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Material is organized into one series.
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The collection consists of correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes, succeeding versions of the constitution, a history of the club, membership lists and cards, and various membership, financial, and annual reports relating to the Women's Graduate Club of Columbia University.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Women's Graduate Club of Columbia University Collection; Box and Folder; University Archives, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
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.
Source of acquisition--University Archives. Method of acquisition--Transfer; Date of acquisition--1997.
The Women's Graduate Club grew out of the 1895 Barnard Graduate Club, according to Anna Campbell in History of the Women's Graduate Club of Columbia University, 1895-1925. The Club was known as "Woman's Graduate Club" in 1897, later changing its name to the "Women's Graduate Club.' No information is available about the Club's demise.
Records processed Abby Lester 2002.
Finding aid written Abby Lester 2002.
Finding aid reformatted Elizabeth Nolte 2009.
3 No additionsare expected
Of particular interest in the collection is the History of the Women's Graduate Club of Columbia University, 1895-1925, written by Anna Campbell in 1927. In addition, a handwritten list of presidents of the Club from 1897 through 1942 is housed in the folder Officer and Board Lists.
The President's Reports, Treasurer's Reports and Minutes are not complete, but contain most of the years of the club's existence. The President's Reports are missing for the years 1906/07-1907/08, 1910/11-1916/17, 1918/19-1919/20, 1921-1922, and 1923-1924. Some duplicate reports can be found in the minutes. The Treasurer's Reports are missing for the years 1923/24, 1924/25, 1929-1939. The minutes for the Club are nearly complete from 1898 through 1955, with a few exceptions. Executive board meeting minutes and open meeting minutes were arranged together chronologically.
Boxes two and three are membership cards arranged alphabetically within each year from 1941 through 1955. For membership enrollment figures, please see the Reports folder, which also contains reports by the Stocking Committee, Committee on Revision of the Constitution, and Special Committee on Bylaws. Also included is an undated unidentified speech regarding an outgoing president of the club.
In addition to the records of the Women's Graduate Club, there are two folders with minutes and correspondence regarding other University committees on women. The first is the University Committee for Graduate Women (originally the University Committee for Women Graduate Students). This material includes a letter from President Nicholas Murray Butler requesting establishment of the committee. The bulk of the material consists of minutes of meetings relating to women graduate students at Columbia University from 1914 through 1921. The Advisory Committee on Women's Residence Halls, established by the University Committee for Graduate Women, is also documented in this collection from 1925 through 1928. The records contain minutes, correspondence, and reports. All material has been retained in one folder as originally found. The minutes, correspondence, and reports are arranged together chronologically. In addition to material on the Advisory Committee on Women's Residence Halls, the folder contains some minutes and reports of the Council of the Johnson Hall Association, the women's residence hall.
The records of the Women's Graduate Club provide insight into one of the earliest formal women's organizations at the University.