University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Survey Research Laboratory | University of Illinois Archives

<p class="main">On June 17, 1964, the Board of Trustees established the Survey Research Laboratory as a unit of the

Graduate College.  The functions of the Laboratory were to plan, conduct, and process survey operations

for University research projects and to carry out this function through an operating survey organization

with facilities for maintaining and interviewing probability samples of the population of the State of

Illinois; conduct and promote research in survey methods; provide a means for training under-graduate

and graduate students in survey methods; and act as a data repository for survey and other data on the

State of Illinois.  The operations of the Survey Research Laboratory were conducted by faculty members

who held departmental appointments.  Primary administrative responsibility rested with a Director and an

Executive Committee.  The Executive committee consisted of faculty members directly responsible for

major sections of the Laboratory (sampling, field operations, coding, and data storage), together with

additional appointees from the faculties of departments most dependent on facilities and services of the

Laboratory for their research activities.  These additional faculty appointees were named by the Dean of

the Graduate College on recommendation of their department heads.  The Director was appointed

biennially by the Board of Trustees on recommendation of the President, after nomination by the Dean of

the Graduate College with the concurrence of the Executive Committee of the Laboratory.  The Director

of the Laboratory served as a member of the Executive Committee.

<a href="#ftn1">¹</a>

  The preliminary work of the

Laboratory began in the summer of 1964.  Regular operations began in September 1965.  In 1969 the

Board of Trustees designated the Laboratory as a University-wide organizational unit, with the Director

reporting to the Executive Vice President and Provost and an intercampus executive committee.

<a href="#ftn2">²</a>

  In 1972

the Board of Trustees directed that the Director of the Laboratory should report to the Vice President for

Academic Development and Coordination.

<a href="#ftn3">³</a>

</p>

<p class="note">

<a name="ftn1">1.  Board of Trustees Transactions, 52nd Report, June 17, 1964, pp. 1246-47.</a>

</p>

<p class="note">

<a name="ftn2">2.  Board of Trustees Transactions, 55th Report, September 17, 1969, pp. 598-99.</a>

</p>

<p class="note">

<a name="ftn3">3.  Board of TRustees Transactions, 56th Report, April 19, 1972, pp. 585-86.</a>

</p>