This collection contains the professional papers of Charles E. Shain, who served as the sixth president of Connecticut College from 1962-1974. There is also a small amount, primarily biographical, from before and after his presidency, and some files from the time of Rosemary Park, Shain's predecessor as president. Materials include correspondence, reports, minutes, speeches/lectures, publications, and newspaper clippings. A large portion of the collection pertains to new buildings constructed on campus along with fundraising for capital projects and other purposes.

The collection also documents civil rights concerns, from the college's compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to the early years of the student Afro-American Society and the formation of a Commission on Race Relations following the Society's takeover of the administration building in May 1971. In addition, there are materials pertaining to the arrest of student Mardon Walker who participated in a sit-in in Atlanta, Georgia. Other topics included in the collection are the college's move to coeducation, campus activities during the Vietnam War, and relationships with other secondary and higher education institutions.