Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1956-2005 (Creation)
Extent
2.94 linear feet
Name of creator
Administrative history
Atwood Memorial Center opened in the fall of 1966 as the social hub for St. Cloud State students as well as serving the campus community. Atwood has gone under many physical and administrative changes since 1966, but the mission remains the same - serve the student.
As St. Cloud State grew into a university, especially after World War II and the coming of age of the early Baby Boomer, calls for a student union increased. After a 1956 study authored by St. Cloud State regarding a campus student union, the process began to make it a reality. By 1961, efforts were underway to create a "living room for campus", including a student survey. In that survey, 80% of student polled were willing to be assessed a fees to support a student union.
Fundraising commenced to support the construction of a $1.5 million student union with students, friends and alumni, and the state to each pay a third of the cost. Ultimately, the state refused to pay for their third and unclear how the funds were raised.
Named for the Atwood family due to their financial support for the construction, and the fact that they building stood on the spot where their family home sat, Atwood opened its doors in September 1964. Over the next 40 years, the building expanded its physical footprint (1972, 1992, 2004) and remodeled countless times to support the changing tastes and needs of St. Cloud State students thus still being the "living Room for campus."
Atwood Memorial Center Directors:
Roger Wehrle: 6/1966-4/1971
Warren Reinecke: 7/1971-6/1972
Pat Krueger: 6/1972-6/1973 (acting)
Gary Bartlett: 7/1973-12/1981
Michael Hayman: 1/1982-6/1982 (acting)
Joseph Basil: 7/1982-7/1986
Joe Opatz: 8/1986-2/1995
Karla Myres: 1/1993-5/1993 (acting)
Margaret Vos: 2/1995-4/1998 (interim)
Margaret Vos: 4/1998-6/2013
Ed Bouffard: 7/2001-6/2002, 7/2006-6/2008 (interim)
Jessica Ostman: 7/2013-4/2014 (interim)
Anne Buttke: 4/2014-12/2014
Matt Trombley: 1/2014-10/2016 (interim)
Mitch Karstens: 11/2016-7/2018
Jessica Ostman: 9/2018-1/2020 (interim)
Clare Rahm: 1/2020-1/2021 (interim)
Matt Trombley: 1/2021+
Scope and content
Dating from 1956 to 2005, Atwood Memorial Center records consists of seven boxes that contain documents produced before the establishment and then the operation of the Atwood Memorial Center. The materials document the planning and fundraising for Atwood, the financial records, Atwood councils and advisory boards and various departments within Atwood.
Series 1: Fundraising, Construction and Phase II, 1956-1973
This series covers the initial planning and construction of Atwood, including the 1972 Phase II. Included here are construction specifics, contracts, Phase II financial statements, and initial fundraising to construct Atwood. This series also contains a 1956 paper that studied the need for a St. Cloud State student union.
Series 2: Financial Records, 1966-1988
This series includes annual reports and financial statements originating from the operation of the Atwood Memorial Center. Included within the financial records are items related to budget requests, allotments, disbursements, and expenditures.
Series 3: Councils and Boards, 1961-1998
This series contains meeting minutes, agendas, and correspondence from the councils and boards in Atwood. Included in this series is the Atwood Board of Governors (ABOG), the Executive Board, and the Atwood Council.
Series 4: Departments and Services, 1974-1997
This series documents the departments and services offered to students in Atwood. Included here are customer satisfaction surveys, records from the Recreation center and the Atwood stores.
Series 5: Administration, 1969-2005
This series documents the workings of Atwood at the administration level. This includes office correspondence, policies, position descriptions, and documents dealing with the master calendar. Also within this series is various publications produced by Atwood and Title IX records.
System of arrangement
Records are organized by series and then in alphabetical order.
Records are located at 29D.5a-6a.
Conditions governing access
There are no restrictions to the collection.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Permission to publish, quote, and reproduce must be secured from the copyright holder.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Processed by Josh DeRoode in spring 2021.