Australian National University, 1919-1967

Component identifier:

Series 34

Content Summary:

In June 1948 Copland returned from China to begin four years work as foundation Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University (A.N.U.). The 1946 legislation establishing the A.N.U. placed special emphasis on the university's role in post-graduate research. Copland, the Chancellor Lord Bruce, and the University Council built upon earlier work to establish Research Schools of Social and Physical Sciences, Medicine and Pacific Studies, and to attract eminent expatriate scholars to lead these schools and staff their departments. Copland was also active on the Vice-Chancellor's Committee and on the first Commonwealth Committee of Enquiry into Universities, which it established in 1950.

The A.N.U. awarded Copland an honorary Doctorate of Laws in April 1967. In the same month the A.N.U. Faculty of Economics building was named the Copland Building.

The small group of material in the collection on the A.N.U. has been confined to Series 34. Two subseries are involved. The first relates to Copland's work as Vice-Chancellor, the second to the 1967 honours. Subseries 1 comprises only a few papers for 1948-1953: essentially, a file of speeches and articles on the A.N.U. and universities in Australia, 1949-1952, and another containing correspondence and telegrams with Lord Bruce, 1952-1953. The subseries also has some later papers, 1953-1956, about the Vice-Chancellor period regarding matters like convocation and the university insurance scheme, and there is some correspondence with Professor M. Oliphant, Leicester Webb, and R.S. Parker.

The second subseries records the honours Copland received from the A.N.U. in 1967. There are addresses, itineraries, and correspondence with Lord Florey, R.A. Hohnen, Maurice Brown, P.H. Partridge, and C.L. Hewitt. Some correspondence in Series 1 includes references to Copland's time at A.N.U. and the aftermath. Of particular relevance is his correspondence with Lord Lindsay, Walter Crocker, Leicester Webb, H.P. Brown, E.F. Penrose, Geoffrey Sawer, and R.L. Matthews.

Immediate source of acquisition:

Lady Copland presented the personal papers of Sir Douglas Copland to the National Library in September 1973. Additions to the collection were received from the Copland Family between 1977 and 1981.

Names:

Copland, D.B. (Douglas Berry), 1894-1971

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