Table of Contents
- Collection Summary
- Administrative History
- Scope and Content Note
- Subject Headings
- Related Material
- Administrative Information
- Access and Use
- Encoding Information
- Series List
- Container List
Collection Summary
| Repository: | Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries |
|---|---|
| Creator: | Vassar College |
| Creators (additional): | Griffen, Clyde, 1929-2015; Vassar College. Committee on a Coeducation for Tomorrow; Vassar College. Dean of Freshmen |
| Title: | Clyde Griffen Coeducation and Men's Education Collection |
| Dates: | 1958-1979 |
| Quantity: | 2.2 cubic feet (3 boxes) |
| Abstract: | The collection contains records of Vassar College’s transition to a coeducational institution accumulated and created by History Department professor, one-time Dean of Freshmen, and co-chair of the Committee on a Coeducation for Tomorrow, Clyde Griffen. Materials include research on other American colleges and universities; correspondence with coeducational institutions; data gathered at Vassar regarding admissions, transfers, costs, and athletics; committee reports and correspondence; and clippings and other publications. |
Administrative History
In 1966, Vassar College created the Committee for New Dimensions as a response to social and financial pressures. The committee published its recommendations for changes that the college could make in the coming years, which included transitioning into a coeducational institution. Clyde Griffen, associate professor of History and Dean of Freshmen at the time, served as a consultant on the committee, as well as part-time assistant on the Vassar-Yale Study. In February of 1968, Griffen conducted the Study on Men's Education with assitance from associate professor of history George Langdon, Jr., in which he conducted research on coeducation and men's education at other institutions and explored options for different coeducational models at Vassar. The result of this study was the "Report on Men's Education," which offered a blueprint of how Vassar could change to accomodate a coeducational student body.
In July of 1968, the choice was made to allow men to attend Vassar College, which began with small exchange programs with Williams, Colgate, and Trinity Colleges. The Trustee Committee on Coeducation was formed several years later to evaluate the progress of the transition, and it published its final report in 1975. In 1978, a new committee entitled the Committee on a Coeducation for Tomorrow, which consisted primarily of faculty and students, was created to evaluate the progress of the coeducational model at Vassar through community engagement. Clyde Griffen was appointed Co-Chairman of this committee alongside Christine Havelock.
TopScope and Content Note
The collection contains records of Vassar College’s transition to a coeducational model, including research conducted on the transition to coeducation at other American colleges and universities as part of the Study on Men's Education conducted by Clyde Griffen and George Langdon; correspondence with coeducational institutions; data gathered at Vassar regarding admissions, transfers, costs, and athletics; reports and correspondence of the Committee on New Dimensions, the Trustee Committee on Coeducation, the Committee on a Coeducation for Tomorrow, the Vassar-Yale Study, and other related groups and committees; clippings and publications related to coeducation at Vassar and other institutions, and community responses to Vassar’s transition to a coeducational institution. The bulk of the material pertains to the Study on Men's Education and the Committee on a Coeducation for Tomorrow.
TopAccess and Use
Access
Box 3 contains records that are restricted due to student privacy issues. Please contact the Archives and Special Collections staff for more information. The rest of the collection is open for research according to the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library without any additional restrictions.
Restrictions on Use
Permission to quote (publish) from unpublished or previously published material must be obtained as described in the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library.
Subject Headings
Names:
- Griffen, Clyde, 1929-2015
Organizations:
- Vassar College--Administration
Subjects:
- Coeducation--United States
- Men--Education--United States
- University cooperation--United States
- Women's colleges--New York (State)--Poughkeepsie
- Women--Education--United States
Document Types:
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Pamphlets
- Printed ephemera
- Reports
- Writings (documents)
VCL Categories:
- Vassar College Events and Issues
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Vassar College Drama Department Records, Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Emma Gronbeck, November 2022.
Acquisition Information
Transferred from the American Studies Department in 1989, having been collected and kept by Clyde Griffen during his work for the Committee on a Coeducation for the Future and the Study of Men's Education at Vassar College.
Series List
Series I. Coeducation at Vassar College, 1958-1979 [1.2 cubic feet (2 boxes)] | |
|---|---|
| This series contains data, reports, clippings, committee minutes and memos, correspondence, writings, and publications related to coeducation at Vassar College. | |
| Arranged alphabetically. |
Series II. Coeducation at Other Institutions 1960-1968 [1 cubic foot (1 box)] | |
|---|---|
| This series contains correspondence between Clyde Griffen and representatives of various academic institutions on the topic of coeducation and men’s education. Also included are writings, publications, and clippings related to coeducation and men’s education at various colleges and universities in the United States. | |
| Arranged alphabetically. |
Container List
Return to the Table of Contents
Details
The collection contains records of Vassar College’s transition to a coeducational institution accumulated and created by History Department professor, one-time Dean of Freshmen, and co-chair of the Committee on a Coeducation for Tomorrow, Clyde Griffen. Materials include research on other American colleges and universities; correspondence with coeducational institutions; data gathered at Vassar regarding admissions, transfers, costs, and athletics; committee reports and correspondence; and clippings and other publications.
