This collection contains records of Institutional Effectiveness. Founded in the late 1930s, the main task of this office was to "organize and conduct research studies to provide information and data, serving as a basis for University decision making..." The bulk of the records here serve that purpose, gathering and presenting information about St. Cloud State students, faculty, curriculum, and facilities.

Series 1: Administrative Records

This series contains annual reports, history of Institutional Effectiveness, and faculty rosters.  The faculty rosters are significant as they list biographical information about St. Cloud State faculty, including salary.  There are additional faculty rosters in Series 2 on microfiche.

Series 2: Reports

This series has a wide variety of reports, nearly all related to St. Cloud State.  Many of the reports are related to students, including enrollment, ACT profiles of incoming freshmen, grade distribution, and faculty-student ratios.  Other reports are arranged by topic and are listed individually to facilitate access.

Other significant records include those that give a snapshot of St. Cloud State University. This includes the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), 1966-1980, to the federal government's Department of Education. HEGIS reported on student enrollment, campus facilities devoted to instruction, finances of the university, and degrees awarded. The summary of academic data, dating from 1982 to 2003, compiled information at the department, college and university level about students and student enrollment, including year, gender and major, faculty and staff, credits generated, and class size.

Microfiche is included in this series, likely reports run from the office's database. By academic term, these records report on student enrollment, faculty, instructional load, courses offered and their history, ethnic and racial background of students, students martial status, and transfers to St. Cloud State.

University Archives does have digital records taken from this office's website but are not included in this finding aid.

This collection contains records and items related to Isabel Lawrence, faculty member and first female president of St. Cloud State University, acting or permanent. Items in this collection date from approximately 1879 to 1950, the majority of which were created between 1890 and 1920. The first two series contain documents that belonged to Lawrence and were kept by former faculty member and friend of Lawrence, Albertina C. Anderson. The papers contain drafts of articles and addresses by Lawrence, some of her personal notes on several topics including developmental psychology and literature, and writings by students and other faculty members that may have come into her possession. The third series contains articles of clothing that belonged to Lawrence and were kept by Mrs. Blanche Anderson.

These records are arranged in four series:

Series 1: Records Created by Isabel Lawrence

This series contains a variety of typed and handwritten records. Much of it is drafts of essays, articles, and addresses by Lawrence discussing child and adolescent development and teaching methods, including a handwritten draft of a commencement address. Other records include personal notes on developmental psychology, literature, teaching methods, and lesson plans.

Series 2: Records Created by Other Writers

This series contains records that were not created by Lawrence but likely came into her possession and were found in the same donation. Records include, but are not limited to, writings by 1897 graduates Benhof E. Benhardus and Vernon E. McCombs, criticisms by faculty of practice teachers in St. Cloud State's model school, and records from other normal schools and teachers colleges in New York and Chicago.

Series 3: Clothing Belonging to Isabel Lawrence

This series contains clothing belonging to Isabel Lawrence that had been kept by Mrs. Blanche Anderson and were transferred to the University Archives by Mrs. Alice Wick, wife of former SCSU president Robert Wick. Included here are two dresses, a mesh top-coat, a fur handwarmer, five pieces of lace, and a 1987 letter from then University Archivist Marie Elsen to Blanche Anderson.

Series 4: Tribute and Other Material

This series contains mostly material related to Lawrence's retirement from St. Cloud State in May 1921. Letters were solicited from alumni and most letters received were bound into two volumes.  Other letters were left loose.  The bound letters are organized by graduating class and give tribute to Lawrence.  The letters congratulate Lawrence upon her retirement, share memories of her when the alum had attended St. Cloud State, and updates on their own lives.  There is a folder with Lawrence's 1936 obituary and other tribute material related to her death.

The Chronicle is a student published newspaper at St. Cloud State University. A wide variety of topics are covered including campus events, athletics, and people, as well as the St. Cloud community itself.

Times published per year varied over time, from twice a month to twice a week to once a month. The last printed issue dates was in April 2017, but printing of a physical issue began again in March 2019 and ended in March 2020. Issues were then born digital until April 2021. As of the spring of 2024, the Chronicle is entirely online.

Series four contains negatives, contact sheets, and photographs that appeared in each issue of the Chronicle from 1970 to 1990. Only a very small number of images appeared in each issue, yet there are images from a story that were not used or for images that did not make the final copy of the Chronicle.

Contained in two boxes, these records document the Epsilon Theta chapter of the Phi Delta Kappa honorary fraternity. Focusing mainly on the late 1980s and early 1990s, the records contain material related to membership, such as lists as well documentation related to being nominated and initiated in the organization. Other significant materials are the chapter newsletters dating back to 1961.