The Archives & Special Collections division of the Hunter College Libraries features a rich selection of archival materials. Collections that have been processed have finding aids that give details on its contents, organization and location. The categories below contain collections that are available for research:
Administrative Offices
Alumnae/Alumni Collections
Alumni Association
Arts
Board of Trustees
Campus Schools
Centers & Institutes
Faculty Governance & Organizations
Faculty Papers/Collections
General Collections
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
Normal College of the City of New York
Professional Schools
Publications
Roosevelt House
Selected History of Hunter College
Student Clubs, Organizations, and Publications
Women's City Club of New York
Below is a list of finding aids available for collections in the division.
Academic Skills/SEEK Department, 1966-2012
Annual reports, correspondence, memoranda, articles, clippings, reports, and publications.
Archives & Special Collections Collection, 1966-2001
This collection documents the establishment of an archival repository at Hunter College. The files of professors Dorothy G. Fowler, Frederic W. Stewart, Rose Gilligan, William Omelchenko, Lee E. Sellers, and Julio L. Hernandez-Delgado underscore their foresight and commitment to acquire, organize, preserve, and provide access to the historical documents of Hunter College. The collection consists of annual reports, correspondence, memoranda, and reports.
Department of Art - Normal/Hunter College, 1908-2018
Annual reports, brochures, memoranda, and personnel files of former professors William Baziotes and Richard Lippold.
Biological Sciences Department, 1908-1961
Annual reports, by-laws, correspondence and memoranda.
Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance / Career Counseling and Placement records, 1910s-1990s (bulk dates: 1930s-1950s)
The Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance, was a department tasked with assessing the job readiness of Hunter College students, helping students consider alternatives to teaching careers, and preparing them for successful employment. The Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance / Career Counseling and Placement records consist of reports, research findings, correspondence, guides for students, brochures, publications, and general statistics about faculty conferences with students.
Chemistry Department, 1923-1962
Annual reports, by-laws, correspondence and memoranda.
Classics Department, 1908-1965
Annual reports, committee files, articles, clippings, minutes, memoranda, publications, and radio broadcast scripts. Also included are the writings of Professor Edith Adelaide Hahn.
Computer Science Department, 1970’s, 2003
The records of this department are semi-processed.
Dance Therapy Program of Hunter College, 1971-1996
Correspondence, curriculum changes, proposals, minutes, programs and reports.
Department of Black & Puerto Rican Studies, 1969-1981, 1989
Annual reports, correspondence, memoranda, minutes, and vitaes of former instructors. BLPR was renamed the Department of Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies in March, 2002.
Department of Health & Physical Education, 1908-1911, 1929-2003
Annual reports, by-laws, correspondence, programs, and memoranda. Also included are student notebooks and writings, medals, pins, plaques, sheet music, and gymnastic attire worn by former Normal/Hunter College students.
Department of Speech Dramatics, 1922-1960
Annual reports and records of the Speech Hearing Center and files of Arthur L. Woehl
Education Department, 1908-1956
Annual reports, correspondence, minutes, and files on the English Club, (1944-1954, 1962), the Literary Society (1954-1961), and the Shakespeare Society (1931-1956). In addition, there are departmental copies of A Christmas Book, (1937) and Ye Pedlar's Park, (1914).
English Department, 1908-1956
Annual reports, by-laws, correspondence, minutes, personnel files, publications, and questionnaires.
German Department, 1908-1971
Annual reports, by-laws, and correspondence.
History Department
Annual reports, by-laws, and correspondence.
Home Economics Department, 1943-1967
Annual reports, by-laws, correspondence, and publications.
Hunter College Libraries Department Collection, 1878-2011
The Hunter College Libraries Department Collection consists of annual reports, by-laws, budgets, brochures, minutes, committee and task force reports, division reports, correspondence, memoranda, blueprints, memorial services, programs, publications, photographs, studies, proposals, surveys, scrapbooks, and statistical compilations.
Jewish Social Studies Program of Hunter College, 1994-2007
Occasional Papers in Jewish History and Thought Series.
Music Department, 1913-1955, 1968-1971, 1977-2002
Annual reports, correspondence, personnel files, and files on the Delta Omicron, Dorian Woodwind Quintet, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Hunter College, the Hunter College Choir, the Hunter Symphony, and Kappa Mu Epsilon.
Romance Languages Department, 1911-1971
Annual reports, programs, and other records.
School of General Studies, 1961-1994
Minutes, budget reports, records of the Center for Lifelong Learning and various committees, scrapbooks, publications, and minutes of the School of General Studies Student Government.
Sociology & Anthropology Department, 1942-1979
Annual reports, by-laws, personnel files, and reports.
Urban Affairs and Planning Department, 1969, 1972-1975, 1986-1987, 2005-2007
Publications from the department and various conferences.
Women and Gender Studies Department, 1973-1994
Program materials, correspondence, and publications.
Employee Assistance Program, 1985-2007
Announcements, brochures, pamphlets, and publications.
Hunter College Foundation, 1991-2000
Annual reports, meeting minutes, and publications.
Office of Academic Affairs, CUNY, 1966, 1969-1972, 1989
Teacher course evaluations, minutes, The Task Force for Balancing the Curriculum for Pluralism and Diversity.
Office of Student Services of Hunter College, 1944-1974, 1980-1990
Publications from the Office of Student Services.
Research Administration of Hunter College, 1958-2014
Annual reports, history, Grants Update (1979-2012) and the Annual Report of Grants and Contracts (1970-2014).
Hunter College Athletics Department, 1940-2007
Avodah K. Offit
Dr. Avodah K. Offit, an alumna of Hunter College High School and Hunter College, was a prominent psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author. She was an innovator in understanding the psychological basis of human sexuality, as seen in her papers, which include numerous publications, such as three books, magazine pieces, and medical journal articles. Dr. Offit’s collection contains a wealth of information for students, researchers, and professors in the fields of psychiatry and sex therapy.
Kate Simon, 1959-1989
Simon is a Hunter alumna and member of the Hunter Hall of Fame. Simon was a writer who wrote about her travels to Europe and Latin America. The papers consist of correspondence, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, book reviews, and photographs.
Louise Louis Whitbread
Whitbread is a Hunter alumna and a former N.Y.C. public school teacher. In addition, she was an internationally acclaimed poet and author of 28 books of poetry, dramas, inspirational essays, illustrative arts and children’s books. The collection consists of a biographical sketch, correspondence, publications and a copy of Whitbread’s Last Will and Testament.
Margaret Grant Plumb Collection, 1890-1976
Margaret Grant Plumb graduated from Hunter College in 1916 and subsequently worked at her alma mater as a librarian/administrator for 44 years. Plumb was instrumental in gathering and preserving historical documents of the College and library that eventually served as a basis for the establishment of an archival repository at Hunter College in 1966. The collection primarily documents the establishment and evolution of library service at the Normal/ Hunter College Library from 1890 to 1960. Key components of this collection are the library annual reports (1900-1951), records on the Bronx Campus Library (1928-1960) and the Park Avenue Library(1890-1950), papers pertaining to Margaret Grant Plumb (1911-1975), black and white photographs of the original Normal/Hunter College edifice (1873-1936) and the Park Avenue building (1940-1982), rare books(1932-1958), and materials pertaining to Dr. Margaret Barclay Wilson (Class of 1884), Honorary Librarian from 1915 to 1927. * Related collections are Archives & Special Collections Collection, 1966-2001 and Tea & Talk Series Collection, 1967-1987.
Marjorie Paula K. Weiser
Weiser is an alumna of both Hunter College High School and Hunter College. Gathered here is an assortment of documents that provide a glimpse of a graduate who was very active with both the Hunter College High School Alumnae/i Association and the Hunter College Alumni Association from 1974 until her passing in 1996.
Mary Alice Ayers, 1955-2012
Ayers is a Hunter alumna, a dedicated educator, and a professional short fiction writer. She has received numerous awards and prizes for her published short stories. The highlights of her papers consist of her biographical information, correspondence, publications, as well as her unpublished writings.
Mildred Speiser
Mildred is not only a Hunter alumna, an educator, an entrepreneur, a consultant, a leader, and a writer, but she is also the Founder and a Board Member of the Hunter College High School Alumnae/i Association. In her papers, the assorted documents emphasizing her active participation in various organizations as well as the establishment of the Hunter College High School Alumnae/i Association portrays her boundless efforts and devotion to the Hunter Community.
Miriam (Mim) Kolkin Kelber
Mim Kelber was a Hunter alumna and member of the Hunter Hall of Fame. She also was an acclaimed activist, journalist, and writer who fought extensively for women’s rights and world peace. Mim Kelber’s papers emphasize her commitment to women and peace and provide a wealth of information on war and peace, environmental issues, social and economic justice, and equal rights for women.
Sarah C. Neumark
Neumark is a Hunter alumna, a teacher, and an organizer. She has made many contributions to various organizations at Hunter. Her collection consists of her profiles, correspondence, and papers related to the organizations she was involved in.
Archives of the Alumni Association of Hunter College, 1872-2017
Annual reports, minutes, correspondence, publications, reports, scrapbooks, student notebooks memorabilia, articles, clippings, and photographs.
Hunter College Art Galleries
Postcards, flyers and posters that document exhibitions that were showcased at Hunter College.
Hunter College Concert Bureau Collection, 1943-1976
Correspondence, contracts, financial reports, programs, articles, clippings, and photographs of the concerts and dramatic presentations that were performed at Hunter College.
Hunter College Opera Association, 1946-1972
Correspondence and general records of the association.
Hunter College Playhouse Collection, 1940-1987
Promotional materials for dramatic presentations that were performed at Hunter College. The Playhouse was later renovated and reconstituted as the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse in 1993.
Performing Arts at Hunter College Collection, 1972-2006
Hunter College Board of Trustees, 1888-1932
This collection contains the minutes of the Board of Trustees of the Normal/Hunter College from 1888-1932, along with the minutes of the Executive Committee from 1888 -1915. The minutes contain information about employee appointments and promotions, leaves of absences and resignations, budgets, financial statements, curriculum changes, and general reports. Commencing with the 1913 edition, the names, starting dates, and salaries of the president, professors, and clerical assistants of the College are listed. In 1916, the names of the graduates and the degrees conferred were also added. Also included are the minutes of the Committee on Hunter College Lands & Buildings from 1930-1932.
Hunter College Elementary School, 1870-1997
Annual reports, correspondence, general reports and studies, programs, proposals, and publications.
Hunter College High School, 1911-2015
Annual reports, committee minutes, commencement programs, correspondence, minutes of the General Organization and the Alumnae/i Association, programs and scripts, memorabilia, and publications.
Brookdale Center on Aging records, 1975-2004
The Brookdale Center on Aging records (1975-2004) contain a handful of issues of Brookdale's newsletters, press releases, a copy of the 2004-2006 strategic plan, brochures, clippings, and a few internal reports. The collection is strongest in documentation of Brookdale’s first two decades.
Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos/Center For Puerto Rican Studies
A collection of postcards, newsletters and journals produced by the Centro
The Administrative Council of the Board of Higher Education, 1940-1971
On March 19, 1945, the Board of Higher Education amended its by-laws and established the Administrative Council consisting of the presidents of the City College of New York, Hunter College, Brooklyn College, and Queens College. The Council originally functioned as an advisory board and coordinating committee in matters affecting the four original municipal colleges, and after 1961, the colleges that came to comprise the City University of New York. Included in this collection are agendas and minutes, correspondence, memoranda, and reports from 1940-1971.
Publications of the City University of New York
The publications of the City University of New York collection consist of reports, bulletins, newsletters, handbooks, newspapers, proposals, and periodicals from 1963 to 2015 as well as Master Plans of the City University of New York from 1950-2012.
The Women’s Research and Development Fund records, 1985-1996
The Women’s Research and Development Fund records (1985-1996) provide evidence of some of the actions undertaken by CUNY following the sex discrimination lawsuit Melani et al. v. The Board of Higher Education. The fund, part of the class action settlement in favor of women faculty members, provided research support and educational and professional development opportunities. The records contain research grant proposals (both funded and unfunded), administrative correspondence, and documentation of the Women’s Leadership Institute and Mentoring Program. The collection documents the scholarship and artistic endeavors of CUNY’s women faculty.
Faculty Governance & Organizations
Faculty Council of Hunter College, 1938-1971
Calendars, minutes, and general reports.
Hunter College Administrative Committee, 1933-1970
The Hunter College Administrative Committee produced a variety of documents consisting of minutes, resolutions, academic appointments, promotions, leaves of absence, retirements and resignations, curriculum changes and recommendations, capital budgets, contracts, and grants and awards. On January 25, 1963, the Hunter College Administrative Committee was renamed the Hunter College Committee. The minutes and reports are arranged chronologically for the years 1933 to 1970.
Hunter College Senate, 1971-2010
Minutes and copies of the Senate News Bulletin, 1973-2004
Professional Staff Congress of CUNY, 1972-2010
Contracts, newspaper clippings, and publications. Also included are folders on the Unity
Adele J. Haft
Haft, Professor Emerita, Department of Classical and Oriental Studies, co-authored with Jane G. White and Dr. Robert J. White, The Key to The Name of the Rose. KNOR provided a key to all the names in Umberto Eco’s book, The Name of the Rose, and a translation of all foreign language passages. This collection consists of Dr. Haft’s notes, research materials, contracts, articles and presentations while writing the text.
Beatrice F. Hyslop, 1939-1972
Hyslop was a former professor of history at Hunter College. The papers consist of correspondence, memoranda, class notes, manuscripts, lecture notes, speeches, programs, and brochures. Included are materials which highlight Hyslop’s activities with the American Historical Association, the American Historical Review, the American Association of University Professors, the International Relations Club, the Humanities Club of Hunter College, and Phi Beta Kappa.
E. Adelaide Hahn, 1893-1967
The collection consists of biographical information, correspondence (primarily with President Colligan), copies of her poems and plays, and a considerable number of her articles - published by the Linguistics Society of America.
Edna Wells Luetz, 1916-1961
Luetz was a former professor and chair of the Art Department at Hunter College. The papers consist of awards and certificates, dossiers and vitae, articles, reports, correspondence, publications, photographs, etchings, drawings, and woodblock prints.
Harold Lewis, 1969-1992
Lewis was the former Dean of the Hunter College School of Social Work from 1970–1990. The papers consist of memoranda, correspondence, articles, papers, essays, speeches, manuscripts, book reviews, photographs, artistic works, and sketches.
Helen Gray Cone
The Helen Gray Cone Collection provides insight as to the career of Hunter College’s first female professor and head of the English Department, not to mention one of the most influential American poets of the early 20th century. It is composed primarily of the articles written in her honor, photographs, the drafts and manuscripts of her plays, poems, and speeches, and the entirety of her published works. Highlights include the poetry and prose dedicated to the College and its founder, Thomas Hunter, as well as records of Helen Gray Cone’s correspondence with friends and colleagues alike. This collection may interest those researching Hunter’s most distinguished alumni and the English Department’s most noted faculty members.
LaWanda Cox papers, 1930-2002
The LaWanda Cox papers (1930-2002) document the historian and Hunter College professor’s scholarly contributions to the field of Reconstruction History. Cox’s research files and drafts demonstrate the depth of her research, particularly into the Freedmen’s Bureau and her correspondence (especially with other historians) adds to the understanding of historiography at the time. Cox’s work on Hunter College and CUNY PSC committees is also represented.
Mary K. Landers, 1938-1979
Former professor of mathematics at Hunter College, Landers was also a member and treasurer of the Legislative Conference which later became the Professional Staff Congress of The City University of New York. The papers consist of brochures, correspondence, memoranda, flyers, announcements, and minutes of the Legislative Conference from 1938 to 1972.
Milton J. Gold
Gold was a faculty member in the Education Department from 1957-1975. He became Dean of Programs in Education in 1966 and remained in that position until his retirement in 1975. During his time at Hunter, he published Education of the Intellectually Gifted, a major contribution to the field. His papers include personal documents, articles, reports from grants and consulting activities, newspaper clippings, and draft chapters from Education of the Intellectually Gifted.
Muriel Farrell, 1921-1959
Farrell was a former professor of education at Hunter College. The papers consist of Farrell’s undergraduate notebooks, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and programs.
Muriel Fuller, 1914-1991
Fuller was a former instructor of writing at Hunter College, Columbia University, and Hofstra University. Fuller was a Children’s Editor at Rand McNally & Company and Robert M. McBride Company, and was affiliated with the McCall Corporation, Vanguard Press, Greystone Press, Thomas Nelson & Sons, and Abelard Press. The papers consist of correspondence, contracts, manuscripts, book reviews, newspaper articles and clippings, photographs, and publications.
Nancy M. Ferguson, 1931-1955
Ferguson was a former professor in the Department of Speech and Dramatics of Hunter College from 1930-1960. Ferguson served as the faculty advisor to Make-Up Box from 1930-1937 and assisted with the Theatre Workshop and the Theatre Committee.
Rita Morgan
Morgan is an alumna of Hunter College and member of the Hunter College Hall of Fame. Morgan worked as a guidance counselor in various high schools in New York City, and was one of the founders of the James Weldon Johnson Community Center in East Harlem. In London she collaborated in writing the preamble to the constitution of UNESCO. The papers consist of correspondence, memoranda, papers, newspaper clippings, and various publications. Morgan’s papers are currently unprocessed.
Ruth F. Brenner
Brenner was a former professor of Social Work at Hunter College. The papers consist of correspondence, publications, papers, resumes, and lecture notes.
Sarah B. Pomeroy
Pomeroy is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Hunter College, Department of Classics, and the CUNY Graduate Center. She is a social historian best known for her work on women in classical antiquity. She is the author or editor of 12 books and has published over 30 scholarly articles. This collection is a valuable resource for scholars in women’s studies, women in classical antiquity, and social history.
Steven Kennedy, 1929-1967
Kennedy was a former operatic and concert baritone singer and instructor of music at Hunter College. The papers consist of correspondence, posters, programs, contracts, invitations, day calendars, postcards, class notes, newspaper clippings, long playing records, and photographs.
Vera M. Roberts, 1936-1985
Roberts was a former professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre and Film at Hunter College. The papers consist of graduate papers, letters, memoranda, syllabi, articles, essays, reviews, photos, playbills and posters.
Committee for Public Higher Education
The Committee For Public Higher Education was formed as a lobbying group in support of maintaining free tuition for the City University of New York (CUNY) and other proposed changes in NYS higher education policy. The collection consists of minutes of meetings, correspondence, information packets, and legislative proposals among other documents.
Jacob P. Adler Family Photograph Collection, 1870’s–1930’s
The Adler Family Photograph Collection consists of 75 analog images related to the Yiddish theatre and the personalities who shaped it, particularly in the United States. Most prominently featured in the photographs are Jacob P. Adler and his third wife, Sara Adler, stars of the early Yiddish theatre; several of their children who also became professional actors: Frances, Julia, Luther, and Stella; and Yiddish actor Joseph Schoengold, husband of Frances Adler and father of Lulla Adler Rosenfeld, the collection’s donor
Tea & Talk Series Collection, 1967-1987
The Tea & Talk Program, co-sponsored by the Division of Programs in Education and the Hunter College Library, provided students and faculty with an opportunity to meet with prominent authors and illustrators of children and young adult books like Isaac Asimov, Pura Belpre, Norman Cousins, Virginia Hamilton, Maurice Sendak, John Steptoe, and others. Included are correspondence, announcements, cassette tapes, transcripts, and photographs of each invited speaker. * Related collections are Archives & Special Collections Collection, 1966-2001 and Margaret Grant Plumb Collection, 1890-1976.
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Collection, 1892-2015
This collection documents the work of this settlement house from its origins as a Normal College alumnae activity dedicated to improving the lives of children from the East Side of New York City to its present status as a social service agency. Included here are annual reports, minutes, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, head worker and executive director files, and fund raising records
Normal College of the City of New York
Normal College of the City of New York Collection
This collection consists of paper documents, objects, and photographs related to the founding of the Normal College of the City of New York in 1870, as an institution providing free higher education to women. The collection ends in 1914, when the College’s name changed to Hunter College.
Jacqueline G. Wexler, 1970-1979
Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, 1936-1937, 1945-1973
Annual reports, brochures, committee minutes, convocation programs, correspondence, articles, clippings, publications, and report
Hunter College School of Social Work, 1956-2008
Annual reports, committee files, correspondence, memoranda, minutes, proposals, publications, and reports.
Hunter College Publications, 1870-2015
The Hunter College Publications collection includes bulletins, commencement addresses and programs, college catalogs, newsletters, periodicals, telephone directories, program guides, handbooks, information leaflets, newspaper articles and clippings, student profiles, reports, and yearbooks.
Sara Delano Roosevelt Memorial House Collection, 1943-1992
This collection documents the creation of the first college center in the United States that was established to foster inter-religious activity, good fellowship, and a democratic way of life amongst Protestant, Jewish and Catholic students of Hunter College. Included are the Board of Directors membership lists and minutes, correspondence, constitution and by-laws, papers, proposals, publications, schedules of events, and folders on The Roosevelt House League (1945–1951) and The Association of Friends and Neighbors of Hunter College (1952–1965).
Selected History of Hunter College
A Selected History of Hunter College Collection
This collection is devoted to the history of Hunter College from 1914 to the present. Materials include statistics; correspondence; event programs; faculty performance materials; blueprints; Board of Trustees meeting minutes; news clippings; diplomas; pins; scrapbooks; medals; and photographs.
Student Clubs, Organizations, and Publications
Hunter College Student Clubs, Organizations, and Publications Collection
The collection consists of constitutions and by-laws, correspondence, minutes, programs, memoranda, brochures, photographs, budgets, albums, reports, petitions, press releases, flyers, banners, scrapbooks, and publications. The bulk of this collection constitutes the records of the Hunter College Student Self Government Association from 1928 to 1962, and the Hunter College Day Session Student Government from 1971 to 1993.
Women’s City Club of New York, Inc. (Records of), 1915-2011
Annual reports, minutes, committee reports, correspondence, audio tapes, photographs, transcripts, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and publications.