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Collections in the University Archives consist of non-current materials that document the administration, people and programs of Wichita State University since its founding as Fairmount College in 1895.
The papers of past presidents, administrators and distinguished faculty, publications by and about the University, catalogs, photographs, student newspapers and the yearbooks chiefly comprise the holdings.
The University Archives are arranged in Record Groups that reflect the origin of the materials and are the major administrative divisions of the overall collection. Within these Record Groups are distinct collections of materials, some of which are further described in detailed finding aids or inventories.
The Archives Classification Guide (.pdf) lists all collections in the University Archives, the contents of which range from numerous boxes to a single document.
To read about the university's history, click here.
Many non-current university-related digital materials are accessible under the "Wichita State" tab in Special Collections' Digital Collections. Photographs, documents, speeches and manuscripts comprise the digital materials available.
Several current WSU websites are preserved by Special Collections and University Archives on the Archive-It platform. They include the Sunflower newspaper, WSU Today newsletter and Twitter accounts of the WSU president and provost.
The WSU Libraries' institutional repository SOAR provides access to digital copies of the Parnassus yearbook, commencement programs, selected historical course catalogs, WSU theses and dissertations, other historical publications, the Sunflower student newspaper (1964-1977) and the Sunflower Index.
