Finding Aid Compiled by
Nicholas Webb, November 2008
M. E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives
University Libraries / University at Albany / State University of New York
1400 Washington Avenue / Albany, New York 12222 / (518) 437-3935
VOLUME: 12 cubic ft.
ACQUISITION: All items in this manuscript group were transferred to the University Libraries, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, in 2001.
ACCESS: Access to this record group is unrestricted.
COPYRIGHT: Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the head of Special Collections and Archives.
Box and Folder List:
John J. Mather was a public servant who held a number of positions with the State University of New York (SUNY) Central Administration. Born in 1922 in Rolfe, Iowa, Mather served in the Navy during World War II. He worked for twelve years as a high school social studies teacher and later served as secretary to the African American Institute in New York City before joining the staff of the SUNY system during the mid-1960s. Mather began his career at SUNY as one of several assistants to the Chancellor. During the late 1960s, he was involved in efforts to document and understand student unrest on the various SUNY campuses. In 1971, Mather was promoted to the position of Executive Assistant to the Chancellor. In this position he participated in the establishment of the Empire State Youth Theatre Institute, helped organized a student exchange program with Russia, oversaw a major study of the economic impact of the SUNY system, and served as the Chancellor’s representative during the conversion of the Delaware & Hudson Building in downtown Albany into a headquarters for SUNY Central. In 1978, Mather became Associate Chancellor for Continuing Education and Public Service, a position he would hold until 1984. During this time he oversaw the establishment and expansion of the New York Network, SUNY’s public television production studio.
In 1984, Mather became the Administrator of the SUNY System Business Development Services Office. Here he was responsible for creating and overseeing several programs in which the various SUNY campuses collaborated with the private sector to encourage the economic development of New York State. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) assisted small business owners, while the SUNY Business and Industry Centers (initially referred to as Development Centers for Business) provided research, training and technical support to businesses of all sizes, including national and multinational businesses looking to expand their operations in New York State. The Export New York program, meanwhile, encouraged New York State businesses to export to countries outside the United States.
After retiring from the SUNY system in 1990, Mather became the president of Rolfe, Inc., a private consulting company which worked on establishing trade links between America and Europe. During this period Mather helped establish a sister cities program which facilitated cultural and business exchanges between Albany and Tula, Russia and Ghent, Belgium. In the mid-1990s Mather was also active in a campaign to prevent Governor Pataki from cutting the SUNY budget. He died in 2000.
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Notes
1. “Mather, John.” Albany Times Union, July 19, 2000, B8.
This collection contains 12 cu. ft. of substantial records from Mather’s service as a SUNY administrator. The collection contains Mather’s vast correspondence with colleagues and constituents as Assistant to the SUNY Chancellor (1965-1971), Executive Assistant to the Chancellor (1971-1978) and Associate Chancellor for Public Service (1978-1984).
The collection is divided into four series. Series 1: Correspondence (1966-1990) contains blue carbon copies of Mather’s correspondence from throughout his career. This includes routine administrative correspondence as well as letters and memoranda to other SUNY administrators and to the Chancellor. It includes complete correspondence files for the years 1967, 1970 through 1972, 1977 through 1978 and 1981 through 1984 as well as partial correspondence files for the years 1966, 1968 and 1990.
Series 2: SUNY Administrative (1965-1996) contains materials related to the general administration of the State University of New York (SUNY), largely but not exclusively dating from John Mather’s service as Assistant to the Chancellor (1965-1971), Executive Assistant to the Chancellor (1971-1978) and Associate Chancellor for Public Service (1978-1984). Series 2 is divided into 4 subseries. Subseries 1: Campus Unrest (1967-1973) contains files related to student unrest on the various SUNY campuses during the late 1960s and early 1970s. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by name of campus and/or by subject matter. Nearly all of the SUNY campuses experienced some form of student unrest during this period, and several, most notably SUNY Stony Brook, experienced large-scale disruption due to riots and protests. Subseries 2: New York Network (1975-1991) contains records related to New York Network, the public-access television studio run by the State University system. Subseries 3: Subject File (1969-1996) contains subject files related to a wide variety of topics, most notably the Empire State Youth Theatre Institute and the Russian exchange student program. It is organized alphabetically by subject. Subseries 4: SUNY Publications (1965-1995) contains publications of the State University of New York central administration, including annual reports, periodicals and related documents. Many different publication series are represented in this subseries, although none of them are complete.
Series 3: SUNY System Business Development Services (1981-1995) contains material related to Mather’s service as administrator of this department and the various programs which he oversaw there. It is divided into four subseries, including a general subject file and subseries on the three main programs of the Business Development Services Office: the Small Business Development Center, the Business and Industry Centers, and Export New York.
Series 4: Rolfe, Inc. (1989-1996) contains material related to the private consulting firm which Mather ran following his retirement from the SUNY system.
Series 1: Correspondence, 1966-1990 2.5 cubic ft.
Arranged chronologically, this series contains blue carbon copies of Mather’s correspondence, including routine administrative correspondence as well as letters and memoranda to other SUNY administrators and to the Chancellor. It includes complete correspondence files for the years 1967, 1970 through 1972, 1977 through 1978 and 1981 through 1984 as well as partial correspondence files for the years 1966, 1968 and 1990. The series is arranged in chronological order.
Series 2: SUNY Administrative Records, 1965-1996
This series consists of records related to the SUNY Central Administration outside of the Business Development Services Office. The majority of records date from Mather’s service as Assistant to the Chancellor, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor and [Vice Chancellor for Public Services. Series 2 is divided into four sub-series:
Subseries 1: Campus Unrest, 1967-1973 2 cubic ft.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this sub-series contains material related to campus unrest in the SUNY system. Files related to individual SUNY campuses are organized alphabetically by campus name and interfiled with general subject headings. Campus unrest ranged from peaceful sit-ins and demonstrations to building takeovers and all-out riots. Subjects included the Vietnam War and racial tensions. In particular, this series contains an extensive file of material on SUNY Stony Brook where raids by Long Island police targeting the on-campus drug trade led on more than one occasion to riots between students and police.Subseries 2: New York Network, 1975-1991 (bulk 1977-1984) .75 cubic ft.,
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains material on the New York Network, SUNY’s public broadcasting studio.Subseries 3: Subject File, 1969-1996 2.75 cubic ft.
This series consists of numerous subject files on various subjects, including the Empire State Youth Theatre Institute, the SUNY Russian student exchange program, studies on the economic impact of the SUNY system, the remodeling of the D&H Building, and other topics. It includes fairly extensive files of material related to three SUNY campuses, Buffalo, New Paltz and Stony Brook.Subseries 4: SUNY Publications, 1965-1995 1 cubic ft.
This series contains printed publications issued by the SUNY Central Administration. It includes an extensive file of annual reports, various newsletters and brochures, internal and external periodicals, and other promotional and administrative materials.
Series 3: SUNY System Business Development Services, 1981-1995
This series consists records related to Mather’s service as Administrator of the SUNY System Business Development Services Office and is divided into four sub-series:
Subseries 1: General, 1982-1995 (bulk 1987-1990) .5 cubic ft.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series includes various subject files not related to any specific project, including files on the Port of Albany and an extensive file on the US/Canada Free Trade Agreement.Subseries 2: Small Business Development Center (SBDC), 1983-1995 (bulk 1984-1990) .75 cubic ft.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains the records of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). It includes annual reports, master plans, records of the Board of Directors, and various other materials related to the SBDC.Subseries 3: Statewide Advisory Board for Development Centers for Business / Business and Industry Centers, 1981-1990 .75 cubic ft.
This subseries consists primarily Records of the Development Centers for Business / Business and Industry Centers and of the records of the Statewide Advisory Board which oversaw the Business and Industry Centers, including records of board meetings, periodicals, and the records of a July 1990 teleconference on the application of Total Quality Management.Subseries 4: Export New York, 1985-1992 .5 cubic ft.,
This sub-series contains Records of the Export New York program, including material on the 1988 Export Now national conference in which Export New York staff participated.
Series 4: Rolfe, Inc., 1989-1996
This series contains records relating to Rolfe, Inc., the private consulting company where Mather serverd as President following his retirement from the SUNY system. It includes files on “sister city” cultural and commercial exchange programs between Albany and Ghent, Belgium and Tula, Russia, as well as an extensive file of material related to the organization Business Executives for National Security (BENS).
Series 1: Correspondence, 1966-1990
Box 1
Folder
1. Correspondence, January-February 1966
2. Correspondence, March 1966
3. Correspondence, April 1966
4. Correspondence, May 1966
5. Correspondence, June 1966
6. Correspondence, January-February 1967
7. Correspondence, March-April 1967
8. Correspondence, May-June 1967
9. Correspondence, July-September 1967
10. Correspondence, October 1967
11. Correspondence, November-December 1967
12. Correspondence, August-September 1968
13. Correspondence, October-December 1968
14. Correspondence, January 1970
15. Correspondence, February-April 1970
16. Correspondence, May-June 1970
17. Correspondence, August-September 1970
18. Correspondence, October-December 1970
19. Correspondence, January-February 1971
20. Correspondence, March-April 1971
21. Correspondence, May-June 1971
22. Correspondence, July-September 1971
23. Correspondence, October-December 1971
Box 2
Folder
Box 3
Folder
Series 2: SUNY Administrative Records, 1965-1996
SubSeries 1: Campus Unrest, 1967-1973
Box 3, continued
Folder
13. Albany, 1968
14. Albany, 1969-1970
15. Binghamton, 1968-1970
16. Binghamton, 1969-1970
17. Brockport, 1969-1970
18. Buffalo, 1969-1970
19. Buffalo, 1969-1970
20. Buffalo, 1970
21. Cobleskill, 1969-1972
22. Damage Reports, 1970
23. Four-Year, Agricultural and Technical Colleges, 1970
Box 4
Folder
Box 5
Folder
SubSeries 2: New York Network, 1975-1991
Box 5, continued
Folder
Box 6
Folder
SubSeries 3: Subject File, 1969-1996
Box 6, continued
Folder
Box 7
Folder
Box 8
Folder
Box 9
Folder
Oversized Box
Folder
SubSeries 4: SUNY Publications, 1965-1995
Box 9, continued
Folder
Box 10
Folder
Oversized Box
Folder
Series 3: SUNY System Business Development Services, 1981-1995
SubSeries 1: General, 1982-1995
Box 10 continued
Folder
10. Ghent Delegation / Mayor Whalen, 1989-1990
11. Hungary Project, 1990
12. Hungary Project, 1990
13. Letters re: Retirement of John J. Mather, 1990
14. Miscellaneous, 1987-1995
15. New York State Broadcasters’ Association, Inc. – Directory, n.d. [late 1980s?]
16. New York State Industrial Effectiveness Program, [1989?]
17. Personnel, 1987
18. Port of Albany, 1982-1995
19. Port of Albany, 1982-1995
20. Report on Workload, undated
21. SUNY History file, 1990-1995
22. US/Canada Free Trade Agreement, 1987
23. US/Canada Free Trade Agreement, 1989
24. US/Canada Free Trade Agreement, 1989
25. US/Canada Free Trade Agreement, 1989
26. US/Canada Free Trade Agreement, 1989-1990
27. Video Marketing, 1989-1990
SubSeries 2: Small Business Development Center, 1983-1995 [bulk 1984-1990]
Box 10 continued
Folder
28. Advisory Board, 1984
29. Advisory Board, 1990
30. Annual Report, 1986-1987
31. Annual Report, 1987-1988
32. Annual Report, 1987-1988
33. Annual Report, 1988-1989
34. Annual Report, 1988-1989
35. Board Meeting 7/20/1989
36. Board Meeting 2/27/1990
37. Budget Request, 1990-1991
38. Decker File, 1985-1986
39. Funding Memo, 1990
40. General, 1983-1986
41. General, 1984-1986
Box 11
Folder
Subseries 3: Statewide Advisory Board of Development Centers for Business / Business and Industry Centers, 1981-1990
Box 11 continued
Folder
21. Advisory Board, 1985
22. Board Meetings, 1983-1984
23. Board Meetings, 1983-1984
24. Board Meeting, 6/28/1989
25. Board Meeting, 11/17/1989
26. Board Meeting, 2/9/1990
27. Board Meeting, 5/16/1990
28. Board Meeting, 7/26/1990
29. Fliers and Pamphlets, 1985, n.d
30. General, 1981-1989
31. General, 1983
32. General, 1983-1985
33. General, 1984-1986
34. General, 1986-1989
35. General, 1986-1990
36. General, 1987
37. General, 1989
Box 12
Folder
Subseries 4: Export New York, 1985-1992
Box 12
Folder
7. Canada/US Trade Center at SUNY Buffalo, 1989
8. Clippings, 1989
9. Directory of Importers and Exporters, Capital District, N.Y., 1989
10. Export Now National Conference, 1988
11. General, 1985-1992
12. General, 1989-1990
13. India, 1989
14. International Trade Competitiveness Act, 1990
15. Optometry Export Conference, 1989
16. Program Guides for Export Promotion and Step-By-Step Guide to Development of Export Assistance Seminars for Business and Industry, undated
17. US/Canada Free Trade Agreement, 1987-1990
18. Washington, D.C. trip, 1989
Series 4: Rolfe, Inc., 1989-1996
Box 12 continued
Folder
19. Alabama, 1991
20. Appignani, Georgiana, 1990-1991
21. Belgium, 1990-1992
22. Belgium, 1990-1992
23. Belgium – Port of Antwerp Seminar, 1991
24. Business Executives for National Security (BENS), 1989-1992
25. Business Executives for National Security (BENS), 1989-1993
26. Business Executives for National Security (BENS), 1992-1994
27. Business Executives for National Security (BENS), 1993-1994
28. Business Executives for National Security (BENS), 1994-1996
29. Center for Economic Growth, 1992-1996
30. Dittrich, Charles, 1991
31. Folmsbee, Joan, 1992-1994
32. Freedman, Irving, 1994-1995
33. Friends of World Maritime University, 1995-1996
34. Kinney, Sheldon H., 1993-1995
35. “Plan for Videomarketing Products of U.S. Companies to Pre-Selected European Companies via Worldnet”, 1991
36. Tula (Russia), 1992
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