MS 1125 - National Conventions Project Program

Title	MS 1125 - National Conventions Project Program
Subject	BGSU Centennial History
Introduction	The National Conventions Project (NCP) collection contains documents spanning from 1953 to 2004 with the majority of materials focusing on the national conventions of 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000. The NCP was founded, taught, and directed by two former Bowling Green State University (BGSU) professors, Drs William Spragens and Emil Dansker, with the purpose of offering students internship experience at news media covering the Democratic National Conventions (DNC) and Republican National Conventions (RNC). The activities and events of the NCP are realized through outgoing and incoming correspondences, as well as documents detailing student expectations and news releases describing the history of the NCP. In addition, this collection contains news articles written by the students and Dr. Dansker, resources collected from the national conventions, and other printed materials produced around the DNC and RNC. This collection was donated to the Center for Archival Collections by Dr. Emil Dansker on July 2nd, 2009. No restrictions exist on the use of this collection. Duplication is permitted for the purposes of preservation and research. This register was prepared by Matt Kilmer in June 2013.
Agency History	The National Conventions Project was a summer university course created in 1972 by Dr. William Spragens, a professor of political science at BGSU since 1969. The purpose of this course was to provide students with field work at the national conventions, but Spragens was left unsatisfied with the limited access he was able to procure his students. Spragens enlisted the assistance of Dr. Emil Dansker, a professor of journalism at BGSU, for the 1976 conventions. This collaboration gave students the opportunity to work under the direction of news media covering the DNC and RNC, such as newspapers and radio. In 1986, Spragens retired and Dansker moved the NCP to Central State University (CSU) after leaving BGSU. CSU was too small to sustain a substantial group size, so he made arrangements with other universities, both in and outside of Ohio, to increase the scope and reach of the NCP. In addition to CSU, students from BGSU, the University of Toledo, Ohio University, Ohio State University, Northwestern University, and Hamilton College were given the chance to work at the conventions. Besides some assistance in finding housing and employment, the student participants were primarily responsible for finding their way to and from the conventions and managing their time effectively for the benefit of their employers. The types of jobs students were expected to do included working as messengers for the Associated Press and writing articles for weekly and daily newspapers. Nevertheless, Spragens and Dansker were not the kind to merely throw their students into the workforce without any guidance. A series of lectures, guest speakers, and a week of orientation were provided with the intention of preparing them for the conventions. The success of the NCP led to several spin-off programs meant to provide students with additional practice. The Presidential Inauguration Project, for example, offered them the opportunity to work for news media covering the inaugurations. Likewise, the Olympics Project sent several students off to accomplish much of the same at the Olympic Games.
Scope and Content	The National Conventions Project collection contains both incoming and outing correspondence (1975-2000). The majority of these correspondence are related to the NCP in some regard. For example, most of the outgoing correspondence detail Dansker’s effort to promote the project and acquire internships for his students. The incoming correspondence are from editors, students, or, to a lesser extent, university administrators responding to Dansker’s enquiries or asking questions of their own. The correspondence are one of the more extensive and complete aspects of this collection. This collection also contains an informative variety of subject files, such as course files (1976-2000), assignments (1980, 1984), budget information (1980, 1992-1993), and housing (1980-2000). The course files include class syllabuses, bibliographies, workshop proposals, and instructive information for students. Media credentials (1976-2000) include the requests for accreditation to both the DNC and RNC. Furthermore, the responses from accrediting bodies are also provided. These letters offer a comprehensive look at which newspapers were interested in covering the conventions. Furthermore, physical copies of press credentials (1976-1992) are available to peruse. Documents from spin-off programs, such as the Olympics Project (1984-1996) and Presidential Inauguration Project (1982-1993) are made available in this collection. In addition, papers from organizations which Dansker associated with while working on the NCP are also accessible. These include, but are not limited to, the News Election Service (1976-1984) and the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (1988-2000). The NCP’s literary productions are available for examination. These include the rough drafts of news articles (1980-1996) written by the students and Dankser. News snippets for the radio station KUTY (1984-1992) are also provided. Finally, rough drafts of interviews (1984-1992) conducted by the students top off this section. The NCP collection contains a handsome variety of documents taken from the conventions. These are divided by convention year and party affiliation and span from 1976 to 2000. Documents include press releases, guide books, media information guides, delegate selection procedures, rolls of delegates, fact books, convention folders, calendars of events, press kits, and telephone service handbooks. Furthermore, this collection also contains a CNN poll of delegates(1988) identification cards (1992) and rough drafts of new articles focusing on the NCP (1976-1996). A sizable assortment of magazines and journals can be found within this collection, with one dating back to 1952, but the majority falling within 1976-2004. These include Time Magazine, Congressional Quarterly, Gannetteer, First Monday: The Republican Magazine, Columbia Journalism Review, Campaigns & Elections, Newsweek, Rising Tide, US News & World Report, and the Nation. One may also find several newspapers (1980-2000) which were released during the convention. Photographs (1976-1996) can be found at the end of this collection as well as artifacts (1992-2004). These artifacts include bumper stickers, trading cards, and post cards, as well as items from the conventions.
Series Description	CORRESPONDENCE Correspondence 1975-2000 Arranged chronologically Divided up by outgoing and incoming correspondence. Includes correspondence between Dansker or Spragens and students, editors, or university administrators. SUBJECT FILES National Conventions Project – Course Files 1976-2000 Arranged chronologically Includes class syllabuses, bibliographies, workshop proposals, and instructive information for students. Course Assignments 1980, 1984 Arranged chronologically Includes completed assignments by students such as journals and bi-weekly reports. NCP Budget 1980, 1992-1993 Arranged chronologically Includes budgetary information for both the BGSU and CSU eras. National Conventions Project – Fundraisers 1983-1984 Arranged chronologically Includes ideas to raise money for student expenses. Housing 1980-2000 Arranged chronologically Includes requests to BGSU alumni for housing and correspondence to the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, which offered housing to NCP students. Media Credentials – Requests/Responses 1976-2000 Arranged chronologically Includes requests from news media for accreditation and responses from convention bodies. Press Credentials 1976-1992 Arranged chronologically Includes physical copies of credentials. Election Experience Program 1972-1974, 1980-1982 Arranged chronologically Includes documents from this companion program to the NCP. Olympics Project 1984-1996 Arranged chronologically Includes documents from this spin-off program to the NCP. Presidential Inauguration Project 1981-1993 Arranged chronologically Includes documents from this spin-off program to the NCP. The White House – Office of the Press Secretary 1984 Includes documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary. News Election Service 1976-1984 Arranged chronologically Includes documents released by the News Election Service. Department of the Treasury – United States Secret Service 1980-1996 Arranged chronologically Includes documents released by the Secret Service. The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars 1988-2000 Arranged chronologically Includes documents released by the Washington Center. Inaugurations 1981, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001 Arranged chronologically Includes documents from the inaugurations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. LITERARY PRODUCTIONS News Articles – Rough Drafts 1980-1996 Arranged chronologically and divided by party affiliation Includes the rough drafts of news articles written by the students and Dansker. KUTY Broadcasts – Rough Drafts 1984-1992 Arranged chronologically Includes rough drafts of news snippets for radio broadcasts. Interviews – Rough Drafts 1984-1992 Arranged chronologically Includes rough drafts of interviews conducted by students. PRINTED MATERIAL Republican National Conventions 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 Grouped by convention year Includes documents received during the RNC such as press releases, guide books, media information guides, delegate selection procedures, rolls of delegates, fact books, convention folders, calendars of events, press kits, and telephone service handbooks. Democratic National Conventions 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 Grouped by convention year Includes documents received during the DNC such as press releases, guide books, media information guides, delegate selection procedures, rolls of delegates, fact books, convention folders, calendars of events, press kits, and telephone service handbooks. CNN Poll – Democratic Delegate Survey 1988 Includes the results of a survey asking democratic delegates their opinions of contemporary issues. Identification Cards 1992 Includes ID cards for the press. Miscellaneous Packet 1992 Includes a packet composed of a variety of news articles. News Releases – re: National Conventions Project 1976-1996 Arranged chronologically Includes rough drafts of news articles focusing on the NCP. Magazines and Journals 1952, 1976-2004 Arranged chronologically and/or by publication Includes a variety of magazines and journals focusing on the conventions such as Time Magazine, Congressional Quarterly, Gannetteer, First Monday: The Republican Magazine, Columbia Journalism Review, Campaigns & Elections, Newsweek, Rising Tide, US News & World Report, and the Nation. AP Logs 1976, 1992 Arranged chronologically Includes publications from the Associated Press. Pacific Bell Folder 1984 Includes a folder released by Pacific Bell, the manager of telecommunications for the DNC of 1984. Chicago Folder 1996 Includes a folder released for the 1996 DNC. Newspapers 1980-2000 Arranged chronologically Includes newspapers released at the time of conventions. PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL Negatives 1976, 1992 Arranged chronologically Includes the film negatives of photographs. Positive Prints 1976-1996, n.d. Arranged chronologically Includes positive prints of photographs. ARTIFACTS Artifacts 1992-2004 Arranged by category or convention. Includes post cards, trading cards, bumper stickers, and convention items.
Inventory	Box 1 Folders Correspondence – Outgoing, 1975-1976 Correspondence – Incoming, 1975-1976 Correspondence – Outgoing, 1978-1980 Correspondence – Incoming, 1978-1980 Correspondence – Outgoing, 1982-1984 Correspondence – Incoming, 1982-1984 Correspondence – Outgoing, 1987-1988 Correspondence – Incoming, 1987-1988 Correspondence – Outgoing, 1992 Correspondence – Incoming, 1990, 1992 Correspondence – Outgoing, 1995-1996 Correspondence – Incoming, 1995-1996 Correspondence – Outgoing, 2000 Correspondence – Incoming, 2000 National Conventions Project – Course Files, 1976-2000 Course Assignments, 1980 Course Assignments, 1984 NCP Budget – Bowling Green State University, 1980 NCP Budget – Central State University, 1992-1993 National Conventions Project – Fundraisers, 1983-1984 Housing, 1980-2000 Box 2 Folders Media Credentials – Requests/Responses, 1976 Media Credentials – Requests/Responses, 1980 Media Credentials – Requests/Responses, 1983-1984 Media Credentials – Requests/Responses, 1987-1988 Media Credentials – Requests/Responses, 1992 Media Credentials – Requests/Responses, 1996 Media Credentials – Requests/Responses, 2000 Press Credentials, 1976-1992 Election Experience Program, 1972-1974, 1980-1982 Olympics Project, 1984-1996 Presidential Inauguration Project, 1981-1993 The White House – Office of the Press Secretary, 1984 News Election Service, 1976-1984 Department of the Treasury – United States Secret Service, 1980-1996 The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, 1988-2000 Ronald Reagan – Inaugurations, 1981, 1985 George H.W. Bush – Inauguration, 1989 Bill Clinton – Inaugurations, 1993, 1997 George W. Bush, 2001 Box 3 Folders News Articles – Rough Drafts – RNC, 1980 News Articles – Rough Drafts – RNC, 1984 News Articles – Rough Drafts – RNC, 1988 News Articles – Rough Drafts – RNC, 1992 News Articles – Rough Drafts – RNC, 1996 News Articles – Rough Drafts – DNC, 1980 News Articles – Rough Drafts – DNC, 1984 News Articles – Rough Drafts – DNC, 1988 News Articles – Rough Drafts – DNC, 1992 News Articles – Rough Drafts – DNC, 1996 KUTY Broadcasts – Rough Drafts, 1984 KUTY Broadcasts – Rough Drafts, 1988 KUTY Broadcasts – Rough Drafts, 1992 Interviews – Rough Drafts, 1984 Interviews – Rough Drafts, 1988 Interviews – Rough Drafts, 1992 Box 4 Folders Press Releases –RNC, 1976 Guide Books/Programs, 1976 Tickets – RNC, 1976 Media Information Guide – RNC, 1976 Republican National Convention: Ohio News Media Information, 1976 Press Releases – RNC, 1980 Guide Books/Programs – RNC, 1980 Promotional Material – RNC, 1980 Miscellaneous Information – RNC, 1980 Press Releases – RNC, 1984 Guide Books/Programs – RNC, 1984 Miscellaneous Information – RNC, 1984 Miscellaneous Materials – RNC, 1984 Delegate Selection Procedures – RNC, 1984 Official Press Release – RNC, 1984 Official Guide – RNC, 1984 Republican Platform: America’s Future Free and Secure, 1984 Dallas Welcoming Committee Newsletter – RNC, 1984 Press Releases – RNC, 1988 Guide Books/Programs – RNC, 1988 Miscellaneous Information – RNC, 1988 Miscellaneous Materials – RNC, 1988 Box 5 Folders Official Press Guide – RNC, 1988 Media Fact Book – RNC, 1988 Permanent Roll of Delegates and Alternative Delegates – RNC, 1988 Republican National Convention Folder, 1988 Guide Books/Programs –RNC, 1992 Miscellaneous Information – RNC, 1992 Official Press Guide –RNC, 1992 Master Calendar of Events –RNC, 1992 Official Program –RNC, 1992 Permanent Roll of Delegates and Alternative Delegates –RNC, 1992 The Republican Platform, 1992 Press Releases – RNC, 1996 Guide Books/Programs – RNC, 1996 Miscellaneous Material – RNC, 1996 Official Press Guide – RNC, 1996 Master Calendar of Events – RNC, 1996 Guide Books/Programs – RNC, 2000 Miscellaneous Information –RNC, 2000 Master Calendar of Events –RNC, 2000 Official Media Guide –RNC, 2000 Permanent Roll of Delegates and Alternative Delegates – RNC, 2000 Box 6 Folders Guide Books/Programs – DNC, 1976 The Democratic Party of the United States in Convention, 1976 The Call of the 1976 Democratic National Convention, 1976 Convention Press Kit – DNC, 1976 Press Guide – DNC, 1976 Press Releases – DNC, 1980 Guide Books/Programs – DNC, 1980 Invitation – DNC, 1980 Miscellaneous Information – DNC, 1980 Press Information – DNC, 1980 Press Releases – DNC, 1984 Guide Books/Programs – DNC, 1984 Invitation – DNC, 1984 Miscellaneous Information – DNC, 1984 San Francisco Convention Host Committee – DNC, 1984 Telephone Service Handbook – DNC, 1984 Press Folder – DNC, 1984 Box 7 Folders Guide Books/Programs – DNC, 1988 Miscellaneous Information – DNC, 1988 Democratic National Convention Folder, 1988 Press Releases – DNC, 1992 Guide Books/Programs – DNC, 1992 Miscellaneous Information – DNC, 1992 Invitation – DNC, 1992 Democratic National Convention Folder, 1992 Press Information Kit – DNC, 1992 Media Vendor Guide – DNC, 1992 Press Releases – DNC, 1996 Guide Books/Programs – DNC, 1996 Miscellaneous Material – DNC, 1996 Press Information Kit – DNC, 1996 Democratic National Convention Folder, 1996 Temporary Roll of Delegates and Alternates –DNC, 1996 Press Releases – DNC, 2000 Miscellaneous Material – DNC, 2000 The Pennsylvania Delegation Convention Handbook – DNC, 2000 Box 8 Folders CNN Poll – Democratic Delegate Survey, 1988 Identification Cards, 1992 Miscellaneous Packet, 1992 News Releases – re: National Convention Project, 1976-1996 Time Magazine Guide, 1952 AP Logs, 1976, 1992 Congressional Quarterly, 1976-2000 Elections ‘80, 1980 Gannetteer, 1984 The Business Perspective – Dallas, 1984 First Monday: The Republican Magazine, 1984-1988 Columbia Journalism Review, 1984 Campaigns & Elections, 1988-2000 GO: New Orleans, 1988 GO: Atlanta: DNC Official Special Edition, 1988 Box 9 Folders Blacks and the 1992 Democratic National Convention, 1992 Guide to Houston, 1992 C-SPAN: Conventional Wisdom, 1992 A Commemorative History of Political Conventions, 1992 New York Media Guide, 1992 New York Newsday, 1992 Illinois Issues, 1992 Newsweek, 1996 Rising Tide, 1996 US News & World Report, 2000 The Conventioneer, 2000 The Nation, 2004 CTU Folder, 1984 Pacific Bell Folder, 1984 Chicago Folder, 1996 Box 10 Folders Newspapers, 1980 Newspapers, 1988 Newspapers, 1992 Newspapers, 1996 Newspapers, 2000 Negatives, 1976 Negatives, 1992 Positive Prints, 1976 Positive Prints, 1980 Positive Prints, 1984 Positive Prints, 1988 Positive Prints, 1992 Positive Prints, 1996 Positive Prints, n.d. Artifacts – RNC, 1992, 2000 Artifacts – DNC, 1996, 2000 Artifacts – Bumper Stickers, 1996, 2004 Artifacts – Trading Cards, 1992 Artifacts – Post Cards, n.d. Oversized Volume The Convention Answer Book, 1984

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