The architects of the union characterized it as a federation, not a merger, explaining that a merger would imply absorption of the smaller Case into the larger WRU. Federation was intended to preserve the values, traditions, strengths and the potential of both Case and WRU. On July 1, 1967 only the legal framework was complete. Policies, organizational structures, faculty governance, and academic program plans were incomplete. Planning the Federation I cautioned, "'federation' must be a process and cannot be an event."

This web site was created by archives staff in recognition of the 40th anniversary of Federation. It begins with a timeline summarizing Federation planning and implementation milestones, and includes key documents. Information is also presented on participants, contemporaneous reactions, and pre-Federation cooperation from the years 1965-1972. A compilation of sources from the Case Western Reserve University Archives that were consulted is also provided.