The Rufus H. Fitzgerald papers relate to his professional career at the State University of Iowa from 1923 to 1938. During that time he served as director of student services, followed by director of the Iowa Memorial Union, director of the School of Fine Arts, and head of the Department of History and Appreciation of Fine Arts.Of note is a 1929 comparison of fund-raising outcomes for university unions around the country and in Toronto, because Fitzgerald was successful at fund-raising during the Great Depression. This chart is attached to correspondence dated January 8, 1929, from J. E. Walters of Purdue University. Fitzgerald promoted the Iowa Memorial Union through radio presentations during 1927 and two transcripts of those addresses are housed in this collection.This collection also includes one 1927 program of the eighth annual conference held by the Association of College and University Unions at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City, Iowa. Several of Fitzgerald's speeches, included here, addressed the waning influence of religious organizations in college administration nationwide and he suggested that university unions should be responsible for the religious life of undergraduate students.Correspondence is arranged alphabetically into two folders and is dated 1924 to 1945. A major correspondent is Alice Littig Siems, an SUI alumna and Illinois sculptor, dated 1932 to 1934. Siems corresponded about professor Charles A. Cumming, Lorado Taft, Jonas Lie, and various works of art. Another correspondent is Illinois artist Lorado Taft regarding his lecture series at SUI in January, February, and April 1934, to include his famous modeling lecture.Each line in the box list represents one folder, unless otherwise indicated.