Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Records, 1905-1979
Collection context
- Creator:
- Butler, Nicholas Murray, 1862-1947 and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
- Abstract:
- Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT), founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 with a dual mission of a teacher pension fund and an educational research center, played a prominent role in research and development of educational standards. The collection contains records from the "New York" (1904-1980) period of the Foundation's activities.
- Extent:
- 250 linear feet
- Language:
- English .
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, documents, minutes, reports, manuscripts, cashbooks, ledgers, photographs and printed materials. The correspondence and memoranda are of board members, officers, staff, teachers, educational administrators and researchers. It documents administrative matters; institutions' applications for admission into a teachers pension plan (the precursor of today's TIAA/CREF) and the CFAT-sponsored research and publications. The pension plan files include detailed information about the standards and policies of many American higher education institutions between 1905 and 1930, when CFAT established and then administered the pension system.
The research and publications files document establishment of the Educational Testing Service, development of the Graduate Record Examination, and numerous reports and studies conducted or sponsored by the CFAT's Division of Educational Enquiry (founded in 1913), or by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education (organized in 1967) and its successor the Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education.
The documents include the CFAT's charter, Acts of Incorporation, By-laws, and minutes, which record meetings of the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee, the Finance and Administration Committee, the Presidential Search Committee, the Investment Committee, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education and the Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education. The cashbooks and ledgers cover the years 1920 through 1979. The photographs are mainly of early board members, officers and staff. The printed materials include newspaper clippings as well as pamphlets, bulletins and books published by the CFAT and the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.
This collection is closely linked with another archival collection, the Carnegie Corporation of New York Records. Since the founding of Carnegie Corporation of New York in 1911, the organizations shared the office space, administration, and staff. Specifically, the CCNY Records contain an entire series (VI.B), comprised of the CFAT records from 1932-1965. This time period is insufficiently covered by the CFAT Records, so the researchers of this period are strongly advised to consult both collections. The CCNY Records series VI.C contain materials on the Corporation's founding and support for the TIAA. In addition, numerous grants from Carnegie Corporation to the Carnegie Foundation are documented in CCNY Records Series III.A (grant files), boxes 75-78, 467, 467A and 1108.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Carnegie Foundation is a philanthropic trust set up by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 as a pension fund for college teachers. In 1906 it was renamed the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) and its mission was expanded to include educational studies, many of which have profoundly influenced American educational standards and policies.
For the first few years of the Foundation's existence, its principal function was in selecting eligible institutions and establishing rules for receiving retirement allowances. The resulting financial obligations ended up being greatly in excess of the CFAT resources. By 1917 the CFAT trustees concluded, after an extensive study, that a pension system paid out of income at no cost to beneficiary is expensive beyond all estimates and anticipation. In 1917-1918, under an arrangement negotiated by Andrew Carnegie and the CFAT the Carnegie Corporation of New York gave $1 million to found the Teachers Insurance Annuity Association of America (now TIAA-CREF), an occupation-wide contributory plan, believed by some to embody more closely Carnegie's original vision of the teachers' pension plan.
The second purpose of the foundation, educational inquiry, was furthered by its efforts in surveying professional education and fostering professional standards in medicine (Flexner, 1910), law (Reed, 1921), engineering (Mann, 1918), teaching, and other disciplines.
The CFAT was controlled by a self-perpetuating board of 25 trustees, chiefly presidents of colleges and universities. When Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) was founded in 1911, it shared office space with the Foundation; it was written in its constitution that the CFAT president would always hold one of the CCNY trustee seats. Henry Smith Pritchett was the first CFAT president, followed by Henry Suzzallo (1930-1933), Walter A. Jessup (1933-1944), and Oliver Carmichael (1945–1953). Since 1955, the CCNY president John W. Gardner and then Alan Pifer served as "part-time" CFAT presidents, shouldering the administrative responsibilities, while Clark Kerr was responsible for program.
Throughout the late sixties and seventies, the Carnegie Foundation enjoyed renewed prominence due to the timely policy studies by the Carnegie Commission of Higher Education (and the subsequent Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education) both directed by Clark Kerr and funded by the CCNY. The CFAT was closely affiliated with Carnegie Corporation of New York until the early 1980s, when it moved to new separate headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. Since 1997, the Carnegie Foundation has been located in California.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
- Terms of access:
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Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
- Preferred citation:
-
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Records. Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Columbia University Libraries. [Box Number].
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu