The summer of 1966, around 12 faculty members were sent to visit 24 two-year institutions around the country to see how they operate and bring back what they learned. This project has become known as the Summer project but is officially the National Survey of Educational Environments. Carlyon read about all the great ideas being implemented at other institutions, and he believed that tasks that were routine to them could be special for Delta. The team he sent out came back with over 100 recommendations, more than double of what he hoped, and they got to work implementing them over the next couple years. A list of recommendations was compiled, separated by division and subject and marked by how immediate the action should be taken. This project was quite extensive and led to many findings that helped raise the bar for Delta, to make the college what it is. This project is what lead to Carlyon being named as one of the founding members of the League of Innovation.
Brandt. P (2011). Pioneering Our Future. Delta college's first 50 years (T. Caylor, P. Clark, & L. Govitz, Eds.; p.29)
Summary Listing of Project Report Recommendations, Summer Project Folder, Series 2, Donald J. Carlyon Papers, President's Office Record Group, Delta College Archives, University Center, Michigan
In the fall of 1968, D. J Carlyon decided to teach a sociology course, a group seminar of the role, duty, and existence of the student as seen by the student and administration. This course was designed to give students the opportunity to confront and question President Carlyon directly in an open forum design with their ideas.
In order to join the course, interested students were asked to submit brief responses to President Carlyon answering the following questions
1. What do you feel you can contribute to such a class?
2. What value do you feel such a class could have to Delta College and higher education in general?
The course was a 2-hour long session for 7 weeks and once ended the students that attended felt it was a very valuable course. They all felt it should be added to regular curriculum, so other students had the opportunity to enroll and offer new perspectives. Some of the students had minor suggestions should the class be offered in the future such as a written paper collaboration, or to publish a collective journal.
Course Description, Sociology 291 (Carlyon Instructor) Folder, Series 1, Donald J. Carlyon Papers, President's Office Record Group, Delta College Archives, University Center, Michigan
Continuing Education Student Bulletin, Sociology 291 (Carlyon Instructor) Folder, Series 1, Donald J. Carlyon Papers, President's Office Record Group, Delta College Archives, University Center, Michigan
Student letters, Sociology 291 Misc. Folder, Series 1, Donald J. Carlyon Papers, President's Office Record Group, Delta College Archives, University Center, Michigan
In the late 1960's and early 1970's there was a lot of public unrest due to the Vietnam War and the draft, and that included college campuses across the nation. There were protests at college campuses all over the country throughout the school year that ultimately led to deaths, injuries and arrests as well as property damage. President Carlyon felt strongly about finding a solution to ease unrest and minimize conflict, so he crafted a proposal coming up with a solution, a task force. His idea was that the task force would be 100 people representing every ethnicity and political view preceding these groups, every academic standing from undergraduates to administrators, various age groups, genders, and individuals outside the academic community. The ultimate goal was to have the broadest mixture, as that is the most valuable. He knew there might be many reasons that might result in the need for the task force--but for the sake of his proposal he identified four major ones--to be called to a campus and only 3-5 task force members of differing backgrounds would be sent depending on the campus size and complexity of the institution. Their role would be to serve as consultants and observers, and only act as mediators as a last resort and if all parties requested.
He took his proposal and sent it to the office of the White House, sending it to a senator and two congressmen with the hopes he would have the chance to present his proposal in person. President Carlyon's request worked, and he was granted the opportunity to meet with Congressman Elford A. Cederburg and Congressman James Harvey in July of 1970. They also planned for him to meet with a representative of the commission for campus unrest, although Carlyon was insistent that his proposal would be most effective being presented to the office of the White House, rather than as a report by the commission after their meeting. After his letter detailing the explanation and plan, they agreed his proposal would be better in a meeting directly with the office of the White House.
Carlyon was then given a meeting with Mr. George L. Grassmuck, Assistant to the Counsellor in September. After his discussion with Mr. Grassmuck, he shared copies of the proposal among White House staff that were concerned about the issue in hopes a solution would come to fruition soon.
Proposal, Proposal to the White House Folder, Series 1, Donald J. Carlyon Papers, President's Office Record Group, Delta College Archives, University Center, Michigan
Memos, Proposal to the White House Folder, Series 1, Donald J. Carlyon Papers, President's Office Record Group, Delta College Archives, University Center, Michigan
In September of 1975 during Saginaw Valley State College's inauguration ceremony for their new president, Jack M. Ryder, Donald J. Carlyon was given the honor of being a recipient of an honorary Doctor of Law degree. He was one of three being given the honor of receiving an honorary degree from SVSC at the inauguration ceremony.
Commencements - SVSU History - LibGuides at Saginaw Valley State University
Newspaper clipping, Honorary Degree Folder, Series 2, Donald J. Carlyon Papers, President's Office Record Group, Delta College Archives, University Center, Michigan
In 1980, Carlyon designed a new typeface with help from some coworkers and a designer. After some research it was determined there weren't other typefaces similar enough to his, so he filed for a patent which he was granted in 1982 for a 14-year term. He began reaching out to companies to try and sell his typeface to them some of them being Letraset U.S.A Inc., Normatype, Zipatone Inc, and Division of Graphic. He did start the process for typeface acceptance submitted to Letraset Inc., but it is unclear if they ever went through with it. Over the next few years Carlyon continued to search for ways he could get his design out to the world, receiving information from the group Invention Marketing Incorporated, a group that provides materials and resources for inventors to market their inventions to the industry.
Carlyon New Type Style Folder, Series 3, Donald J. Carlyon Papers, President's Office Record Group, Delta College Archives, University Center, Michigan
Carlyon Type Face Design Folder, Series 3, Donald J. Carlyon Papers, President's Office Record Group, Delta College Archives, University Center, Michigan
