Academic eminence records, 1952-1956

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Series I: Academic eminence records, 1952-1956

The records of the Academic Eminence Study contain the data used to identify eminent faculty members and the records of the Subcommittee which compiled the data used in the final report. The October 1954 version, Columbia's Academic Eminence: A Report by the University Development Plan Committee's Subcommittee on Academic Eminence, is available online.


Academic Information Forms

The Academic Information forms asked scholars outside of the University to produce a list, or a personal selection, of the "10 active persons of greatest academic ability in the United States in their field (not including those at your present location) together with their University or other connection." Some lists include a few names (fewer than the 10 blanks on the form) and some include many more. Others ignored the form altogether and wrote about their selections in a letter. The lists were not ranked: the order of the names did not matter. The authors of the lists (or members of "the panel of experts") usually sign at the bottom of the page; and their home institutions were later been penciled in. The forms are organized by department or discipline (Philosophy) and then by the field of specialized interest (Ethics, Logic, Metaphysics). The faculty areas include the humanities, pure sciences, social sciences and engineering.


Astronomy



Box 1 Folder 1 Galactic Structure and Stellar Statistics, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 2 Theory of Interstellar Matter, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 3 Theory of Stellar Atmospheres, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 4 Theory of Stellar Interiors, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 5 Stellar Parallaxes, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 6 Stellar Photometry, 1952


Box 1 Folder 16 Celestial Mechanics, 1952-1953


Botany


Box 1 Folder 7 Plant Cytology / Plant Cytogenetics, 1952


Box 1 Folder 8 Bacteriology (non-medical), 1952


Box 1 Folder 9 Mycology, 1952


Box 1 Folder 10 Plant Morphology, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 11 Plant Physiological Chemistry, 1952


Box 1 Folder 17 Plant Physiology, 1952


Box 1 Folder 18 Taxonomy (higher plants), 1952


Box 1 Folder 12 Accounting, 1954


Anthropology


Box 1 Folder 13 Archaeology, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 14 Ethnology, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 15 Linguistics, 1952


Chemistry


Box 1 Folder 19 Biochemistry, 1952


Box 1 Folder 20 Chemical Kinetics, 1952


Box 1 Folder 21 Commercial Chemical Development, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 22 Analytical Chemistry, 1953-1954


Box 1 Folder 23 Physical Organic Chemistry, 1952


Box 1 Folder 25 Synthetic Organic Chemistry, 1953-1954


Box 1 Folder 26 Chemistry of Food and Nutrition, 1953-1954


Box 1 Folder 27 High Polymers, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 28 Experimental Chemical Physics, 1953-1954


Box 1 Folder 29 Theoretical Chemical Physics, 1953


Box 1 Folder 30 Organic Chemistry of Natural Products, 1953


Box 1 Folder 31 Electrochemistry, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 32 Enzyme Chemistry, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 33 Infra-Red Spectroscopy, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 34 Nuclear and Radiochemistry, 1952-1953


Box 1 Folder 35 Physical Chemistry, 1952


Chinese and Japanese


Box 1 Folder 24 Chinese History (ancient and medieval), 1952-1953



Box 2 Folder 1 Chinese Literature, 1952


Box 2 Folder 2 Japanese Bibliography, 1952


Box 2 Folder 3 Japanese Thought, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 4 Chinese Language, 1952


Box 2 Folder 5 Chinese Thought, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 6 History of Japan, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 7 Japanese Language, 1952


Box 2 Folder 8 Modern History of China, 1952-1953


Civil Engineering


Box 2 Folder 9 Engineering Mathematics, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 10 Inelasticity, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 11 Hydraulics, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 12 Mechanics of Materials, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 13 Structures, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 14 Soil Mechanics, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 15 Elasticity, 1952-1953


Economics


Box 2 Folder 16 Business Cycles, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 17 Comparative Economic Organization, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 18 International Trade and Finance, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 19 Corporation Finance, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 20 Economic Statistics, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 21 Economic Theory, 1952


Box 2 Folder 22 Public Finance, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 23 Industrial Organization, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 24 Labor, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 25 Mathematical Economics, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 26 Monetary Economics, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 27 Public Utility Economics and Regulation, 1952-1953


Engineering


Box 2 Folder 28 Chemical Engineering, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 29 Electrical Engineering, 1953-1954


English and Comparative Literature


Box 2 Folder 30 English Literature since 1885, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 31 Shakespeare and Elizabethan Drama, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 32 American Literature to 1890, 1953-1954


Box 2 Folder 33 19th Century English Literature, 1953-1954


Box 2 Folder 34 American Literature since 1890, 1953


Box 2 Folder 35 Comparative Literature, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 36 Medieval Literature, 1952-1953


Box 2 Folder 37 16th Century English Literature, 1953


Box 2 Folder 38 18th Century English Literature, 1953-1954


Box 2 Folder 39 17th Century English Literature, 1953-1954


Fine Arts and Archaeology



Box 3 Folder 1 Fine Arts of China and Central Asia, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 2 American Art and Architecture, 1953-1954


Box 3 Folder 3 Greek and Roman Art and Architecture, 1953-1954


Box 3 Folder 4 19th Century Art and Architecture, 1953-1954


Box 3 Folder 5 Primitive Art, 1953-1954


Box 3 Folder 6 Oriental Art, 1954


Box 3 Folder 7 Baroque and Rococo Art and Architecture, 1953-1954


Box 3 Folder 8 Renaissance Art and Architecture, 1953-1954


Box 3 Folder 9 Medieval Art and Architecture, 1953-1954


General and Comparative Linguistics


Box 3 Folder 10 Comparative Linguistics, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 11 General Linguistics, 1952-1953


Geology


Box 3 Folder 12 Economic Geology, 1952


Box 3 Folder 13 Engineering Geology, 1952


Box 3 Folder 14 Geomorphology, 1952


Box 3 Folder 15 Geophysics, 1952


Box 3 Folder 16 Invertebrate Paleontology, 1952


Box 3 Folder 17 Meteorology, 1952


Box 3 Folder 18 Mineralogy, 1952


Box 3 Folder 19 Petrology, 1952


Box 3 Folder 20 Physical Oceanography, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 21 Micropaleontology, 1952


Box 3 Folder 22 Sedimentology, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 23 Seismology, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 24 Stratigraphy, 1952


Box 3 Folder 25 Geochemistry, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 26 General Geology, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 27 Structural Geology, 1952


Box 3 Folder 28 Vertebrate Paleontology, 1952


Germanic Languages


Box 3 Folder 29 Classicism and Romanticism 1748-1832, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 30 German Literature 19th-20th Century, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 31 Germanic Philology, 1952-1953


Greek and Latin


Box 3 Folder 32 Greek Philosophy, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 33 Greek Literature, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 34 Epigraphy, 1952-1953


Box 3 Folder 35 Latin Literature, 1952-1953


History



Box 4 Folder 1 History of Great Britain and the British Commonwealth, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 2 North American History, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 3 Diplomatic History, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 4 European Thought and Culture, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 5 Asia and Near East, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 6 History of Asia (Middle and Eastern), 1952


Box 4 Folder 7 Jewish History, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 8 Legal History, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 9 Intellectual History of the US, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 10 Latin American History, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 11 Medieval History, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 12 Russian History, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 13 Ancient History, 1952-1953


Mathematics


Box 4 Folder 14 Functional Analysis and Allied Subjects, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 15 Complex Function Theory, 1952-1953


Mathematical Statistics


Box 4 Folder 16 Statistical Methodology, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 17 Statistical Inference, 1952


Box 4 Folder 18 Applied Analytical Statistics, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 19 Probability, 1952


Box 4 Folder 20 Mechanical Engineering, 1954


Mining, Metallurgy, and Mineral Engineering


Box 4 Folder 21 Extractive Metallurgy, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 22 Metallurgy (Physical), 1953


Box 4 Folder 23 Mineral Engineering, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 24 Mining, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 25 Metallurgy, 1953-1954


Music


Box 4 Folder 26 Musical Composition, 1952-1953


Box 4 Folder 27 Musicology, 1952-1953


Philosophy


Box 4 Folder 28 Philosophy of Culture, 1953


Box 4 Folder 29 Social and Political Philosophy, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 30 Logic, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 31 Philosophy of Religion, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 32 Aesthetics, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 33 Metaphysics, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 34 History of Modern Philosophy, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 35 History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 36 Philosophy of Science, 1953


Box 4 Folder 37 Philosophy of History, 1953


Box 4 Folder 38 Theory of Knowledge, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 39 Philosophy of Values, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 40 Ethics, 1953-1954


Box 4 Folder 41 Comparative Philosophy, 1953-1954


Physics



Box 5 Folder 1 Molecular Physics, 1953


Box 5 Folder 2 Nuclear Physics, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 3 Theoretical Physics, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 4 Low Temperature Physics, 1953-1954


Box 5 Folder 5 Solid State Physics, 1953-1954


Box 5 Folder 6 Radio Frequency Spectroscopy, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 7 Spectroscopy, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 8 Physics, 1952-1954


Psychology


Box 5 Folder 9 Abnormal and Clinical, 1952


Box 5 Folder 10 Developmental Psychology, 1952


Box 5 Folder 11 History and Systematic, 1952


Box 5 Folder 12 Learning, 1952


Box 5 Folder 13 Experimental, 1952


Box 5 Folder 14 Physiological, 1952


Box 5 Folder 15 Psychometrics, 1952


Box 5 Folder 16 Social Psychology, 1952


Public Law and Government


Box 5 Folder 17 American Government and Politics, 1952-1954


Romance Languages


Box 5 Folder 18 Contemporary French Literature, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 19 French - Classical Period, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 20 French Renaissance, 1952


Box 5 Folder 21 French Literary Criticism, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 22 General History of French Literature, 1952


Box 5 Folder 23 French Age of Enlightenment, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 24 French Medieval Literature, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 25 Spanish American Literature, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 26 Romance Philology, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 27 Spanish Language, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 28 Modern Spanish Literature, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 29 Classical Spanish Literature, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 30 Portuguese and Brazilian Literature, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 31 Italian Literature, 1953-1954


Box 5 Folder 32 Italian Linguistics, 1953


Semitic Languages


Box 5 Folder 33 Hebrew Language and Literature, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 34 Semitic Languages, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 35 Arabic and Islamic Studies, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 36 Assyriology, 1952-1953


Slavic Languages


Box 5 Folder 37 Polish Literature, 1952


Box 5 Folder 38 Altaic Philology, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 39 Ukrainian Literature, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 40 Czech Literature, 1952


Box 5 Folder 41 Slavic Philology, 1952


Box 5 Folder 42 Russian Literature, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 43 Sociology, 1953-1954


Zoology


Box 5 Folder 44 Cell and General Physiology, 1952


Box 5 Folder 45 Cytology, 1952


Box 5 Folder 46 Ecology, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 47 Embryology, 1952


Box 5 Folder 48 Endocrinology, 1952-1953


Box 5 Folder 49 Evolution, 1952


Box 5 Folder 50 Genetics, 1952


Box 5 Folder 51 Mammalian Physiology, 1952


Box 5 Folder 52 Microbiology Genetics, 1952


Subcommittee Records

The members of the University Development Plan Committee's Subcommittee on Academic Eminence were Paul F. Kerr, Chair; Charles R. Dawson, William A. Demorest, Edward H. Green and Christopher Mady, Secretary. These records include their minutes, correspondence, outlines, and drafts that led to the production of the report, Columbia's Academic Eminence: A Report by the University Development Plan Committee's Subcommittee on Academic Eminence, 1954.


Correspondence



Box 6 Folder 1 Letters Returned from the Survey, 1952-1954


Box 6 Folder 2 General, 1952-1954


Box 6 Folder 3 General, 1955-1956


Box 6 Folder 4 Working Papers, 1952-1954

Outline, drafts, and correspondence.



Box 7 Folder 1 Report to Development Plan Committee, 1953


Box 7 Folder 2 Fields of Learning, circa 1952



Box 8 Folder 1 Faculty of Philosophy Scholars by Field, 1953-1954

This is the summary of the data collected in the Academic Information forms. The front page states "Whne Deans or Professors want to know the top people in their areas, this is the reference for it."



Box 7 Folder 3 Meetings and Minutes, 1952-1956


Reports, 1954


Box 7 Folder 4 Report Minutes, 1953-1954



Box 8 Folder 2 Report, 1954 October


Box 8 Folder 3 Report, 1954 December 1



Box 7 Folder 5 Accounting Chair, 1954


Box 7 Folder 6 Columbia by Comparison Speech and Outline, 1952


Box 7 Folder 7 Outline Report, 1953


Box 7 Folder 8 Outline for Proposed Study, 1952


Box 7 Folder 8a A Preliminary Comparison Study of Various Institutions (Based on criteria used in "Harvard's Eminence" Study of 1935.), 1952 April 29


Box 7 Folder 9 Printing and Mailing Costs, 1952-1954


Box 7 Folder 10 Progress Reports, 1952-1953


Box 7 Folder 11 Comparison Study of Various Institutions, 1952


Box 7 Folder 12 Executive Officers, 1953-1954

Executive Officers was the term used for Department Chairs. These individuals were asked to identify the areas of specilization in their disciplines as well as a list of experts in said areas.


Box 7 Folder 13 Mail Returns, 1952-1954


Box 7 Folder 14 Mailing Lists, 1952-1954


Box 7 Folder 15 To Be Filed, 1952-1954