Subgroup 1, Series 1, Administrative Records, documents the role of Deans Thayer and Wilcox in directing the administrative and academic affairs of the School from 1950 to 1973, although the records themselves span the years 1944 to 1975. The series consists primarily of correspondence, memoranda, minutes and reports, and covers such topics as decisions of the Academic Board and other committees, budget and other business affairs, activities of the various departments, curriculum, appointment of staff and faculty, degree programs, and student affairs. Folders are arranged alphabetically by file title.

Subgroup 1, Series 2, Governmental Records, 1955-1973, consists of correspondence and contracts documenting the relationship between SAIS and various offices of the U.S. Government. There is also one folder which contains correspondence between the Italian Government and SAIS concerning the establishment of the School's European Studies Center in Bologna, Italy, in the period 1967 to 1970. Folders are arranged alphabetically by file title.

Subgroup 1, Series 3, Extra-University Records, consists of three folders of correspondence, questionnaires and building designs, arranged in alphabetical order, which help document the connections between SAIS and several extra- university and non-governmental institutions. The records date from 1949 and 1958 to 1966.

Subgroup 1, Series 4, Thayer/Wilcox Correspondence. This series consists of four folders of correspondence of Deans Thayer and Wilcox, covering various administrative and academic affairs. The series ranges in date from 1953 to 1973 and the folders are arranged chronologically.

Subgroup 1, Series 5, Homewood, consisting primarily of correspondence and memoranda, documents the cooperation between SAIS and various offices and divisions of the Johns Hopkins University, principally the Homewood Campus. Much of the correspondence concerns the Presidents of the University from 1950 to 1973. Folders are arranged in alphabetical order by file title.

Subgroup 1, Series 6, Fundraising, consists of correspondence with foundations, individual donors and members of the Advisory Council, as well as proposals submitted to them. Dating from 1966 to 1973, this series reflects the School's efforts toward raising money for its various academic programs. Folders are arranged in alphabetical order by file title.

Subgroup 1, Series 7, Projects and Programs. This series includes documents relating to: various academic projects proposed and conducted by SAIS, sometimes in cooperation with other institutions; academic conferences organized by SAIS; and special programs such as the annual student trip to the United Nations. Among the records in this series are correspondence, project proposals, conference records, and program announcements, dating from 1949 to 1973 and arranged in alphabetical order by folder title.

Subgroup 1, Series 8, Events and Lectures, spans the period 1954 to 1976 and consists of correspondence and lecture texts on such activities as commencement, endowed chair celebrations and various special lectures. Among the best documented of the latter are the Lounge Lectures between the years 1969 and 1972. Folders are arranged in alphabetical order by file title.

Subgroup 2, Series 1, Administrative Records. This series is identical in most respects to Subgroup 1, Series 1, in that it documents Dean Osgood's role in directing the administrative and academic affairs of SAIS, covering the years 1973 to 1980. The records consist primarily of correspondence, memoranda, reports and minutes, and cover the same range of topics as in the earlier series. The Osgood years witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of faculty/staff/student committees, each one dealing with a specific issue. Correspondence with non-University institutions is also included in this series, rather than being filed separately, as in Subgroup 1. Folders are arranged alphabetically according to file title.

Subgroup 2, Series 2, Faculty, is composed of correspondence, memoranda and appointment letters. This series records the composition and changes in the SAIS faculty, both full-time and part-time, during the years 1971 to 1980. General records at the beginning of this series, concerning appointments, salary and tenure, are arranged alphabetically by file title. Following these records are folders containing personal records of individual faculty members, arranged alphabetically by name of each person. Records of an evaluative nature in this series are restricted.

Subgroup 2, Series 3, Curriculum. This series consists of correspondence, memoranda, minutes and course evaluation sheets documenting the course offerings in SAIS between 1971 and 1980. Folders are arranged in alphabetical order according to file title.

Subgroup 2, Series 4, Bologna Center. Consisting primarily of correspondence and telegrams between the Dean and successive Directors of the Bologna Center in the years 1977 to 1979, these records reflect the cooperative relationship between the School and the Center on academic and administrative affairs. The three folders in this series are arranged in chronological order.

Subgroup 2, Series 5, Lounge Lectures, consists of correspondence, memoranda and lecture texts focusing on a single topic: the Lounge Lectures, given from 1972 to 1978. Held every other week, these lectures were usually given by such noted speakers as distinguished scholars, politicians or other professionals. The brief lectures were followed by informal discussions between faculty and students. Topics usually centered upon international problems of current importance, such as terrorism, or other issues on which the speaker was well-versed. The six folders in this series are arranged in chronological order.

Subgroup 2, Series 6, Robert E. Osgood. These records, maintained separately from the remainder of the Dean's records, span the period 1957 to 1987 and were transferred to the Archives after Osgood's death in December 1986. Although there is correspondence and other materials dating from Osgood's tenure as Dean, many of these records are not directly related to the official functions of that Office, but rather reflect Osgood's varied professional life. When Osgood relinquished the title of Dean in 1979, he was named Christian A. Herter Professor of American Foreign Policy and served as an active faculty member until his death. The primary types of records in this series are: correspondence to and from Osgood while serving as Dean of SAIS, head of the Washington Center for Foreign Policy Research, or a member of other academic and governmental institutions; texts of lectures and articles written by Osgood; proposals for research projects and conferences initiated and organized by Osgood; personal correspondence with colleagues and friends; letters of recommendation and evaluation for former students or other scholars. The series is arranged alphabetically by file title. Osgood's "Personal Correspondence," consisting of twenty-four folders, is arranged alphabetically within each folder according to the names of correspondents. Similarly, the letters of recommendation and evaluation are arranged alphabetically by the name of the person evaluated.

Subgroup 3, George R. Packard. Currently, this subgroup contains just seven folders covering the first three years of Packard's tenure, 1979-1981. Consisting of correspondence, memoranda and minutes, these seven folders, arranged alphabetically, concern three topics: Academic Board meetings, the Bologna Center, and Lounge Lectures. It is anticipated that additional records from Packard's office will be transferred to the Archives in the future.