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COLLECTION Identifier: RG IIIA

Records of the Radcliffe College Office of Development, 1968-2001

Overview

Records of Radcliffe College's Office of Development, which was responsible for alumnae gifts, fundraising, and foundation and government grant funding.

Dates

  • Creation: 1968-2001

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Access Restrictions:

Access. Records are closed for 50 years from the date of creation except with permission of the Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Appointment may be required. Contact public services.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright. Copyright in the records created by the Radcliffe College Office of Development is held by the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Schlesinger Library. Copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.

Copying. Records may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.

Extent

18.5 linear feet (16 cartons, 6 file boxes)

These records consist of gift accounts, correspondence with donors, grant proposals, accounts, reports and correspondence with foundations; also memos and reports of appeals. They contain individual gift records (pre and post computer conversion in 1977.) The records have been filed as they were received with no attempt to separate overlapping appeals.

HISTORY

Fund-raising at every college is a continual necessity and Radcliffe has been no exception. This record group contains the records of appeals since 1929. For earlier records see the papers of Council (RG I, ser. 2), President Comstock's papers (RG II, ser. 2), the Comptroller's records (RG III, ser. 5), and the Dean of College Relations (RG VI, ser. 1-3).

"A Ten Year Plan for Radcliffe" was launched under President Jordan on July 1, 1956, designed to raise $10 million: 4 million for new construction and for the joint Harvard/Radcliffe Health Center and Loeb Theater, $2 million for student financial aid, $1.5 million for the Women's Archives and $3.5 million for capital funds. By 1960, $6 million had been raised and largely absorbed by the joint H/R ventures, The Cronkhite Graduate Center and the three Jordan cooperatives. With the appointment of Mrs. Bunting as President of Radcliffe, the Ten Year Plan expanded beyond its original goal. From 1961-1964, $3 million was raised for capital, $1.5 million for current use and $1.2 million by the sale Longfellow Hall. In 1967, the college launched a new appeal: "A Program for Radcliffe" which sought $15 million for buildings and $15 million for scholarship aid including endowment for the Radcliffe Institute. Amongst other things, the new House Centers, Hilles Library, and Currier House were funded by this.

The Century Fund was luanched in 1978 with three objectives: 1) to raise Alumnae Annual Giving to sustained $1 million by 1981 so as to enable Radcliffe to fulfill its promise to contribute $1.4 million in financial aid to Harvard by 1985; 2) to increase foundation grants to $3.5 million by 1985; 3) to raise $10 million in new endowment to develop Radcliffe's own programs and facilities.

Early appeals were managed by the Committee on Resources, 1915-1930, 1930-1936, The Fund for Endowment and Equipment, 1937-49 and other specially appointed committees. From 1950-61, Mildred Sherman, Dean of College Relations, was responsible for alumnae gifts, fund drives and special projects. The College Fund Office was established after her death in 1961. Directors of the Office have been: Robert Gabriel, 1961-1963, Dorotha (MacMillan) Hanna, 1963-70, Susan (Storey) Lyman, 1970-1972, Hope (Williams) Wigglesworth, 1972-1979, Mary (Jordan) Cox, 1979-1983, and Cecily (Orenstein) Morse, 1983-. In 1972 the office changed its title to Alumnae Affairs and Development. However the records of the Development Office and the Alumnae Association have been kept in separate record groups to simplify records management.

ARRANGEMENT

The collection is arranged in four series:

  1. Series 1. Ongoing files of gift accounts, arranged in sub-series chronologically by fund.
  2. ___1.1. Ten Year Plan for Radcliffe: Reports, office files, committee and area folders, 1958-1969. 11 vols, 6 index boxes, 3 cartons. DISPOSED of January 20, 2006.
  3. ___1.2. Alumnae Annual Giving, Parents Annual Giving and Gifts for Current Use, 1961-1970. 5 cartons. DISPOSED of January 20, 2006.
  4. ___1.3. Program for Radcliffe, correspondence, status reports, accounts, 1965-1970. 19 boxes. DISPOSED of January 20, 2006.
  5. ___1.4. Century Fund: original gift entries, June 1977- . 26 cartons. DISPOSED of January 20, 2006.
  6. Series 2. Ongoing file of program and foundation grant proposals, accounts and reports.
  7. ___2.1. Charlotte McGhee's files, 1976-1980. 6 file boxes, 4 cartons.
  8. ___2.2. Margaret Touborg, Alleather Touré, 1970s-1980s. 4 cartons.
  9. Series 3. Ongoing series of office files: correspondence of Directors of the Development Office, (formerly the College Fund Office).
  10. ___3.1. Office files, 1958-1977. 5 cartons. DISPOSED of January 20, 2006.
  11. ___3.2. Office files, 1968-2001: Ellen Stevens, Martha Ann Fuller, Bonnie Clendeanning. 7 cartons.
  12. Series 4. Pre-conversion individual gift record cards, prior to 1977. 5 cartons. Conversion master list, Classes 1900-1974; 1977, 3 cartons. Address files of alumnae. 1v, n.d. DISPOSED of January 20, 2006.

Physical Location

Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Records from this office were received in May 1966, and have been sent annually since 1983.

Processing Information

Processed: August 1984

By: Jane S. Knowles

Title
Radcliffe College. Office of Development. Records of the Radcliffe College Office of Development, 1968-2001: A Finding Aid
Author
Radcliffe College Archives, Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
sch01137

Repository Details

Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository

The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.

Contact:
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