WESTERN DATA PROCESSING CENTER
IBM PROPOSAL
UC / IBM NEGOTIATIONS
The first reported campus discussion was held on August 1, 1955, according to the one page summary found in Chancellor Allen's Archive file. Others who attended the discussion are not known, although Dean Neil H. Jacoby must have attended because in the minutes of the next meeting he reports that he has given a great deal of thought to the proposal. It is significant that from the outset the center was to be a cooperative Western Universities center under the control of a Board to be appointed by Presidents of leading Universities on the Western Slope and that an IBM 705 Electronic Data Processing Machine was to be made available at no charge.
Two issues for the University that would recur later were IBM's use of the computer for commercial customers and service bureau work on a public university campus and the provision of suitable housing which would need financing.
The complete summary: August 1 meeting
Here are the significant events in the negotiations between UC and IBM
September 12, 1955: Chancellor Allen's Meeting on general Computing Policy with senior faculty and the Deans of Business Administration and Engineering
September 23, 1955: School of Business Administration Report on IBM Proposal prepared by a faculty commitee for presentation to and approval by the faculty
November 4, 1955: Chancellor Allen's letter to UC President Sproul Reporting progress on the IBM grant discussions
January 17, 1956: Hurd (IBM) to Allen Outlining his (Hurd's) Thinking about whether a Center is feaible and what institution should be its host
February 1, 1956: Allen's Very Positive Reply to Hurd that UCLA would be the host with the Center reporting to the Dean of Business Administration
February 17, 1956: Regents Meeting with Dean Jacoby's seminal Report on a long range plan for management education at UCLA, probably the most important document in the School's history
March 28, 1956: Hurd (IBM) Letter to Allen Seeking "Active Negotiations" to locate the Center at UCLA
March 30, 1956: Allen to President Sproul on a "magnificent opportunity" for industry-university cooperation
April 5, 1956: ElectroData Corp letter to Regent Edwin Harbach arguing that the IBM gift is against public policy
May 3, 1956: Jacoby rebuts the ElectroData letter for Chancellor Allen stating "On the contrary, it is incredible to believe that the Regents of the University will fail to accept a gift which can so greatly promote management education ..."
May 18, 1956: Board of Regent's Committee on Finance approves and urges that the University authorities hasten to complete a contract
June 22, 1956: Regent's approved locating WDPC on the UCLA campus and also more funding for SWAC
June 25, 1956: Chancellor Allen to President Sproul about the need for over $300,000 in funding
July 20, 1956: President Sproul's Recommendation on funding with loans and temporary appropriations from other grants
October 25, 1956: Regents Committee on Buidings and Grounds reports a delay caused by integrating the Center into a new Business Administration building
October 26, 1956: Allen Letter to Hurd announcing a new and improved site and asking for a construction time delay
November 13, 1956: UCLA Press Release Announces the Western Data Processing Center with President Sproul, Chancellor Allen and IBM President Thomas J. Watson Jr.
November 19, 1956: WDPC Conference on Education and Research with speakers from the University and industry
April 1, 1957: President Sproul questions funding an IBM 650 to Chancellor Allen, a development new to him
April 1, 1957: Dr. George W. Brown appointed first Director of WDPC
October 15, 1957: IBM Offers to replace the IBM 705 computer with an IBM 709, the latest model, larger and faster
September 16, 1958: The IBM 709 computer arrives (26 tons of iron)
So, almost exactly three years after negotiations began, UCLA and IBM have jointly established the Western Data Processing Center. IBM has delivered a large scale IBM 709 computer to the newly completed WDPC computing facility built especially to house it. WDPC is fully ready to serve its users on the UCLA campus and from the participating institutions.