MSU professor’s research archive finds new home at Harvard

When Morehead State University’s experienced and distinguished faculty are not making meaningful connections with their students, they are often conducting impactful research in their respective fields. In the case of recently retired MSU political science professor Dr. William Green, that research recently found a very prestigious new home.

Green donated his archive of documents on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the contraceptive drug Depo-Provera to the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, located in the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. 

Over the past 32 years, Green acquired eight feet of 36 three-ring binders and six crates of 215 file folders from the FDA, a variety of private organizations and attorneys. He used these documents to publish a book, a book chapter, six law review articles and two encyclopedia essays on the FDA and Depo-Provera. 

Kathryn Jacob, the Schlesinger's Curator of Manuscripts, told Green, "We’re blown away with the level of detail you’ve created in the crate inventory. In the archival world, you’ve created what’s known as 'item level description,' which is something most archives, including this one, do not have the time/staff/funds to do. It’s fantastic—researchers will be grateful, as will we." 

To make them useable for researchers, Green replaced his worn-out file folders with new hand-labeled folders while creating 11 sections for the folders, each with its own table of contents. The Schlesinger Library provided $535 for Green to ship 340 pounds worth of research in 11 Bankers Boxes. 

"I didn't go to Harvard,” Green said, “but my FDA and Depo-Provera archive did."

For more information on MSU’s political science program call 606-783-2655 or visit www.moreheadstate.edu/study/politicalscience.