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D.C. Spriestersbach Papers

 Collection
Identifier: RG99.0255

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Scope and Contents

The Papers of D.C. Spriestersbach document a period of expansive growth of the University of Iowa as a significant public research institution. They include budget documents spanning over three decades, research project reports, policy and procedure manuals with respect to advanced research initiatives, and such controversial topics as human participants and use of animals in research. Other topics include student unrest, the presence of Iowa Highway Patrol officers on campus, and the distribution of federal funds to institutions of higher learning. Records in box 6 pertaining to the ALG (Administrative Liaison Group), an ad hoc group established by the Office of the President from 1968 to 1973 to respond to student unrest, are of particular interest with respect to the anti-war protest period.

Dates

  • Creation: 1952-2000

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.

Biographical or Historical Information

Duane Caryl ("Sprie") Spriestersbach was born September 15, 1916, in Pine Island, Minnesota. He graduated cum laude from Winona State Teachers College in Minnesota in 1939 and in 1940 received the M.A. in speech pathology from the State University of Iowa. In 1948 he received the Ph.D., also from SUI, in speech pathology and with a minor in psychology. On August 31, 1946, he married Bette Bartell in Tipton, Iowa, and they had two children.

Upon completion of his doctoral degree he was appointed assistant professor and subsequently rose to the rank of professor of speech pathology and audiology in 1958. In 1965 he was named dean of the Graduate College, a position he held for 22 years. In addition to those duties he assumed the title of vice president for research in 1966; his responsibilities and title expanded again in 1970 to include educational development. He served as interim president of the University of Iowa from September 1, 1981, to April 1, 1982, during the period between Willard Boyd's departure and James O. Freedman's arrival.

He served as president of the American Speech and Hearing Association, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Easter Seal Research Foundation, president of the Association of Graduate Schools, and chair of the Board of Directors of the Midwest Universities Consortium for International Activities (MUCIA).

D. C. Spriesterbach died April 25, 2011.

David McCartney, February 2007

Extent

19.50 Linear Feet

Abstract

Faculty, Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Iowa, 1940. Dean, Graduate College, 1965-1987. Interim University President, 1981-1982. Reports, memoranda, appointment books, scrapbooks, and correspondence, pertaining to a variety of University-related topics, including advancement of research, anti-war protest, and federal funding for public institutions.

Method of Acquisition

The papers were donated to the University Archives by Mr. Spriestersbach in three accessions during 2003 Acc. 2003-57, 2003-70, and 2003-82.

Related Materials

Spriestersbach, D.C. The Way It Was: The University of Iowa, 1964-1989. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1999.

Oral history interview, v. XXXIV, January 13, 1977 (RG01.0006.001)

Folder, "D.C. Spriestersbach," in Faculty and Staff Vertical Files (RG01.0015.003)

Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Repository Details

Part of the University of Iowa Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242
319-335-5921