The inclusive dates for the Papers of the Office of the Vice-President (Administration) are 1948-1974, with predominant dates spanning 1961-1974. Eight meters (27 cubic boxes) comprise the administrative and operational files from Beverley F. Macaulay's term in office. A small portion of the collection includes files generated by Donald G. Sedgewick, the Assistant Comptroller.

Beverley F. Macaulay (b. 1908) was a native of Grand Manan. He attended Rothesay Collegiate School and received his degree in electrial engineering at the University of New Brunswick in 1928. Following graduation, Macaulay worked for the Bell Telephone Company in Montreal and served in the Canadian Navy from 1940-1946. Elected President of the UNB Club in Montreal in 1950, Macaulay met UNB President A.W. Trueman. In 1951, Trueman initiated a reorganization of the administrative structure of the university, and he invited Macaulay to return to UNB as the first Business Manager, a new managerial position which was created from a division of the Bursar's responsibilities into two distinct offices. Chester L. Mahan was appointed Bursar.

The University of New Brunswick Act of 1952 defined the role of the Business Manager as a Senate appointment to represent the President in the business of the university and to be responsible for the preparation of university statements and of annual financial statements. Responsibilities also included general supervision of the properties, revenues and business affairs of the university, and responsibility for the direction of non-academic staff. Macaulay served as UNB Business Manager from 1951-1958. He left UNB briefly from 1958-1960, and was employed by a Toronto industrial firm.

Administrative functions were reclassified once again under the 1961 amendments to the University of New Brunswick Act, which separated the administrative and the academic functions of the Vice-Presidency. Mahan's Bursar position was reclassified as Comptroller. Donald G. Sedgewick served as Assistant Comptroller until 1974. Macaulay became U.N.B.'s first Vice-President (Administration), a position which he held until 1974.

The 1961 legislation to amend the U.N.B. Act created the offices of the Vice-Presidents - a Vice-President Academic and a Vice-President Administration. Under section 7B(1) of the legislation, the Vice-President Administration was made responsible to the President for the co-ordination and control of the executive and administrative functions of the university and all its subsidiaries other than with respect tp academic matters. The Comptroller was to be responsible to the Vice-President Administration and to act as his chief executive assistant, and was given responsibility for the properties, revenues and expenditures of the university as well as responsibility for the preparation of the university and annual financial statements.

Macaulay's duties as Vice-President (Administration) were diverse, and included accounting, budgetting, financial control, collection of funds, payment of accounts, investments, maintenance and operation of the physical plant and properties, and direction of non-academic personnel.

Macaulay served as Vice-President (Administration) during a period of rapid expansion for the university. Fuelled by the influx of World War Two veterans, UNB's registration more than tripled during the period from 1940 to 1960, parallelling a national trend. Beginning with the veterans' programmes, the federal government's financial support grew exponentially.

The National Conference of Canadian Universities, the predecessor of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, established the Bladen Commission on the functioning of higher education in Canada, chaired by University of Toronto economist Vincent Bladen, which led to the adoption of more equitable financing at the national level. On the provincial scene, the Deutsch Royal Commission on Higher Education in New Brunswick, appointed in 1961, set forth the pattern for the development of higher education facilities and the establishment of a system of capital grants. The Deutsch Commission also was instrumental in recommending the establishment of a second UNB campus at Saint John, which initially would offer the first two years of the university's regular degree programs in Arts and Sciences. The UNBSJ campus was established in 1964, and moved to its permanent location at Tucker Park in 1969. In 1963, following the recommendation of the Royal Commission, UNB entered into an agreement of federation with Saint Thomas University in Chatham, which was relocated to the UNB campus. The Teacher's College was moved to the UNB campus in September, 1964.

The Deutsch Commission also recommended the establishment of a permanent, independent agency which would be concerned with developing all forms of post-secondary education in New Brunswick, which was accomplished in September 1967 through the New Brunswick Higher Education Commission.

Also significant to the increasing national movement towards democratization in Canadian universities was the publication of the Duff-Berdahl report, University Government in Canada (1966). Anticipating the recommendations of this report, U.N.B. President Colin B. Mackay appointed the Bailey Commission in 1965 to report on any matter relating to the future of the university. This led to extensive revision of the University of New Brunswick Act in 1968. These revisions introduced a two-tiered governing structure for the University of New Brunswick. The Board of Governors assumed financial responsibilities, while the Senate was concerned primarily with academic matters. In 1969, students sat on the Senate for the first time in the university's history.

During Macaulay's term in office, then, UNB was transformed from a small college institution into a medium-sized university. Macaulay played an active role in the planning and expansion program and in building a sound administrative organization for UNB, based on committee government.

The Papers of the Office of the Vice-President (Administration) were deposited in the UNB Archives and Special Collections Department in 1985/1986.

The Macaulay and Sedgewick files are composed primarily of textual records. A large portion of the collection consists of typescript and handwritten correspondence or memos. Among the other formats included in these papers are telegrams, reports, lists, notices, flyers, agenda, briefs, studies, legislation, conference brochures, press releases, newsletters, journal articles, newspaper articles, applications, and programmes. Also included are minutes and photographs (b&w). Much of the material comprises financial records and includes graphs, invoices, purchase orders, budgets, financial statements, certificates of payment, contracts, and indentures. Many of the files relate to the new construction taking place on both UNB campuses, and include sketches, samples, specifications, tenders, maps, and plans.

These papers comprise the administrative and operational files from Macaulay's term in office, and they document his widespread responsibilities in the financial and operational management of the university. A large portion of the fonds consists of files relating to planning and development, new construction, and general maintenance of buildings and grounds. Another large component of the collection relates to the financial operations of the university.

The title is based on the contents of the fonds.

Generally, the material is in good physical condition. Basic conservation techniques were followed, including the removal of paper clips and the photocopying of key newspaper clippings.

The files have been rearranged in alphabetical order to reflect their internal arrangement while they were in active use. Reverse chronological arrangement within most of the files has been maintained.

Some files may contain personal information which will require limited restriction, at the discretion of the University Archivist, to protect the privacy of the individual. This would involve the temporary removal of single items which would allow the balance of the file to remain accessible.

These records complement those of the Comptroller's Office which document the fiscal life of the university prior to Macaulay's term of office. Researchers may wish to consult the finding aid which was produced for the Papers of the University of New Brunswick Comptroller's Office, which is housed in the UNB Archives and Special collections Department.


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Last Update: 96/04/24