Olin, Spencer C.

Spencer C. Olin was a founding faculty member of the University of California, Irvine. During his service, Olin served as the chair of the Department of History, chair of the Academic Senate, dean of Humanities, and the acting executive vice chancellor. In 2004-2005 Professor Olin was appointed the Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor which allowed him to serve as the adviser to the UCI Historical Records Project; co-curator of the UCI Libraries' exhibit "Under Construction Indefinitely"; and organizer of the 40th Anniversary Symposium, Desiging UCI.

From the description of University of California, Irvine, Historical Records Project oral histories 2004 - 2006. (University of California, Irvine). WorldCat record id: 646519819

Spencer Olin is a founding faculty member of the University of California, Irvine (UCI), Department of History and has been a prominent professor and administrator throughout UCI's history. A native Californian, Olin received a B.A. from Pomona College (1958) and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University (1961, 1965). His focus has been on modern American history, particularly California and the West. Over the years, Olin also served UCI in many administrative capacities, including acting vice chancellor for Student Affairs (1965-1966), chair of the Department of History (1977-1982), chair of the Academic Senate (1986-1988), director of the Humanities Core Course (1989-1991), dean of the School of Humanities (1992-1996), and acting Executive Vice Chancellor (1994). In recognition of his dedication and academic excellence, Olin has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Distinguished Service Award (1991), the Historical Society of Southern California's Martin Ridge Retrospective Award (2001), the UCI Alumni Association Extraordinarius Award (2006), and the UCI Medal (1998), the highest campus honor. As of 2007, Olin is retired and lives in Irvine with his wife, Rita Olin, who retired from UCI as a financial analyst.

From the description of Spencer C. Olin papers, 1944-2006, bulk 1966-2006. (University of California, Irvine). WorldCat record id: 187171519

Historical Background

Spencer C. Olin was a founding faculty member of the University of California, Irvine. During his service, Olin served as the chair of the Department of History, chair of the Academic Senate, dean of Humanities, and the acting executive vice chancellor. In 2004-2005 Professor Olin was appointed the Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor which allowed him to serve as the adviser to the UCI Historical Records Project; co-curator of the UCI Libraries' exhibit "Under Construction Indefinitely"; and organizer of the 40th Anniversary Symposium, Desiging UCI.

From the guide to the Spencer Olin oral histories of University of California, Irvine faculty and staff, 2004-2006, (Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries)

Biography

Spencer Olin is a founding faculty member of the University of California, Irvine (UCI), Department of History and has been a prominent professor and administrator throughout UCI's history. A native Californian, Olin received a B.A. from Pomona College (1958) and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University (1961, 1965). His focus has been on modern American history, particularly California and the West. Over the years, Olin also served UCI in many administrative capacities, including acting vice chancellor for Student Affairs (1965-1966), chair of the Department of History (1977-1982), chair of the Academic Senate (1986-1988), director of the Humanities Core Course (1989-1991), dean of the School of Humanities (1992-1996), and acting Executive Vice Chancellor (1994). In recognition of his dedication and academic excellence, Olin has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Distinguished Service Award (1991), the Historical Society of Southern California's Martin Ridge Retrospective Award (2001), the UCI Alumni Association Extraordinarius Award (2006), and the UCI Medal (1998), the highest campus honor.

Olin is the author or co-author of six books relating to American history and has published numerous articles, essays, and book reviews in publications such as The Journal of American History, Western Historical Quarterly, Pacific Historical Review, California History, and Radical History . He was a co-curator of the 2006 UCI Library exhibit Under Construction Indefinitely: Forty Years of Designing UCI, during the campus's fortieth anniversary celebration. As of 2007, Olin is retired and lives in Irvine with his wife, Rita Olin, who retired from UCI as a financial analyst.

• 1937 February 13: Born in Los Angeles, California
• 1958: Received B.A. from Pomona College
• 1961: Received M.A. from Claremont Graduate University
• 1965: Received Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University
• 1964 - 1965 : Instructor in history, Pomona College
• 1965: Joined UCI's faculty as assistant professor of history
• 1965 September - June 1966 : Acting vice chancellor for Student Affairs
• 1968: Published California's Prodigal Sons: Hiram Johnson and the Progressives (Berkeley: University of California Press).
• 1969 - 1978 : Associate professor of history, UCI
• 1971 - 1972 : Visiting lecturer in history, University of Stirling, Scotland
• 1972: Published Racism in California: A Reader in the History of Oppression (New York: Macmillan), co-edited with Roger Daniels
• 1977 - 1982 : Chair of the Department of History
• 1979: Published Why War? Ideology, Theory, and History (Berkeley: University of California Press) with Keith Nelson
• 1981: Published California Politics, 1846-1920: The Emerging Corporate State (San Francisco, Calif.: Boyd & Fraser Pub. Co.)
• 1982 - 1997 : Professor of history, UCI
• 1983 - 1989 : Member and vice president of the board of directors for the Irvine Campus Housing Authority
• 1986 - 1988 : Chair of the Irvine Division of the Academic Senate
• 1989 - 1992 : Director of the Humanities Core Course, UCI
• 1989 - 1991 : With Sandra Campbell, co-chair of the UCI Campus Campaign
• 1991: Co-edited and co-authored Postsuburban California: The Transformation of Orange County Since World War II (Berkeley: University of California Press) with Rob Kling and Mark Poster
• 1991: Received First Annual Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Distinguished Service Award
• 1992: Acting dean of the School of Humanities
• 1992 - 1996 : Dean of the School of Humanities
• 1994: Acting Executive Vice Chancellor
• 1997: Published Major Problems in California History: Documents and Essays (Boston: Houghton Mifflin) with Sucheng Chan
• 1997: Professor emeritus of history, UC Irvine
• 1998: Awarded the UCI Medal
• 2001 - 2002 : Acting director of the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies
• 2001: Historical Society of Southern California honored California's Prodigal Sons with the Martin Ridge Retrospective Award
• 2004 - 2006 : Appointed Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor, in honor of the longest-serving regent in University of California history, to work with the University Archivist on UCI's Fortieth Anniversary Historical Records Project
• 2006: Received UCI Alumni Association Extraordinarius Award

From the guide to the Spencer C. Olin papers, 1944-2006, bulk 1966-2006, (University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.)