967
Box 2: 31
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform: Cook Committee
1967
Box 2: 32
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform: Cook Committee
1968
Box 2: 33
Arts & Sciences: Curriculum reform: Cook Committee
1968
Box 2: 34
Faculty Senate
1969-1970
Box 2: 35
Faculty Senate
1969-1970
Box 2: 36
General Education proposal
1982-1984
Box 2: 37
Hotel, Restaurant & Travel Administration: PhD proposal
1990
Box 2: 38
Hotel, Restaurant & Travel Administration: PhD proposal
1991
Box 2: 39
Hotel, Restaurant & Travel Administration: PhD proposal
1991-1992
Box 2: 40
Faculty, student, and campus issues


Academic honesty
1986
Box 2: 41
Affirmative action
1970-1973
Box 2: 42
Affirmative action
1972-1973
Box 2: 43
Affirmative action
1974-1977
Box 2: 44
Affirmative action
1980-1986
Box 2: 45
Affirmative action
1980-1986
Box 2: 46
Affirmative action
1986-1987
Box 2: 47
Affirmative action
1986-1987
Box 3: 1
Affirmative action
1988-1994
Box 3: 2
African American students
1968-1970
Box 3: 3
Chancellor’s Lecture Series Committee
1983-1986
Box 3: 4
Chancellor Search
1983-1986
Box 3: 5
Emergency Advisory Committee
1967 Dec-1970 Apr
Box 3: 6
Emergency Advisory Committee
1969-1972
Box 3: 7
Emergency Advisory Committee
1969-1972
Box 3: 8
Emergency Advisory Committee
1970 May-1973 Feb
Box 3: 9
Emergency Advisory Committee
1972-1973
Box 3: 10
Events
1989-1995
Box 3: 11
Faculty Affairs Committee
1966-1967
Box 3: 12
Faculty Affairs Committee
1966-1967
Box 3: 13
Faculty Affairs Committee
1967
Box 3: 14
Faculty v. Goldwater
1964
Box 3: 15
Harassment policy
1995
Box 3: 16
Law school proposal
1966
Box 3: 17
Personnel Procedures
1962-1969
Box 3: 18
Personnel Procedures
1970-1972
Box 3: 19
Personnel Procedures
1970-1984
Box 3: 20
Policies
1954-1959
Box 3: 21
Policies
1954-1959
Box 3: 22
Policies
1954-1959
Box 3: 23
Policies
1954-1959
Box 3: 24
Politics: impact on UMass
1960-1970s
Box 3: 25
Politics and policies
1987-1992
Box 3: 26
Politics and policies
1987-1992
Box 3: 27
Politics and policies: clippings
1987-1992
Box 3: 28
Politics and policies: clippings
1987-1992
Box 3: 29
Provost
1977-1978
Box 3: 30
Thompson Hall mural
1999-2000
Box 3: 31
Thompson Hall mural
1999-2000
Box 3: 32
Thompson Hall mural
1999-2000
Box 3: 33
Thompson Hall mural
1999-2000
Box 3: 34
UMass Boston
1964-1970
Box 3: 35
UMass Boston
1972-1977
Box 3: 36
UMass Presidential Search Committee
1977
Box 3: 37
UMass Presidential Search Committee
1977
Box 3: 38
UMass Presidential Search Committee
1977-1978
Box 3: 39
UMass Presidential Search Committee
1977-1978
Box 3: 40
UMass Presidential Search Committee
1977-1978
Box 3: 41
UMass Presidential Search Committee: Candidate visits
1977-1978
Box 3: 42
UMass Presidential Search Committee: Secondary materials
1977-1978
Box 3: 43
UMass Presidential Search Committee
1978
Box 3: 44
University Records access
1985
Box 3: 45
Series 2. College, departmental, and professional activities
1959-1997
College of Arts & Sciences: Policies
1962-1964
Box 3: 46
College of Arts & Sciences/Social & Behavioral Sciences: Governance
1970-1976
Box 3: 47
College of Arts & Sciences/Social & Behavioral Sciences: Governance
1976-1981
Box 3: 48
College of Arts & Sciences/Social & Behavioral Sciences Personnel Policy Committee
1970-1972
Box 3: 49
College of Arts & Sciences/Social & Behavioral Sciences Personnel Policy Committee
1970-1972
Box 3: 50
College of Arts & Sciences/Social & Behavioral Sciences Personnel Policy Committee
1972-1973
Box 3: 51
College of Arts & Sciences/Social & Behavioral Sciences Personnel Policy Committee
1972-1973
Box 3: 52
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences: University policies and plans
1995-1996
Box 4: 1
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences: University policies and plans
1996
Box 4: 2
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences: University policies and plans
1996-1997
Box 4: 3
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences: University policies and plans
1997-1999
Box 4: 4
Department of Government
1959-1975
Box 4: 5
Department of Government: Bureau of Government Research
1967-1970
Box 4: 6
Department of Government: Master of Public Administration program
1968-1971
Box 4: 7
Department of Government: Master of Public Administration program
1970
Box 4: 8
Department of Government: Master of Public Administration program
1970-1971
Box 4: 9
Department of Government: Symposium on Vietnam policy
1969
Box 4: 10
Department of Political Science: Merit pay policy
1982-1985
Box 4: 11
Department of Political Science: Master of Public Administration program newsletters
1992-1997
Box 4: 12
Department of Political Science: public service internship program
1969-1975
Box 4: 13
Department of Political Science: public service internship program
1973
Box 4: 14
Political Science department: Symposium on the 1960s and the future of American politics
1984-1985
Box 4: 15
Pi Sigma Alpha Award Committee (American Political Science Association)
1972-1973
Box 4: 16
Poetry: Robert Frost, Atlantic
1963 Sep
Box 4: 17
Poetry: A Poet’s Politics: Lecture on Robert Frost
1981 May
Box 4: 18
Public Management Program, Boston State College
1975-1976
Box 4: 19

Administrative information

Access

The collection is open for research.

Provenance

Gift of Lewis C. Mainzer.

Processing Information

Processed by Simmons SLIS West students, 2018.

Language:

English

Copyright and Use (More information )

Cite as: Lewis C. Mainzer Papers (FS 160). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.

Search terms

Subjects

  • Educational change--United States.
  • Public universities and colleges.
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst--Faculty.
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst. Department of Political Science.

Genres and formats

  • Clippings.
  • Correspondence.
  • Memorandums.
  • Reports.

Link to similar SCUA collections