D-6 STUDENT PUBLICATIONS SERIES 2 THE HILLTOP, 1915-1999

The Hilltop yearbooks are now available online, 1915-1996

Series 2     The Hilltop, 1915-1996

Series 2.1    Photograph Collection, 1961-1991

Administrative History

Marquette University published a student yearbook continuously from 1915 through 1999. The College of Journalism provided administrative oversight of the publication, and from 1917 the nascent Marquette University Press served as the Hilltop’s printer. Production costs were covered largely by advertisers, but also by students, who paid $3 for a copy in 1917. By 1936, the cost had risen to $5, and the University Council increased tuition fees by $2 to cover the cost of the yearbook and other all-university publications. Thus, students no longer had to “subscribe” to the Hilltop in order to receive a copy. This system remained in place until 1981, when students paid $1 to help defray mailing and ordering costs. The amount rose to $10 the following year and eventually to $45.

Over the years, the Hilltop was published in various formats, for the sake of both experimentation and reducing production costs. The 1970 and 1971 yearbooks included a 33 1/3 LP, which was touted as a step toward a "three-dimensional journalism." Additionally, the 1971 yearbook was published as a set of two separately issued, soft-cover volumes. The first installment came out in January, the second in the spring, with the goal of providing an opportunity for student feedback. The Hilltop appeared in print format for the final time in 1996, as a three-part, soft-cover edition. From 1997 to 1999, the Hilltop switched to a CD-ROM format at a much reduced cost of $15. National media outlets featured it as the only college or university yearbook to be published this way. However, rising production costs and waning student interest led to the end of the Hilltop in 1999.

Scope and Content

These records are arranged into two series: series 1 consists of the published yearbook, in both print and CD-ROM formats, and series 2 consists of photographs and contact sheets. In 1996, the University Archives and Alumni Relations solicited former Hilltop staff for photographs taken during their time at Marquette. Donald F. Thielke and Keith R. Rothschild, staff photographers for the 1942 and 1961 yearbooks respectively, were among those who contributed to the Archives' collection.

Arrangement

The contents of each series are arranged chronologically. In series 2, many of the photographs have been further arranged by their placement in the published yearbook. When processing the 1961 photographs, archivists arranged the prints according to the categories suggested by the yearbook itself, even though not all of the photographs were published.

Separation Note

Negatives were separated from series 2 and arranged in the University Archives' general collection of photographic negatives.

Restrictions

Access to these records is unrestricted. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. Consult an archivist for further information.