School of General Studies Records, 1946-2004

Series I: Records of the School of General Studies, 1949-1998

In Series I, reports from 1950-1955 (Folders 3-7) document various aspects of the School of General Studies during its formative years. Many of the early publications in this series outline the School's curriculum and aspects of its programs in this period (Folder 14), and some of the later publications (Folder 15) present valuable overviews of the history and development of General Studies and of the University's efforts to address the educational needs of adult students. Series I contains an especially wide range of materials and includes both documents created by General Studies administrators and printed materials and University publications about the school. Even though records in this series span the entire 1949-1998 period, this series is quite incomplete and must be regarded as suggestive rather than inclusive in the light of the many gaps and missing items. This series is arranged by type of material with the items within each filing-unit folder arranged chronologically.

Series II: Alumni Programs Office Records on General Studies, 1946-1969

This series includes Alumni Office mailings to GS alumni from 1958-1969—including a copy of the constitution and by-laws of the Alumni Association—along with a partial set of flyers and invitations to alumni programs and events from 1958-1968, the "Alumni Association Newsletter" from 1949-1950, a later GS alumni journal, "Focus," from 1967-1968, and scattered Alumni Programs Office correspondence relating to General Studies from 1946-1968. Along with routine correspondence in Folder 28 are several interesting items: copies of a June 1968 exchange of letters between Grayson Kirk and Daniel Daley, President of the GS Alumni Association, concerning the 1968 student protests, and some 1967 correspondence about GS being given the right to award the BA degree. The effect of the 1968 student protests is graphically presented by Folder 24's invitation to the Graduate Studies Anniversary Dinner that May, across which "Cancelled" has been scrawled in red. Again, this is a partial and incomplete set of records. This series is arranged by type of material, with the items in each individual filing-unit folder arranged chronologically

Series III: Press Releases on the School of General Studies, 1946-1994

This series consists of a relatively complete set of Columbia press releases from the years 1946-1994 concerning developments in the School of General Studies, the arrival of new deans or administrators, and the beginning of new programs. These press releases demonstrate how General Studies presented itself during these years, and the large number of releases from the formative years of the program provides particularly good coverage of the period from 1946-1961 (Folders 28-34). Missing altogether from the series are releases for virtually all of 1962, the years 1969-1974, and all years after 1994. This series is arranged chronologically.

Series IV: Newspaper Articles & Publications, 1947-2004

This series includes newspaper articles about the School of General Studies for virtually its entire lifespan (Folders 38-41), along with a Christie's catalog from a 1977 auction to benefit the School (Folder 42), and a 1983 issue of "Columbia" magazine highlighting General Studies (Folder 43). (The newspaper clippings and publications were compiled by both the office of Harold Emerson, Assistant to the President and Vice President for Alumni Programs, and the Office of Public Affairs.) Newspaper articles are primarily from major New York newspapers like the "Times" and the "Herald Tribune," although there are also articles from Columbia publications like the "Spectator." These articles highlight important events in the School's history, the development of its programs, and some of the controversies associated with it—for instance, Dean Louis Hacker's 1958 resignation in response to the Macmahon Report. The clippings are primarily preservation photocopies, but newspaper articles with photographs have also been retained in their original newspaper form since these provide better image quality (Folder 41). These photos provide portraits of almost all of the deans of General Studies, as well portraying other Columbia administrators and some scenes of student life over the years. This series is arranged chronologically.

Series V: Student Applications to GS Writing Courses, 1948-1954

This series consists of original copies of student applications to General Studies writing courses in 1949-1954 and copies of return correspondence by Columbia faculty and administrators. These files are restricted; student application materials are sealed, in accordance with Columbia policy. Folders in Box 5, all from 1955, are related to Quarto, a GS publication. Folders contain a number of unpublished manuscripts of short stories and poems, some of which were apparently accepted and some clearly rejected.

Series VI: School of General Studies 1995 Reorganization, 1973-1999

This series consists of records related to the 1995 reorganization of the School of General Studies and the renovation of Lewisohn Hall. These include correspondence, reports of recommendations from Coopers and Lybrand, consultants on the reorganization, and budgeting information. This series was added from the acquisition of Reid Hall Records in 2018.