Office of International Agricultural Programs records

The collection contains records of the Office of International Programs, which administered University of Minnesota-based programs for international students studying agriculture and agriculture-related study programs in foreign countries. The collection consists of training materials, grant proposals, work plans, reports, course materials, committee minutes, conference materials, correspondence, legislative requests and programs files for foreign and domestic programs the Office administered.

The collection consists of two series: Program Files and Subjects. The Program Files covering the period from 1963 to 1999 and are subdivided into eight sub-series by geographic area: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, South America and the Soviet Union. The two most extensive sub-series are Africa and South America. The Africa sub-series includes grant materials, program and personal correspondence, reports, trips files, work plans and instructional material for programs in Morocco and Tunisia. The Moroccan materials are extensive, and chronicle the development of collaborative agronomy and forestry programs between the Institute of Agriculture and the Hassan II Institute. Also included are Peace Corp recruitment and training for Moroccan and Tunisian agricultural projects. A small amount of material is in French.

The South America sub-series is primarily focused on the Office’s work in Chile and with Chilean students at the University of Minnesota. Materials in the subseries include grant reports, program and personal correspondence, trip reports, newsletters and studies. Other countries included in the South America subseries are Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. There is a small amount of material in Spanish.

The two subseries for Russia and the Soviet Union reflect the fact that an exchange program between American and Soviet scholars began in the 1970s before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Materials from the 1990s are filed under Russia.

There is a very little material in the program files between 1979 and 1991, save for several folders focusing on a Rwandan program between 1987 and 1989.

The Subject series is an alphabetical list of materials covering administration, development and consortial activities related to the Office. The series includes grant proposals and reports, correspondence, teaching materials, conference and travel information, legislative requests, and program reviews. The series includes questionnaires, correspondence and a program proposal dating from the mid-1950s: these materials preclude the creation of the Office of International Programs in 1964. Most materials in the series date from 1970-1974; inclusive dates for the series are 1953-1998.