The College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Arkansas was formally established in 1912. Earlier, all departments which would make up the new college had been a part of the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. The original curriculum of the college consisted of English, mathematics, history, Latin, some foreign languages, public speaking, and elementary sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences is one of the largest colleges on the campus in terms of students enrolled and number of degrees awarded. The first dean of the college was Edgar F. Shannon who served from 1913 until 1914. George W. Droke succeeded him and served from 1914 until 1925. Droke was followed by John Clark Jordan who served only two years from 1925 through 1927. Following Jordan was Virgil L. Jones who served as dean from 1927-1939. Hemphill M. Hosford was dean through the entire Second World War from 1939 through 1946. The bulk of the material in this collection was generated by Guerdon David Nichols who succeeded Hosford and served from 1946 through 1965. He was followed by Robert F. Kruh who also authored some items contained in the collection.

Guerdon David Nichols was a native Iowan who first joined the University of Arkansas faculty as a mathematics instructor in 1927. He became a full professor in 1945 and the following year was appointed dean of the college. He left his position as dean in 1965 to return to his teaching duties. He retired from full-time teaching in 1967. Under the leadership of Dean Nichols, the College of Arts and Sciences swelled in enrollment. He was a major advocate for the development of a general education program which intended to ensure well-rounded education for all arts and sciences students. He also oversaw the development of an honors program in various departments of the college which sought to challenge the most talented students. In 1958, Arkansas Act 10 was passed by the state legislature which required all public employees to disclose their political affiliations retroactive for five years. Nichols was a fierce opponent of the act and as a result was awarded the third annual Alexander Mieklejohn Award by the American Association of University Professors for his leadership.