Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Records, 1905-1979
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- Ms Coll\CFAT,CC#0003
- Bib ID:
- 4079752 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; Butler, Nicholas Murray, 1862-1947
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 250 linear feet
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
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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.
Description
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.
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Series I: Administration, 1905-1980
Series I contains a mixture of manuscript, typewritten and printed documents on the CFAT administration. The series includes meeting materials for the Board of Trustees and its Committees, financial documents, and internal correspondence files. The records are incomplete, but can be partially supplemented by the Carnegie Corporation of New York Records Series VI.B (CFAT, 1932-1965).
Since the Foundation was for many decades financially and administratively tied to Carnegie Corporation, it is advisable to check the corresponding files in both collections. This is particularly true for financial arrangements. For example, the CFAT never had a separate investment office. After the TIAA was established, Pritchett, as president of both the CFAT and the TIAA (and also 1921-23 president of Carnegie Corporation of New York) worked out a cooperative arrangement among the three organizations. Sam Hall of the TIAA staff was made a part-time assistant treasurer of the CFAT in order to watch over its investments. Incidentally, Hall also advised Pritchett on his personal investments. A joint investment office for the CFAT, Carnegie Corporation, TIAA, Carnegie Institution of Washington and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was established early in 1936, with each organization paying a share of the costs. It was reorganized in 1939 as the Cooperative Investment office. Carnegie Corporation withdrew at that time; the CFAT withdrew in 1948.
Originally there were separate "minutes" and "subject" folders created for each Committee. In 1978 Florence Anderson destroyed all the pre-1960 executive committee folders, and put the material she considered "worth keeping" into the Minutes, Trustees files, or Internal files.
Letters to trustees regarding committee membership are in the Trustee Correspondence file.
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Series II: Staff and Trustee Files, 1900-1980
The series consists of materials pertaining to the founder, Andrew Carnegie; chronological board of trustees' correspondence, and files on selected individual trustees, containing their biographical information, related news items. Many trustees have also been active in other Carnegie charities, so the trustee/staff files in the related collections (particularly Carnegie Corporation of New York Records, Series I.E) can be consulted for additional information.
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Series III: External Correspondence, 1875-1989
Series contains external correspondence of the Foundation. Some prominent correspondents (organizations or individuals) are filed in separate folders under their respective names; the rest were just filed alphabetically. In addition, the series contains several correspondence files organized by subject.
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Series IV: Teachers' Retirement, 1905-1984
The series documents CFAT activities as teacher's retirement fund, including the collection of data, and the administering the payments. In addition to surveys and lists of educational institutions, and correspondence documenting the first-ever teachers pension plan, the series contains index cards with data on thousands of eligible professors. Once it became clear, that the non-participatory plan is financially untenable, the "Commission on Insurance and Annuities" was formed to consider the plan for what became TIAA. It consisted of six CFAT trustees, 2 members appointed by American Association of University Professors, and one each from the Association of American Universities, National Association of State Universities, and Association of American Colleges. TIAA was officially created in 1917, but the financial obligations to retired teachers and their surviving spouses, incurred by the CFAT in the first dozen years of its existence, continued to require financial and administrative input well into the second half of the twentieth century. More information on the on Foundation's pension payments and research, and creation of TIAA can be found in CCNY Records Series VI.B (CFAT) and VI.C (TIAA), as well as grant files for Carnegie Foundation and for TIAA in series III.A.
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Series documents educational research sponsored or administered by CFAT over the years. A major Studies in Higher Education project, administered by Clark Kerr in the 1960s and 1970 is described as a separate series. This series deals with grants-in-aid and early projects and studies, such as founding of the Educational Testing Service, introduction of Graduate Record Examination and College Achievement Tests, Symposia on Academic Disciplines, 1960s surveys on student values and activism, and others. For additional materials on these research projects see the meetings and correspondence series, and Series VI.B of the Carnegie Corporation of New York Records.
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Series VI: Studies in Higher Education, 1959-1981
By 1966 the Foundation's future was uncertain, and there was a discussion about its possible merger into Carnegie Corporation of New York. The trustees of both organizations decided that it was important to have foundation devoted exclusively to higher education, provided that it could undertake a truly significant project. Thus, the CFAT trustees made a proposal to the Carnegie Corporation for a grant to study the financing of higher education, approved in January 1967. Clark Kerr - then the president of the University of California - agreed to chair the special commission. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education consisted of 19 people including the chairman. Over the course of their existence, the Commission and its successor organization the Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education (since 1973) assembled a wealth of data and published 163 influential monographs, and dozens of pamphlets and brochures. One of the Carnegie Commission's lasting achievements was a classification scheme that differentiated colleges and universities along the dimensions that were most relevant to the Commission's analytical work. The classification, made public in 1973, was quickly accepted in the research community as the major way researchers identify groups of roughly comparable institutions. The Carnegie Corporation of New York made annual grants to the CFAT starting in 1967 to cover the expenses of the project. Additional information can be found in the CCNY Records, such as CCNY grant files to the CFAT (CCNY Records, series III.A).
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Series VII: Related Organizations, 1911-1980
Series contains files of two organizations related to CFAT: National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) and International Examinations Enquiry Committee (IEEC). It is not clear how papers ended up in CFAT files, but the organizations were actively collaborating for many years.
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Series VIII: Printed Materials, 1906-1980
Series contains printed materials produced by or relating to CFAT, such as its constitution, by-laws and various pension regulations, annual reports, bulletins, publications of Commission and Council on Higher Education, and other miscellaneous brochures and monographs. Some printed material can also be found in other series of this collection, such as Internal Files (I.C) or Related Organizations (VII). Most printed materials exist in two copies, with one copy shelved in the Carnegie Curator's office, and the other one boxes and stored off site.
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Series IX: Educational Legislation, 1912-1913
Correspondence and printed materials concerning bills to define education in DC, introduced by Senator Jacob Harold Gallinger, including drafts and copies of several bills, has been added to this collection in 2009 from the Teachers College library. These files have been a gift to the Teachers College from Florence Anderson (a long-time executive of Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching) in 1979.
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Series X: Photographs, 1904-1975
This one-box series contains photographs of individual staff and trustee members, several group photos of CCHE and CFAT board of trustees, and published photographs of Carnegie family. Accompanying correspondence and documents are filed with photographs.
Arrangement
Annual reports, bulletins, minutes, cash books and ledgers are arranged chronologically. Publications of both Carnegie Commission on Higher Education and Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education are arranged alphabetically by title. Arranged in 10 series.
- Series I: Administration, 1905-1980
- Subseries I.A: Bound Minutes, 1906-1980
- Subseries I.B: Meeting Files, 1905-1980
- Subseries I.C: Internal Files, 1905-1980
- Subseries I.D: Financial Records, 1906-1980
- Series II: Staff and Trustee Files, 1900-1980
- Subseries II.A: Andrew Carnegie, 1904-1976
- Subseries II.B: Chronological Files, 1905-1980
- Subseries II.C: Individual Files, 1900-1980
- Series III: External Correspondence, 1875-1989
- Subseries III.A: Organizations, 1875-1989
- Subseries III.B: Alphabetical, 1915-1954
- Subseries III.C: Individuals, 1905-1957
- Subseries III.D: Subject Files, 1905-1974
- Series IV: Teachers' Retirement, 1905-1984
- Subseries IV.A: Lists and Memoranda, 1905-1968
- Subseries IV.B: Pension Studies, 1909-1973
- Subseries IV.C: Index Cards, 1953-1984
- Series V: Projects, 1909-1976
- Series VI: Studies in Higher Education, 1959-1981
- Subseries VI.A: Meeting Minutes, 1967-1979
- Subseries VI.B: Internal Files, 1966-1980
- Subseries VI.C: Carnegie Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) Research, 1967-1979
- Subseries VI.D: Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education (CCPSHE) Research, 1967-1980
- Subseries VI.E: Drafts, Proposals, and Conferences, 1968-1981
- Subseries VI.F: Editorial Files, 1960-1980
- Subseries VI.G: Impact Files, 1967-1980
- Subseries VI.H: Permissions and Royalties, 1959-1980
- Subseries VI.I: Academic Adaptation Survey, 1974-1979
- Subseries VI.J: Background Research Materials, Undated
- Series VII: Related Organizations, 1911-1980
- Subseries VII.A: National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, 1911-1980
- Subseries VII.B: International Examinations Enquiry Committee (IEEC), 1929-1938
- Series VIII: Printed Materials, 1906-1980
- Subseries VIII.A: Annual Reports, 1906-1979
- Subseries VIII.B: Bulletins, 1907-1973
- Subseries VIII.C: General, 1908-1983
- Subseries VIII.D: Studies in Higher Education (CCHE & CCPSHE) Monographs, 1968-1980
- Subseries VIII.E: Pamphlets and Brochures of CCHE and CCPSHE, 1904-1978
- Series IX: Educational Legislation, 1912-1913
- Series X: Photographs, 1904-1975
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
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.
Conditions Governing Use
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].
Related Collections:
Carnegie Corporation of New York Records, CC#0003 Columbia University Libraries.
Accruals
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source of acquisition--Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1990. Accession number--M-1990.
Series IX is a gift from Teachers's College, 2009
Publications About Described Materials
Lagemann, Ellen Condliffe. PRIVATE POWER FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD: A HISTORY OF THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1983.
Savage, Howard J. FRUIT OF AN IMPULSE: FORTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION, 1905-1950. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1953.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Entered in AMC 01/30/91.
This collection was processed by Jane Gorjevsky, Benjamin Heller, CC2009, Sam Daly CC2009, Jude Webre GSAS2010. The finding aid was written by Jane Gorjevsky in March 2009. Jennifer S. Comins converted and corrected content for EAD conversion of legacy finding aid, 6/12/2014
Revision Description
2009-06-26 File created.
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
2014-06-14 Jennifer S. Comins converted and corrected content for EAD conversion of legacy finding aid.
Historical Note
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.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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