The first series encompasses the records of six presidents, and a major portion of the records of a seventh. During the later years of Milton S. Eisenhower's first term, the filing system which had been in use since the beginning of the twentieth century was abolished. In its place was instituted a less cumbersome system of filing in alphabetical order according to subject headings (series 6). When this new system was adopted, an entirely new file was begun in 1964 and the previous file, consisting of over sixty years' of records, was left as a distinct, separate series. The origins of and justification for the arbitrary filing system used in this series are obscure. It was instituted around 1903, although some records from as early as 1878 are present. There is no discernible pattern or scheme in assigning numbers to individuals or subjects. Thus, only a few general observations may be made. For the most part, the higher numbers in the numerical span were assigned in progressively later years. Files in the 900s are usually dated no earlier than the 1920s, while lower numbers generally were assigned in earlier years. Very few files have beginning dates later than the early 1930s. These observations, together with the lack of any cohesive grouping of similar subjects, leads to the belief that new files were arbitrarily assigned the next higher number in the sequence, with perhaps a one or two number open interval to be filled in later. Of particular note is file 115. File number 115 includes correspondence to and from the Psychology Department. While many faculty members corresponded with the president, including Knight Dunlap and Karl Lashley, some of the more interesting correspondence came from John Broadus Watson. Credited with being the “Father of Behaviorism,” Watson frequently requested resources from the president, and went into detail on his research. In 1920, Watson became notorious after having an affair with a graduate student, Rosalie Rayner, which led to his divorce. He was asked to resign from the faculty, which he did.

As the years passed and the filing system kept expanding, a gradual disenchantment with the system seems evident. The vast majority of files are small in volume and span only a few years. Very few continue up to the 1960s. As a consequence of the lack of a pattern for subject grouping, several subjects are represented under as many as three different numbers scattered throughout the sequence. There are also instances of the same number's being used simultaneously for two different subjects. Other numbers were re-assigned to different subjects once the previous file was discontinued. Many numbers, and sometimes several consecutive numbers, were never assigned. Another idiosyncrasy in this filing system is the occasional use of decimals. In most instances they are used to indicate a narrower aspect of the main subject, although this is not always the case. There are also numerous irregularities in the use of decimal numbers. Letters such as "ss," "x," "A," "F," and "G," were sometimes added to or used in place of decimals, particularly in the lower numbers of the sequence. In all cases, the original filing system has been preserved. Fortunately, a card file does exist for this series. Compiled in an ongoing manner, probably by the president's secretary, entries were added under the appropriate subject heading(s) for each item filed. The index exists in three segments, 1903-1936, 1936-1950 and 1951-1963, and, while by no means complete or totally accurate, it serves as the best means for locating an individual document.

Correspondence to and from the presidents of the university, from outside the university as well as within the administrative structure, makes up the largest mass of the records. Reports from individuals and organizations, telegrams and newspapers also are present in large numbers. Clippings, and, where they existed on highly-acidic paper, telegrams, have been photocopied and the copies replaced in the files. Nearly every school and department of the university is represented in this series.