The collection contains records of the USC School of Public Administration from its inception as the USC Institute of Government through 1996. Records include correspondence and other administrative documents, records of Institutes and other joint projects, contracts, faculty papers, and similar materials.

Particularly rich portions of the collection include those materials dealing with the Training of Trainers program as it evolved through various school contracts in the mid-twentieth century with the governments of Iran, Brazil, Turkey, and Pakistan. Grants, correspondence and training records are included.

Also, there are many valuable records relating to the various institutes hosted by the School of Public Administration and Institutes and Centers that involved several schools at USC. These include the Youth Studies Center, the Delinquency Control Institute, the Institute on Municipal Government, and many others.