Records of the Executive Office of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia I
Collection
Identifier: CPP 9/001-01
Scope and Contents note
The Office of the Executive Director is the lead office in charge of administering the business of the College of Physicians. The Executive Director oversees the activities of the College of Physicians staff, including the staff of the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, the Francis Clark Wood Institute, and the Finance Department. The Executive Director also oversees the College functions of institutional advancement, the finance department, communications, membership, and programs and special events.
The records of the Office of the Executive Director are divided into six series. The first three series are the files of specific executive directors: “William F. Chaveas” (1951 to 1985 [bulk 1978 to 1985]), “John O’Donnell” (1984 to 2002 [bulk 1987 to 1990]), and “Marc Micozzi” (1976 to 2002 [bulk 1990 to 2002]). The fourth series, “Office Records” (1954 to 1995 [1975 to 1995]), contains general offices files from the Executive Director’s office. All four of these series are structured in the same manner and are divided into the following subseries: “Administration,” “Facilities,” “Historical Medical Library,” “Mütter Museum,” “Personnel,” “Financial,” “Governance,” “Correspondence,” “Outside Organizations,” “Programs and Special Events,” “Subject Files,” and the “Francis Clark Wood Institute.” The last two series in the collection include “Executive Director Search” and the “Health Sciences Library Consortium (HSLC).” The latter contains the records created by the College of Physicians during its participation in the creation of that group from 1987 to 1992.
Material within the collection largely comprises printed documents, typed correspondence and emails, reports, memoranda, minutes, agendas, brochures and information booklets, and financial statements. It also includes some photographs, a cassette, bound volumes, plaques and pins.
The Executive Director records offer a top-down overview of the College’s activities, especially its finances, grants, programs, employees, and general operation. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Office of the Executive Director records is an excellent collection for those studying the history of non-profit management or the history of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The records document the tremendous amount of influence that the Executive Director has over the organization’s functioning. Researchers studying the College of Physicians’ Francis Clark Wood Institute records, the Historical Medical Library records, and the Mutter Museum records will find the Executive Director’s records to be complementary.
Please refer to individual series scope and content notes for more information.
The records of the Office of the Executive Director are divided into six series. The first three series are the files of specific executive directors: “William F. Chaveas” (1951 to 1985 [bulk 1978 to 1985]), “John O’Donnell” (1984 to 2002 [bulk 1987 to 1990]), and “Marc Micozzi” (1976 to 2002 [bulk 1990 to 2002]). The fourth series, “Office Records” (1954 to 1995 [1975 to 1995]), contains general offices files from the Executive Director’s office. All four of these series are structured in the same manner and are divided into the following subseries: “Administration,” “Facilities,” “Historical Medical Library,” “Mütter Museum,” “Personnel,” “Financial,” “Governance,” “Correspondence,” “Outside Organizations,” “Programs and Special Events,” “Subject Files,” and the “Francis Clark Wood Institute.” The last two series in the collection include “Executive Director Search” and the “Health Sciences Library Consortium (HSLC).” The latter contains the records created by the College of Physicians during its participation in the creation of that group from 1987 to 1992.
Material within the collection largely comprises printed documents, typed correspondence and emails, reports, memoranda, minutes, agendas, brochures and information booklets, and financial statements. It also includes some photographs, a cassette, bound volumes, plaques and pins.
The Executive Director records offer a top-down overview of the College’s activities, especially its finances, grants, programs, employees, and general operation. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Office of the Executive Director records is an excellent collection for those studying the history of non-profit management or the history of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The records document the tremendous amount of influence that the Executive Director has over the organization’s functioning. Researchers studying the College of Physicians’ Francis Clark Wood Institute records, the Historical Medical Library records, and the Mutter Museum records will find the Executive Director’s records to be complementary.
Please refer to individual series scope and content notes for more information.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1977 - 2002
- 1951 - 2003
Creator
- College of Physicians of Philadelphia (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access note
Access to much of this collection is restricted. Please contact the College of Physicians Historical Medical Library for more information.
Conditions Governing Use note
Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the College of Physicians of Philadelphia Historical Medical Library with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.
Biographical/Historical note
The Office of the Executive Director is the lead office in the general administration of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The College of Physicians is not an academic organization, as the name suggests, but a not-for-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to advancing the cause of health and upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine. It was founded in 1787 by twenty-four prominent Philadelphians, including John Redman (1722-1808), elected first president of the College; John Morgan (1735-1789), founder of America's first medical school; and Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), a signer of the Declaration of Independence and vigorous advocate of many humanitarian and social causes. The current administration of the College stems from Benjamin Rush’s original proposed method of governance, which consisted of the Council, President and the Board of Trustees. It is the goals and mission set forth by this governing body that the Executive Director is expected to achieve.
Governance of the College is facilitated by a number of committees, the council (or board of trustees), and a board of advisors that are composed of fellows of the college and nominated into their positions. The Office of the Executive Director oversees the general mission of the College, as well as its staff, the College’s strategic plan, and budget. It also evaluates all of the College of Physicians’ activities, ensuring that the policies established by the College of Physicians’ governing board are upheld.
The Executive Director oversees the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, and the Francis Clark Wood Institute. The Historical Medical Library at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia collects books and information regarding medical history and related topics. The Mütter Museum collects items relating to the history of medicine and medical anomalies. The Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine’s goal is to promote the historical resources of the College of Physicians to the academic community. It provides funds for memberships and a scholar in residence program, and sponsors conferences, seminars, and travel grants to researchers. The Executive Director also oversees the institutional advancement, the finance department, communications, and membership of the College.
More specifically, the Executive Director builds and maintains relationships with donors, potential donors, and fellows of the College. The Executive Director’s responsibility is to foresee that the College and staff are operating to achieve the strategic plan as well as facilitate the creation of educational programs and services that fulfill the College’s mission statement. The Executive Director also oversees the creation of successful programs and events at the College, such as lectures, discussions, and seminars. Past Executive Directors include William F. Chaveas, John M. O’Donnell and Marc Micozzi.
William F. Chaveas was Executive Director at the College of Physicians from 1975 to 1985. Prior to his position at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Chaveas was an Associate Professor and Dean of Administration at the Burlington County College in Pemberton, New Jersey. He also worked a variety of positions at Radio Corporation of America, including manufacturing management, management systems, and administration.
John M. O’Donnell replaced William F. Chaveas as Executive Director in 1986 and ended his own term as Executive Director in 1995. Prior to his position at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, John M. O’Donnell was the Director of the Office of Alumni Relations at the University of Delaware and the Director of Development and Public Relations at the Delaware American Heart Association. He also served as a Development Associate for the College of Physician's 150th Anniversary Capital Campaign. O’Donnell earned a M.A. degree in American History from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Pennsylvania.
Marc Micozzi was the Executive Director of the College of Physicians from 1995 to 2002. He was a former member of the College of Physicians Board of Advisors. Micozzi was both a physician and an anthropologist and received his M.D., M.Sc., and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His past experience included serving as the Director of the National Museum of Health and Medicine and as a Senior Investigator for the National Cancer Institute in Maryland. His career focus was on advancing the use of complementary and alternative medicine.
Governance of the College is facilitated by a number of committees, the council (or board of trustees), and a board of advisors that are composed of fellows of the college and nominated into their positions. The Office of the Executive Director oversees the general mission of the College, as well as its staff, the College’s strategic plan, and budget. It also evaluates all of the College of Physicians’ activities, ensuring that the policies established by the College of Physicians’ governing board are upheld.
The Executive Director oversees the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, and the Francis Clark Wood Institute. The Historical Medical Library at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia collects books and information regarding medical history and related topics. The Mütter Museum collects items relating to the history of medicine and medical anomalies. The Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine’s goal is to promote the historical resources of the College of Physicians to the academic community. It provides funds for memberships and a scholar in residence program, and sponsors conferences, seminars, and travel grants to researchers. The Executive Director also oversees the institutional advancement, the finance department, communications, and membership of the College.
More specifically, the Executive Director builds and maintains relationships with donors, potential donors, and fellows of the College. The Executive Director’s responsibility is to foresee that the College and staff are operating to achieve the strategic plan as well as facilitate the creation of educational programs and services that fulfill the College’s mission statement. The Executive Director also oversees the creation of successful programs and events at the College, such as lectures, discussions, and seminars. Past Executive Directors include William F. Chaveas, John M. O’Donnell and Marc Micozzi.
William F. Chaveas was Executive Director at the College of Physicians from 1975 to 1985. Prior to his position at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Chaveas was an Associate Professor and Dean of Administration at the Burlington County College in Pemberton, New Jersey. He also worked a variety of positions at Radio Corporation of America, including manufacturing management, management systems, and administration.
John M. O’Donnell replaced William F. Chaveas as Executive Director in 1986 and ended his own term as Executive Director in 1995. Prior to his position at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, John M. O’Donnell was the Director of the Office of Alumni Relations at the University of Delaware and the Director of Development and Public Relations at the Delaware American Heart Association. He also served as a Development Associate for the College of Physician's 150th Anniversary Capital Campaign. O’Donnell earned a M.A. degree in American History from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Pennsylvania.
Marc Micozzi was the Executive Director of the College of Physicians from 1995 to 2002. He was a former member of the College of Physicians Board of Advisors. Micozzi was both a physician and an anthropologist and received his M.D., M.Sc., and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His past experience included serving as the Director of the National Museum of Health and Medicine and as a Senior Investigator for the National Cancer Institute in Maryland. His career focus was on advancing the use of complementary and alternative medicine.
Extent
41.0 Linear feet (112 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Overview
The Office of the Executive Director is the lead office in charge of administering the business of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The Executive Director oversees the activities of the College of Physicians staff including staff of the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, the Francis Clark Wood Institute, and the Finance Department. The Executive Director also oversees the College functions of institutional advancement, communications, membership, and special events. As a result, the records in this collection document the everyday administrative activities and governance of the College, and span the years 1953 to 2003 (Bulk 1977 to 2003). Documents consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, pamphlets of outside organizations, financial reports, minutes, and agendas. This collection is divided into six series. The first three series house the records of specific executive directors: “William F. Chaveas” (1978-1986), “John O’Donnell” (1987-1995), and “Marc Micozzi” (1995-2002). The fourth series, “Office Records,” contains general office files from the Executive Director’s office. Other series include the records produced during the “Executive Director Search” in 2002 and the records created by the College of Physicians during its participation in the creation of the “Health Sciences Library Consortium” (HSLC).
Processing Information note
The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.
This collection was minimally processed in 2009-2011, as part of an experimental project conducted under the auspices of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries to help eliminate processing backlog in Philadelphia repositories. A minimally processed collection is one processed at a less intensive rate than traditionally thought necessary to make a collection ready for use by researchers. When citing sources from this collection, researchers are advised to defer to folder titles provided in the finding aid rather than those provided on the physical folder.
Employing processing strategies outlined in Mark Greene's and Dennis Meissner's 2005 article, More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal With Late 20th-Century Collections, the project team tested the limits of minimal processing on collections of all types and ages, in 23 Philadelphia area repositories. A primary goal of the project, the team processed at an average rate of 2-3 hours per linear foot of records, a fraction of the time ordinarily reserved for the arrangement and description of collections. Among other time saving strategies, the project team did not extensively review the content of the collections, replace acidic folders or complete any preservation work.
This collection was minimally processed in 2009-2011, as part of an experimental project conducted under the auspices of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries to help eliminate processing backlog in Philadelphia repositories. A minimally processed collection is one processed at a less intensive rate than traditionally thought necessary to make a collection ready for use by researchers. When citing sources from this collection, researchers are advised to defer to folder titles provided in the finding aid rather than those provided on the physical folder.
Employing processing strategies outlined in Mark Greene's and Dennis Meissner's 2005 article, More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal With Late 20th-Century Collections, the project team tested the limits of minimal processing on collections of all types and ages, in 23 Philadelphia area repositories. A primary goal of the project, the team processed at an average rate of 2-3 hours per linear foot of records, a fraction of the time ordinarily reserved for the arrangement and description of collections. Among other time saving strategies, the project team did not extensively review the content of the collections, replace acidic folders or complete any preservation work.
- Administrative records
- Chaveas, William F. (William Francis)
- College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Library
- Committees
- Correspondence
- Financial records
- Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine
- Lectures
- Medical libraries
- Medical museums
- Micozzi, Marc S.
- Mid-Eastern Regional Medical Library Service
- Minutes
- Mütter Museum
- O'Donnell, John M.
- Personnel records
- Photographs
- Programs (documents)
- Reports
- Special events
- Statistics
Creator
- College of Physicians of Philadelphia (Organization)
- Title
- Records of the Executive Office of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Megan Atkinson and Becky Koch
- Date
- 2010-07-15
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project. This collection was minimally processed to the folder level.
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Repository
