PROVENANCE_______________________________________________________
The Frank C. Abbott Research Notes Collection
3.0 Linear Feet
Collection No. MSS-026The records which comprise this collection have been provided to the Archives and Special Collections Department at the Auraria Library by Dr. Frank C. Abbott. This material was collected by Dr. Abbott at the time he was involved in the planning of the Auraria Higher Education Center in downtown Denver. He used this material extensively while doing research for his book The Auraria Higher Education Center: How It Came To Be. This title was published in 1999 by the Auraria Higher Education Center in Denver, Colorado. The bulk of these records cover the time period of 1967 though 1972.
Property rights to this collection are held by the Archives and Special Collections Department of the Auraria Library . Literary rights to the collection vary. Photocopies may be made for purposes of scholarly research.
Citation:
The Frank C. Abbott Research Notes Collection Carton/Fd# Archives and Special Collections Department Auraria Library Denver, Colorado
Dr. Frank C. Abbott, as the first Executive Director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education in 1965, was an instrumental figure in the creation of the Auraria Higher Education Center. By the early 1960's it had become obvious that a public higher education facility was needed in the Denver area. As a result, the legislature created Metropolitan State College in 1963 and the Community College of Denver in 1967 to help satisfy this need. They were followed shortly in 1973 when CU's Extension Center in downtown Denver was converted into a branch campus of the University and renamed the University of Colorado at Denver. By the late 1960's MSC and CCD were all running short of classroom space in their rented quarters opposite downtown. At the same time the Denver Extension Center was struggling along in the old Denver Tramway building which needed extensive renovation. The CCHE set up the Metropolitan Denver Council on Higher Education which was charged with the planning and promoting inter-institutional cooperation in the metropolitan area. In Dr. Abbott words, "Metro State and the Community College of Denver were looking for a campus. There was a large tract of land, accessible from throughout the city because of its central location, ripe for development. On behalf of Metro, the City has submitted an application for urban renewal for this 169 acre tract. The land was, literally, across Speer Boulevard and Cherry Creek from the University's inadequate facilities at its downtown center. That this site should become a possible location for all three institutions had to be recognized. An important element was that the three would share - classrooms, perhaps certain low-demand academic programs, a library, educational media, a number of student services, not to mention numerous support services such as warehousing, maintenance, security, parking and others." Thus began the story of the Auraria Higher Education Center and the Auraria campus: a story very well told by Dr. Abbott in his book, "The Auraria Higher Education Center - How It Came To Be". Dr. Abbott helped shepherd the Auraria campus from its conception and planning through its development and construction. He remained as the Executive Director of the CCHE overseeing the project until just before Metropolitan State moved onto the campus in 1977. By the late 1990's, although the campus and AHEC where not yet quite 25 years old, Dr. Abbott felt a need to record the history of its origins because as he states in the preface to his book, "progressively fewer of the men and women who participated in the earliest discussions live to remember". This collection contains most the research materials Dr. Abbott gathered in preparing his manuscript.
The documents contained in this collection were collected by Dr. Abbott in the
preparation of his book on the origins of the Auraria Higher Education Center.
The collection includes material such as correspondence, newspaper clippings,
publications, meeting minutes, studies, planning reports and notes. These
materials date from approximately 1958 to 1987. Most folders also include notes
and annotations made by Dr. Abbott in mid 1990's when he reviewed this source
material while working on the manuscript for his book. Dr. Abbott's files have
been maintained in their original order.
CONTAINER LIST__________________________________________________Series 1: Subject Files
Most of the material Dr. Abbott collected during the planning and construction of the Auraria Higher Education Center was organized according to subject. They are listed in the finding aid in alphabetical order by subject. Dr. Abbott's original folder headings have been utilized whenever possible.
Series 2: Publications
Dr. Abbott used several published reports about the state of higher education in the Denver metropolitan area in the preparation of his manuscript. He also used planning reports produced for the Auraria Higher Education Center. These reports are listed in Series 2 of this finding aid. Please note that many of the subject files may also include reports which are not listed in this series. The publications in this series are listed in the container list in alphabetical order by title.
Series #1: Subject Files
Date Carton/Folder# 1972 AHEC Appropriation - 1972 Long Bill 2/5 1971-1974 AHEC Board of Directors - Establishment of... 2/2 1971-1974 AHEC Board of Directors - Meeting Minutes 1/26 1974-1976 AHEC Board of Directors - Meeting Minutes 2/2 1972-1973 AHEC - General Correspondence, Memorandum and etc. Not Otherwise Categorized 2/8 1968 Arapahoe Junior College 1/10 1962 Association of State Institutions of Higher Education in Colorado - Denver Area Study 2/24 1968-1969 Auraria Center Working Committee and Subcommittees 1/21 1970 Auraria Center Working Committee and Subcommittees 1/22 1970 Auraria Coordinating Committee 2/13 1973 Auraria 'The Crisis' - Sept./Oct. 1973 2/9 1973-1976 Auraria Executive Committee - Meeting Minutes 2/3 1969-1971 Auraria - General Correspondence Not Otherwise Categorized 2/22 1970-1972 Auraria Interim Policy Board - Auraria Planning Board 1/23 1971 Auraria Interim Policy Board 1/24 1971-1972 Budget Requests 2/19 1970 Central Computer Center 2/17 1969 Citizens for Auraria - Auraria Bond Issue 1/11 1969-1970 Citizens for Efficient Education, Inc. 1/7 1968-1969 Colorado Commission on Higher Education - Agenda/Minutes 3/12 1965/1966 Colorado Commission on Higher Education - Subcommittee on Metro Denver - Meeting Agenda/Minutes 3/14 1968 Colorado Commission on Higher Education - Subcommittee on Metro Denver - Meeting Agenda/Minutes 3/15 1969-1971 Colorado University Denver Center/University of Colorado Board of Regents 1/8 1970 Common Calendar 2/16 1968/1969 Community College of Denver - Planning Reports - Site Planning 3/13 1969-1970 Community Relations 2/10 1970-1971 Commuter Student Study 2/37 1967-1968 Denver Area Council on higher Education Agenda/Minutes 3/11 1969 Denver Bond Election - Nov. 1, 1969 2/11 1969-1970 Denver Chamber of Commerce 2/29 1971 Denver City Council - Hearing 2/14 n.d. Denver Convention Center 2/35 1968-1970 Denver Planning Board/Landmark Commission 2/33 1968 Denver Public Schools 1/5 1967 Denver Regional Council of Governments - Inter- County Regional Planning Commission - Annual Report and Roster (Includes Organization Chart) 2/36 1968-1973 Denver Urban Renewal Authority 1/2 1969-1972 Downtown Denver Improvement Association/Downtown Denver Inc. 2/28 1968 Educational Facilities Laboratories, Inc. - Grant for Auraria Planning 1/4 1969-1971 Governors Love and Vanderhoof 2/12 1971 Internal Policy Board - Housing Task Force 2/15 1971-1972 Joint Budget Committee 2/20 1973 Joint Budget Committee 1/20 1969 Lamar, Kelsey and Associates - Feasibility Study 1/16 1970 Lamar, Kelsey and Associates - Post Site Planning Project 1/18 1968-1970 Lamar, Kelsey and Associates - Site Planning Study 1/17 1958-1963 Legislative Committee for Education Beyond High school 2/23 1968 Model Cities Target Area - Map 1/9 1968-1969 MSC Campus Planning and Program Planning 1/3 1967-1970 MSC Roles and Mission 2/31 1966-1968 MSC Site Selection Process 2/32 1962-1968 Newspaper Clippings about Auraria 2/25 1969-1971 Newspaper Clippings about Auraria 2/26 1972-1976 Newspaper Clippings about Auraria 2/27 1960-1976 Newspaper Clippings - Index of Articles about Auraria, AHEC, Higher Education in Denver, MSC, and etc. (Compiled by Dr. Abbott) 2/21 1968 Occupational Education Planning - DPL, CCD, MSC, etc. 3/16 1969-1971 Parking at Auraria 2/18 1973-1974 Planning and Construction 2/6 1973-1975 Planning for Academic Sharing and Administration 2/4 1970 Report to the Joint Budget Committee on Auraria 1/19 1969 Special Opportunity Grant 1/14 1971 Special Opportunity Grant Proposal - Title I of the Higher Educational Facilities Act - U.S. Office of Education 1/13 1972-1973 University of Colorado President's Council/AHEC Academic Affairs Coordinating Committee (pre HB 1163 of 1974) 1/25 1970 West High school Site for the MSC Campus 2/30 1969-1971 Westside Coalition 1/6Series #2: Publications
Date Carton/Folder# 1969 "An Assessment of Alternative Means of Providing Higher Education in the Denver Metropolitan Area" Herald, Hobson and Associates 1/12 1969 "A Concept Report: Higher Education Center, Auraria Area, Denver, Colorado" Lamar, Kelsey, and Assoc. 3/2 1969 "Denver Contemplates: A New Approach to Town and Gown" Lamar, Kelsey and Associates - Reprint of an Article from "Symposia" January 1969 3/4 1968 "Feasibility Study - Planning Report" Lamar, Kelsey and Associates 3/5 1970 "Governance and Administration of the Auraria Higher Education Center" Dr. Chester Alter 2/7 1970 "Higher Education in the Denver Metropolitan Area" Colorado Commission on Higher Education 1/15 1963 "Individual Opportunity and Economic Growth in the Denver Metropolitan Area" Task Group on Post High School Education in the Denver Metropolitan Area 3/8 1963 "Individual Opportunity and Economic Growth in the Denver Metropolitan Area - The Base Book" Task Group on Post High School Education in the Denver Metropolitan Area 3/9 1965 "Metropolitan State College - Data Sheets and Analysis" MSC 3/11 1970 "Partners of Progress: Higher Education Enrollments in Colorado, 1960-1980" CCHE 3/3 1971 "Site Planning" AHEC 3/1 1987 "Soul of a New College" Carson Reed - from Metropolitan Magazine Published by Metropolitan State College 2/38 1967 "Statistical Synopsis - Higher Education in Colorado" CCHE 3/6 1972 "Statistical Synopsis - Higher Education in Colorado" CCHE 3/7 1968 "Trustees' Report on the Plan of Operation for Metropolitan State College" aqua "The Green Report" Trustees of the State Colleges in Colorado 3/10