William W. Cooper Papers

Series I: Biographical Information

Series 1 is housed in 2 boxes, numbers 1 and 1A. It contains contextual and biographical materials on William Cooper, and it consists of correspondence, speeches, awards, honors, biographies, and articles. Often these materials contain information on the history of Carnegie Mellon University, specifically the Graduate School of Industrial Administration (GSIA) and the School of Urban and Public Affairs (SUPA). The materials also contain information on Cooper’s role in founding the field of management science. Notable items include Cooper's graduate thesis from Columbia University and videos of various speeches.



Series II: Publications

Series 2 is housed in 15 boxes, numbers 2 through 10F. It contains the published and unpublished papers, articles, book chapters, reprints, and drafts authored or co-authored by William Cooper. Cooper was a prolific writer. During his lifetime, he produced twenty books and over 500 articles; and he wrote on a wide range of subjects, including accounting, economics, operations research, and management science. In addition to articles and papers, folders contain supporting materials such as correspondence, drafts, notes, and original data. These materials illustrate Cooper’s distinctive research and writing process. In instances where all the materials would not fit into a single file folder, correspondence and research materials were placed in subsequent folders. For each folder, the processor noted the type of publication. The term "article" refers to a published version; the term "draft" refers to an edited version; the term "paper" refers to an unpublished version; and the term "reprint" refers to subsequent printings of an article. It is also important to note that there is some overlap between series 2 and series 3 in the collection. Many of the CCS Reports served as drafts for later publications. Series 2 is arranged alphabetically by title, and it is divided into three subseries, General Publications, Data Envelopment Analysis Publications, and Additional Publications.

Subseries I General Publications is housed in 7 boxes, numbers 2 through 8. It contains articles authored or co-authored by William Cooper on myriad subjects. It consists of original articles, reprints, drafts, and supporting materials.

Subseries II Data Envelopment Analysis Publications is housed in 2 boxes, numbers 9 and 10. It contains articles William Cooper produced on Data Envelopment Analysis, which was perhaps his best known contribution to the field of management science. He developed the method along with his colleague Abraham Charnes and his doctoral student Edwardo Rhodes. In addition to the articles and drafts, the majority of the file folders contain supporting research and correspondence.

Subseries III Additional Publications is housed in 6 boxes, numbers 10A through 10F. It contains articles, re-prints, and drafts authored or co-authored by William Cooper. These materials comprise a separate subseries because they were processed at a later date than the rest of the publications. In addition to the papers, folders often contain research and correspondence.



Series III: CCS Research Reports

Series 3 is housed in 14 boxes, numbers 11 through 24. It contains the research reports produced by the Center for Cybernetic Studies (CCS) at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1968 Abraham Charnes, William Cooper’s colleague and frequent co-author, founded the Center for Cybernetic Studies. CCS produced technical reports and working papers on topics in management science and related fields. CCS also conducted research for the Army, Navy, and branches of state and local governments. Some of the reports were co-authored by Charnes and Cooper, but the majority of them were produced by other scholars. CCS designated each report with a title and a consecutive number, ranging from 1 to 825. Not all of the reports produced by the Center for Cybernetic studies are included in the collection. Numbers not included are 13, 21, 23, 48, 62, 67, 72, 73, 74, 76, 116, 150, 152, 156, 157, 161, 183, 201, 226, 236, 239, 240, 246, 258, 274, 321, 399, 404, 405, 406, 430, 431, 435, 438, 439, 442, 443, 469, 518, 523, 529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539, 540, 541, 542, 543, 544, 545, 546, 547, 548, 549, 551, 552, 553, 554, 555, 556, 557, 560, 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566, 567, 568, 569, 570, 571, 573, 574, 576, 577, 578, 579, 580, 604, 637, 675, 682, 720, 725, 751, 770, 774, 786, 787, 790, 791, 792, 797, 799, 802, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, 810, 816, 820, 821, and 822. In addition, the collection contains only abstracts for numbers 63, 464, 505, 524, 525, 617, 635, 681, 776, and 779. It is important to note that there is some overlap between series 3 and other series in the collection. Many of the CCS Reports served as drafts for other reports and publications. Series 3 is arranged by report number.



Series IV: Professional Files

Series 4 is housed in 7 boxes, numbers 25 through 31. It contains materials relating to William Cooper’s professional life outside of academia. The series consists of correspondence, reports, memorabilia, leaflets, clippings, and notes. It also includes information on Cooper's consulting contracts, military research, and grant proposals. The series is divided into five subseries, Early Career, Activities, Consulting, Military, and Research Proposals and Reports. Series 4 is arranged alphabetically by organization or subject.

Subseries IV Early Career is housed in 1 box, number 25. It contains correspondence and other materials relating to William Cooper’s career before he became a professor at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (CIT), now Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). It includes papers from his time at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and his time at the Bureau of Budget (BOB) during WWII.

Subseries V Activities is housed in 2 boxes, numbers 25 and 26. It contains materials relating to William Cooper’s non-academic activities, including his work with the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) and the Market Research Corporation of America (MRCA). It also contains information about various non-academic committees Cooper served on throughout his career.

Subseries VI Consulting is housed in 1 box, number 26. It contains materials relating to William Cooper’s various consulting contracts. Cooper served as a consultant for dozens of companies and offices, including the BBDO Advertising Agency and U.S. Steel. The subseries consists of correspondence, reports, papers, and notes.

Subseries VII Military is housed in 4 boxes, numbers 26 through 29. It contains William Cooper’s U.S. military research. He worked for the Office of Naval Research, the Army Recruiting Command, and the Office of Civilian Manpower Management. Some of the materials relate to Cooper’s work with Abraham Charnes and the Center for Cybernetic Studies (CCS). Also included in the subseries are military research proposals and budget reports.

Subseries VIII Research Proposals and Reports is housed in 2 boxes, numbers 30 and 31. It contains William Cooper’s non-military research proposals, progress reports, budget updates, and grant applications. Most often, the reports are related to research contracts and grant proposals. Some of them are related to his consulting activities. Proposals that contain personally identifiable information are restricted.

Series V: Conferences and Lectures

Series 5 is housed in 3 boxes, numbers 31 through 33. It consists of papers and correspondence relating to the many conferences and workshops that William Cooper attended over the course of his career. It contains some of Cooper's presentations and lectures. Series 5 is arranged alphabetically by conference title and then, if necessary, by location.



Series VI: Professional Societies

Series 6 is housed in 7 boxes, numbers 33 through 39. It contains materials relating to William Cooper’s activities in various professional societies and journals. Over the course of his career, Cooper was a member of numerous organizations, and he served as an editor or associate editor for many professional publications. Series 6 is arranged alphabetically according to organization or title, and it is divided into two subseries, Organizations and Journals.

Subseries IX Organizations is housed in 4 boxes, numbers 33 through 36. It contains information on William Cooper's membership in professional organizations. He served as an affiliate and advisor for many professional societies, including the American Accounting Association and the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA). The subseries consists meeting minutes, pamphlets, committee information, and correspondence.

Subseries X Journals is housed in 4 boxes, numbers 36 through 39. It contains information on William Cooper's academic and professional journals. Cooper served on the editorial board for several different publications. He also served as a referee, consultant, and ongoing contributor. The subseries consists of referee reports, correspondence, and copies of articles and journals.



Series VII: Academic Files

Series 7 is housed in 15 boxes, numbers 39 through 53. It contains William Cooper's academic papers and records. The materials span the course of his entire academic career, and they contain information on Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Harvard University, and The University of Texas at Austin. The series consists of teaching materials, correspondence, and student information. It also includes his students' research materials, theses, and dissertations. Any materials that contain personally identifiable materials are restricted, including grades, evaluations, and exams. Series 7 is arranged alphabetically by subject or name, and it is arranged into 6 subseries, Activities, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University, The University of Texas at Austin, Student Files, and Dissertations and Theses.

Subseries XI Activities is housed in 2 boxes, numbers 39 and 40. It contains information on William Cooper's general academic activities, including his position as a visiting lecturer at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan. This subseries also contains grades, evaluations, and information on individual doctoral programs. Student records and materials that contain personally identifiable information are restricted.

Subseries XII Carnegie Mellon University is housed in 2 boxes, numbers 41 and 42. It contains information on Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), also known as the Carnegie Institute of Technology (CIT) and Carnegie-Mellon University (C-MU). The subseries consists of lectures, notes, class projects, correspondence, donations, and committee materials. The subseries also contains general information on the Graduate School of Industrial Administration (GSIA) and the School of Urban and Public Affairs (SUPA). After Cooper left CMU, he maintained his interest in the development of the two schools. He attended alumni and faculty reunions, and he served on several marketing committees.

Subseries XIII Harvard University is housed in 1 box, number 42. It contains information on Harvard University. It consists of general information, correspondence, articles, and newspaper clippings. It also contains information on William Cooper's appointment as the Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Accounting.

Subseries XVI The University of Texas at Austin is housed in 4 boxes, numbers 42 through 45. It contains information on The University of Texas at Austin. It consists of correspondence, articles, course materials, and teaching evaluations. It also includes information on endowments and donations.

Subseries XV Student Research and Correspondence is housed in 3 boxes, numbers 45 through 47. It contains information on William Cooper's students. It consists of research, correspondence, recommendations, notes, articles, and papers. Notable names include Indranil Bardhan and Rajiv D. Banker. The subseries is arranged alphabetically by institution and then by students' names.

Subseries XVI Dissertations and Theses is housed in 6 boxes, numbers 48 through 53. It contains dissertations and theses, many of which were written by Cooper's students. Notable names include Yuji Ijiri and Edwardo Rhodes. Most of the materials in the series are bound. The subseries is arranged alphabetically by institution and then by students' names.



Series VIII: Correspondence

Series 8 is housed in 16 boxes, numbers 54 through 69. It contains the correspondence of William Cooper. It consists of letters, emails, notes, recommendations, and other related materials. The contents of the correspondence range from research advice to Cooper's history. In some letters, Cooper addresses subjects in management science such as Data Envelopment Analysis. Many of the files contain also biographical materials on the recipient. These materials include vitas, papers, clippings, and articles. Series 8 is organized alphabetically by name and it is divided into two subseries, Personal Correspondence and Professional Correspondence.

Subseries XVII Personal Correspondence is housed in 1 box, number 54. It contains the personal correspondence of William Cooper. The materials in these files provide insight into Cooper’s relationships with his family and non-professional friends and acquaintances. Notable names include Rae Cooper, his mother; Ruth Cooper, his wife; and Emilie Boguchwal, his sister.

Subseries XVIII Professional Correspondence is housed in 16 boxes, numbers 54 through 69. It contains William Cooper’s professional correspondence. Important topics include the history of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Accounting Hall of Fame, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The series contains letters from Abraham Charnes, Richard M. Cyert, Herbert A. Simon, Yuji Ijiri, Eric L. Kohler, George Leland Bach, and George Kozmetsky. Because Cooper maintained his relationships with former students and colleagues, many of the letters in this series served as letters of recommendation and/or provided research or publication advice. In addition, many of the files contain published and unpublished papers, drafts, vitas, and general biographical information about each individual. File folder titles contain the recipients' names and associated institutions.



Series IX: Personal Files

Series 9 is housed in 2 boxes, numbers 69 and 70. It consists of Cooper’s personal papers and materials. It contains his address book, passports, and glasses. It also contains health and finance information. It is important to note that some of the items in this series are fragile.



Series X: Photographs

Series 10 is housed in 2 boxes, numbers 71 and 72. It contains all of the photographs from the collection. In order to retain context, wherever a photograph was removed from the collection, a paper reading “item removed” was placed in the folder. The paper also gives directions on where to find the image. The series consists of black and white prints, color prints, and digital print-outs on copy paper. VIPs include Herbert A. Simon, Yuji Ijiri, and Eric L. Kohler. It also includes images of Cooper's family. It contains only one set of negatives.



Series XI: Reference Files

Series 11 is housed in 7 boxes, numbers 73 through 79. It contains the research files of William Cooper. He kept files on a wide range of topics, including chance constrained programming, goal programming, and the Bell System. The series consists of notes, papers, reports, articles, books, and journals. Throughout many of the articles and books, Cooper made numerous comments in the margins. These files were minimally processed. The folder titles were taken directly from Cooper’s own folder labels, except in cases where the title was unclear or too vague. Series 11 is arranged alphabetically by subject. The books are arranged alphabetically by author.