Frantz becomes interim director
Associate Professor of History and Political Science Edward Frantz has been named interim director of the Institute of Civic Leadership and Mayoral Archives.
As the interim director, Frantz will oversee the process of trying to open access to this information to the campus and the public.
“It’s the idea of getting this thing off the ground,” Frantz said. “I think [I was selected due to] my background as somebody who studies American politics from a historical perspective and has written about the Republican Party in an earlier time. And I teach a course on the Midwest.”
Executive Vice President and Provost Deborah Balogh also said that Frantz’s background is one of the reasons he was selected.
“He’s an American political historian with a special interest in Indiana history. And with that kind of academic background, he is a good choice to lead this initiative,” Balogh said. “So we were certainly looking at his scholarly background and his level of interest. Plus, I think he’s becoming a familiar face. He’s someone that the media call upon fairly regularly to comment on various things political here in central Indiana.”
The content for the archives is currently located in the basement of the Krannert Memorial Library.
“They [the archives] contain communications; they contain clippings from newspapers. They contain artifacts from the offices of the four mayors, a wide range of materials all related to the mayors’ terms of office, and it’s their personal papers,” Balogh said. “So sorts of things that they would keep for historical purposes and for posterity are in there. In some cases, there are political cartoons, some things are letters of recognition, some things are small tokens of appreciation, those sorts of things, as well as substantive communications.”
According to Frantz, audio and video tapes also are included in the archives.
Balogh said that the plan is to house the Civic Institute either in the Krannert Memorial Library or in a proposed building adjacent to the library.
“That [being in or near the library] seems like the appropriate place on campus for an archive,” Balogh said. “We want it to be a rich learning center, open to the entire campus; and libraries are places like that, where learning resources are available in flexible space. So that makes the library a really good home for a place like this.”
Frantz said that even though he is acting as the interim director for the Institute for Civic Leadership and Mayoral Archives, he will be continuing his duties as a professor.
“I’ll still be teaching every semester, and that’s really important to me,” Frantz said. “When you have an opportunity [like this] it’s incredibly exciting. But the biggest drawback for me comes with the idea that I’m going to be in the classroom less. I’d like to think that that means the courses I do have will have more attention and energy.”
There is still work to be done in order for the institute to open to the public.
“[The artifacts] haven’t been cataloged. They are basically in the same containers that they were [in] when we received them from the mayors,” Balogh said. “The process of cataloging those materials is a very technical process. It requires a dedicated staff member professional who knows how to do that kind of work. And then, of course, the related piece is transforming those materials, when possible, into a digital format.”
According to Balogh, funds still need to be acquired to make possible the building of the physical space to house the institute.
Balogh said that when the institute opens, they plan to offer programming for the public in that space. They also hope to provide some type of access of the materials to the broader community, as well as to University of Indianapolis students and faculty.
Balogh will act as chief academic officer for the institute and will supervise Frantz.
“He [Frantz] will be the point person for the center. That may mean that he will work with our advancement office in meeting with potential donors, making the case, carrying the vision forward and fine-tuning the vision,” Balogh said. “So it [the institute will be a very exciting opportunity for him—I think it already has been—and it certainly is going to be very exciting for the university.”
