This collection is divided into five different series based upon governing structures of the state’s normal schools, colleges, and universities. Each series is further arranged alphabetically or chronologically.

State Normal School System: This series contains information about the State Normal School System from 1859 through 1922. Items included range from quarterly journals to minutes of board meetings and an inventory of the board’s publications.

State Teachers College System: Documents in this series are dated from the 1920s through 1957 and are composed of publications, committee reports, and minutes of board meetings. All papers that contain meeting minutes have been placed into a sub-series devoted entirely to minutes.

State College Board: This series contains information about the systems budgets, programs, commissions, finances, reports, rules and regulations, lists of classified staff for Mankato State College, records of the system’s chancellors, and the minutes of board meetings, committees, councils and other meetings. All papers that contain meeting minutes have been placed into a sub-series devoted entirely to minutes.

State University System: Documents in this series consist of grievance appeals for a few faculty members and the Wilson Campus School located on the Campus of Mankato State, biennial budgets, papers of chancellors, publications, newsletters, rules and regulations, papers of various vice chancellors, a student housing report, and the meeting minutes of several committees and board meetings. All papers that contain meeting minutes have been placed into a sub-series devoted entirely to minutes.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (Minnesota State): Most of these materials were originally associated with the President’s Office at Minnesota State University, Mankato, but have since been transferred into this collection. This series is predominantly composed of Minnesota State Colleges and University Board of Trustees materials from their monthly meetings held in the Twin Cities. The remainder of the series is composed of Higher Education Board materials.