Trustees of Lingnan University Records

Record Group No. 14 represents the official archives of the Trustees of Lingnan University from approximately 1952 to the present. The documentation in this record group complements the earlier records of the Trustees of Lingnan University which were sent to the Harvard University Library in the late 1950s. The financial records and photographs in Record Group No. 14 provide substantial early documentation of Lingnan University and its predecessor, Canton Christian College. The remaining series deal primarily with the Trustees' actions and policies during the period of transition following the Communist takeover of Lingnan in 1949 and the development of new spheres of influence in the support of institutions such as Chung Chi College, Lingnan College and the Lingnan Institute of Business Administration in Hong Kong. Notable correspondents include administrators and former faculty, including Yorke Allen, William Cadbury, William P. Fenn, Henry S. Frank, George Weidman Groff, Y.L. Lee and C.T. Yung.

The Consolidated General File of Series I is the office file from the New York headquarters of the Trustees. The original order of this file has been maintained except for minor rearrangements necessitated by inconsistent or illogical filing procedures. The file is primarily correspondence, but also includes financial, legal and other documents. A large portion of the file deals with financial matters - ranging from pensions for former faculty members to disputes regarding the disposition of bequests made to Lingnan University to documentation of investment holdings. Also in Series I, the relationship between the Lingnan Trustees and the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia is documented. There are numerous letters providing certification of graduation for former students at Lingnan whose scholastic records were made unavailable by Communist control of Lingnan. Noteworthy documentation of the work of former faculty members includes material regarding the G. Weidman Groff Collection of books, articles and manuscripts recording observations of the occurrence and use of plants in China from 1907 to 1947. (This collection was deposited at Pennsylvania State University. Penn State had a close relationship with the agriculture program at Lingnan.) Also of note are correspondence and notes related to the history of Lingnan written by Charles H. Corbett.

The Administrative Records of Series II center around the annual and semi-annual meetings of the Trustees. Minutes and supporting materials thoroughly document actions and policies of the Trustees from 1952 to 1982. The relationship between Lingnan College in Hong Kong and the former Lingnan University is one of many subject areas touched upon in these records. In one incident documenting this relationship, it is noted that a 1976 Progress Report from Lingnan College stated that the College was a continuation of Lingnan University. The Trustees, having repeatedly warned the College against making such assertions, drafted a letter to the College in yet another attempt to discourage further statements of this nature. Fairly complete records from the Finance Committee and more sporadic documentation of other committees are also available in Series II.

The Financial Records of Series III represent only a portion of financially related material in the record group. Numerous folders in the Consolidated General File, extensive records of the Finance Committee in Series II and financial records in Series IV related to the institutions supported by the Lingnan Trustees all supplement the ledgers and statistical reports of Series III. This scattering of financial records has led to some duplication and inconsistency. For example, investment reports can be found both under the Bank of New York in the Consolidated General File and in Series III.

Series IV, Related Institutions and Programs, contains correspondence, reports, publications and financial records which trace the development and operation of institutions in Hong Kong supported by the Trustees of Lingnan University. The majority of the material concerns Chung Chi College, Lingnan College and the Lingnan Institute of Business Administration, which was later known as the Lingnan Graduate School of Business Administration. Additional records related to Chung Chi College are available in the Library's Record Group No. 11, Archives of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia.

Series V contains nearly seven linear feet of photographs dating from 1898 to 1978. The buildings and grounds of Lingnan University, and scenes from its environs are well documented. Numerous individual and group portraits are available for faculty, students and others associated with the University. Aspects of campus life documented include agricultural activities, athletics, clubs, and special events. The photographs are, in most cases, well identified.

Series VI, Addendum, includes materials previously housed at the Harvard-Yenching Library.