This collection contains primarily materials created by the administration of West Georgia College (WGC), with some financial reports for the State University of West Georgia at the end of the first series. The financial reports of 1954-1955 do not indicate an author or authoring entity. The reports from 1958-1970 acknowledge WGC President Irvine S. Ingram and Comptroller J. E. McWhorter. The 1971 report notes the Acting President, George W. Walker, and the Director of Fiscal Affairs, Kenneth C. Batchelor. Batchelor’s name and position continued on financial reports, even as presidents change, until 1980. In 1981, Batchelor’s title changed to Vice President for Business and Finance, and remained this way until the 1994 report, when William N. Gauthier takes over this role. In the 2003 report, Gauthier’s title shifts to Senior Vice President for Fiscal Affairs.

In 1984 the Division of Budget and Research Services became the body to house budget development and budget amending processes for West Georgia College. The director at that time was Richard A. Folk, and he reported directly to the president of the college. This division was responsible for the continuation of an ongoing planning cycle, retention studies, measures of faculty productivity, faculty salary studies, the West Georgia College Fact Book. The Division of Budget and Research Services was also instrumental in fostering faculty and staff professional development in the humanities areas, securing funds from National Science Foundation programs, and promoting international education at WGC, each of which impacted the college budget and budgetary process.

Other files in this collection were generated by the Instructional and Research Services division, which was in evidence between 1967-1978. An August 18, 1967, memo proposed an Institutional Research organization independent of any particular department. All institutional research activities would be under the supervision of a director or coordinator who reported to the president, with responsibility for coordination of all individual, departmental, and institutional research functions. Such a division would include an institutional research committee consisting, among others, of the President, Dean of the college, Comptroller, and the Director of the Bureau of Research. Committee functions included initiating research activities internal to WGC, approving proposals requiring institutional funds for research proposals, approving proposals requiring contractual or informal relations with external institutions, preparing and recommending to the President statements of institutional policy, and establishing policy concerning publication costs of individual faculty/student research and the expense of travel for the purposes of reading papers. The Director of Instructional and Research Services was appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Regents. Among others, contracts and grants, maintenance of an accounting system independent of Fiscal Affairs’ systems, reconciliation of accounts, and preparation of agency budget amendments fell under his purview. Division actions impacted the business and financial workings of West Georgia College. The first director of the Instructional and Research Services division was Dr. James Wash.