William R. Ramsay Collection

William R. Ramsay became Director of the Resource Development Internship Project at the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) in 1967 and this collection is composed of the reports he personally received throughout his tenure. This Board is a public agency of 15 southern states created to assist in the development of higher education and the fostering of social and economic growth in the southern region of the United States. The Board also administers the internships of the program for students desiring experiential learning in today’s society and aiding communities in the United States. The project itself began in 1964 with four students and through the years grew to 149 in 1968 and almost 500 in 1969. Student reports generated from these projects represent the work of a college student serving as an intern in resource development for 12 weeks. The intern, with the assistance of agency officials, local citizens and a university professor carry out studies and action programs concerned with areas such as sanitation, housing, industrial development, education, environment, employment, community organization, consumer finance, juvenile law, tourism, land use, water distribution, recreation and legal services to name just a few of the topics included in this collection. The main function of the student report is to provide the local organizations and governments the information gathered for its use and development. Interns are encouraged to include their own opinions and suggestions; therefore, the reports do not necessarily reflect the attitudes, plans or policies of the local organizations, and participating universities and colleges or the sponsoring agencies. States were divided into developmental areas to which the interns were assigned for their research and work. They received varying degrees of help from those who were supervising. Some worked entirely with the district office while others went into the district itself to get their data and information. The student interns came from southeastern institutions of higher learning, those belonging to the Southern Regional Education Board and worked primarily in those states. However, as the project grew, the areas of interest and work grew to cover most of the United States. Through William R. Ramsay’s industrious efforts and leadership, the internship program for the Southern Regional Education Board was successful. It sparked interest and caring in the younger generation through the job experiences which they carried on into their working careers. Boxes one through eight contain student reports about their internship experiences, their research, discovery, needs, and recommendations for implementation of the goals set forth. These reports are arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by student’s last name. Boxes nine through eleven contain the reports, essays, notes, clippings, periodicals, and other materials pertaining to the internships. These are arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by type of material. For a more detailed listing of what is included in each box, please refer to the series note and container list below.