The Center for Research on Social Organization (CRSO) was officially established in April 1960, by the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan. The idea for the CRSO arose out of a need by the Department of Sociology to centralize and encourage the research and training activities of faculty and students interested in the area of social organization. Social organization is the analysis of the wide range and variety of organizations and organizational arrangements that structure group life. The principle scholarly concerns are the mutual constitution of power, the distribution of social resources, and historical transformations.
In addition to supporting research in social organization, the CRSO also promotes advanced graduate and postgraduate training in social organization. The CRSO supports research by offering a workspace; access to research equipment and facilities; advice concerning research problems, grants, and administration; contact with other researchers; and a limited amount of secretarial and research assistance.
The Center is administered by a director and administrative assistant. General policies of the CRSO are governed by an executive committee, which consists of the director, administrator, three faculty members elected by the Center faculty and two graduate student representatives elected by the student members of CRSO. Other committees of the CRSO include the facilities committee, which schedules events and is responsible for assigning office space.
The Center is committed to facilitating intellectual exchange and community building among its members. To achieve this goal, CRSO sponsors a variety of intellectual and social activities throughout the year. The two main activities sponsored by the CRSO are the weekly brown bags and the Social Organization Socials. Other events include social organization conferences, the annual cabaret night, and various workshops.
From the guide to the Center for Research on Social Organization (University of Michigan)records, 1960-2001, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)
