In 1919 Columbia instituted a course of study known as Contemporary Civilization. It grew out of a War Issues course offered during World War I. Every student was required to take the course in order to provide a forum to analyze and discuss primary texts relevant to contemporary problems. Insistent Change shows how the course […]
Category: Columbia University Archives
Dining with Homer: University Commons in 1919
The University Archives exhibition cube currently features some photographs of the University Commons, the on-campus dining room in the old University Hall located behind Low Library. The Commons had served as a highly-efficient cafeteria while the student-soldiers of the Student Army Training Corps (SATC) were on campus in 1918-1919. With the end of World War I, […]
From the University Archives | Negotiations over Columbia’s MLK Memorial
When Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated over 50 years ago this week, Columbia University responded as most other institutions did – with shock and grieving. Flags were set to fly at half-mast until after Dr. King’s funeral and President Kirk sent a telegram on April 5, 1968 to Dr. King’s widow expressing […]
New Year and New Records about a New President
Every January, archival records that were previously restricted become “open” or available to researchers. At the University Archives, there is a standard restriction of 25 years from the date of creation for administrative records, a 50-year restriction for trustee records and a 75-year restriction for student records. This means, for example, that with the New […]
Collections News | January 2020
Here are some new and updated finding aids, reflecting work by archivists in archival processing, collections management, and university archives. – KWS Arthur Mitchell Papers “Arthur Mitchell (1934-2018) was an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and founder and director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. This collection contains materials related to his career as a dancer […]