Interview with A. Lee Coleman, November 12, 1984

Interview Summary

Dr. A. Lee Coleman reminisces about the beginnings of the Center for Developmental Change (C.D.C.). He talks about his initial involvement with the center as Chairman of the Department of Sociology at the University of Kentucky. He says there were many discussions about the need for a social science research center and talks about a series of meetings connected with forming the research center. Coleman mentions people who attended these meetings such as Dr. Douglas Ensminger and Dr. Irwin Sanders, sociologists who worked with programs for the Ford Foundation overseas, and Dr. A. D. Albright, who was Executive Vice-President of UK. He notes that Dr. John W. Oswald was U.K.'s President at this time. Coleman remembers that dramatic growth occurred at U.K. during Oswald's tenure, and says Oswald was "very visible and active", and this "earned him many enemies." Dr. Albright's office supported a trip by Coleman and Dr. Malcolm Jewell, where they visited a possible model at the Institute for Research and Social Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He talks about visits to several universities that had planning departments in order to study their curricula.

Coleman mentions the composition of a committee for a faculty seminar regarding a center for developmental change. He notes the interdisciplinary nature of this seminar, the departments involved, and talks about Dr. Albright's request for a prospectus for a name for the center, to be presented in July, 1963. The prospectus was approved by U.K.'s Board of Trustees in 1964 and the C.D.C. became an official unit of U.K. in 1966. Dr. Thomas R. Ford was suggested as a possible choice for Director of the CDC. It was also suggested that Coleman vacate his current Chair and become the Director for the C.D.C., but Dr. Art Gallagher became acting Director for the first year. Dr. Ed Weidner served as Director from 1966-1967 until he left to be President of the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. Coleman recalls that two individuals served as co-director for one year, before Dr. Howard Beers, who returned from Indonesia and was a member of the C.D.C., was named Interim Director from 1967 until 1974. The C.D.C. was placed in U.K.'s College of Agriculture during this time, where it became less visible. He talks about changes in the program over time, especially when the Indonesian program was removed from the C.D.C. around 1970, and mentions the C.D.C.-administered Peace Corps program, which operated from 1966 until 1971.

Interview Keyword

College administrators College environment College presidents Universities and colleges--Administration. Universities and colleges--Departments Universities and colleges--Faculty. Universities and colleges--Finance Universities and colleges--Research University of Kentucky. Department of Sociology

Interview LC Subject

Agriculture. Coleman, A. Lee (Amoss Lee), 1913- Coleman, A. Lee (Amoss Lee), 1913- --Interviews University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History

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