Elizabeth T. Kennan records

Records for the administration of Elizabeth T. Kennan primarily date from her years as President of Mount Holyoke College (1978-July 1995). They also include materials from her years as a Mount Holyoke student (1956-1960) and from the administrations of David Bicknell Truman (President, 1969-1978) and Joanne V. Creighton, who became President in 1996.

Correspondence (1978-1993) consists of letters and memoranda by Kennan or members of her staff as well as letters to her from students, parents, faculty, staff, alumnae, trustees, friends, and colleagues. Most of the letters concern students, faculty, staff, departments, College events and issues, religious life, financial affairs, and state and federal legislation having an impact on private colleges while other letters discuss such issues as regulations for student behavior, concerns of minority, gay, lesbian, or bisexual students, and sexual harassment at the College. There is also personal correspondence with Kennan’s friends and colleagues and letters of recommendation by her for individuals not affiliated with the College. Researchers should note that many letters to and from Kennan may be found in other sub-series in this collection, particularly Subject Files.

Writings (1972-1997) consist of speeches, articles, published letters, and notes written by Kennan. These materials include copies of her talks and greetings presented to groups of Mount Holyoke College alumnae and donors, Convocation addresses to students, addresses that she gave at other colleges, and remarks presented at meetings of Phi Beta Kappa, the New England Museum Association, the South Hadley, Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, the Holyoke, Massachusetts Lions Club, and other organizations. Topics of her writings include the education of women, “Women in the Future,” federal regulation of colleges and universities, financial aid for college students, the curricula of colleges. The writings also contain some of Kennan’s scholarly works, including her essays about “Moral Leadership in the Community: Some Abbots in the Twelfth Century” and “The Relentless Good: Some Women Artists of the 20th Century.”

Subject Files (1972-1997) include minutes, agenda, reports, correspondence, memoranda, plans, surveys, financial records, publications, lists, and other materials concerning a wide range of issues and events. Many of these records concern the administration, creation, renovation, expansion, or furnishings of buildings and grounds, including library facilities, Blanchard Hall, the Skinner Museum, Willits-Hallowell Center, the stables, the Wa Shin An Japanese meditation garden and teahouse, and the Village Commons. There is information about ceremonies and special events at the College, including Founder’s Day and Commencement celebrations and the Festival of Italian Culture. Other records concern administrative, financial, and academic matters such as the work of faculty and staff, the selection and activities of deans and other administrators, curricular developments and issues within departments and programs. There are files of materials relating to admissions statistics and trends, financial aid for students, annual budgets, and the 1980-1987 capital campaign. Some records reflect the College’s interest in energy conservation while other files concern day care, salaries, and housing for faculty and staff. There is also information about minority students on campus. In addition, one file contains correspondence relating to the play Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein, a 1971 graduate of the College. The records also document Mount Holyoke’s relationship with other organizations, participation in a number of studies, and interest in state and federal legislation affecting higher education. There are materials relating to Oberlin College and other colleges and universities in the United States and abroad and to organizations such as the American Council on Education. These materials also include responses to the annual Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) sponsored by the National Association for Education Statistics and materials reflecting the College’s participation in the .Seven Colleges Study of Medical Careers (1979-1984). Other records concern the Mount Holyoke ABC (A Better Chance of South Hadley), Higher Horizons and College Bound, and SummerMath programs for non-Mount Holyoke students.

Development Office Records (1968-1990) consist of correspondence, minutes, reports, financial records, and publications relating to major gifts to Mount Holyoke, fundraising activities in different regions of the country; and the "Campaign for Mount Holyoke", the fundraising campaign during the sesquicentennial celebration of the College (1984-1989). There are also materials relating to donors, associations, banks, and foundations and to endowed chairs at the College. Files for individual donors contain correspondence, reports, biographical information, and articles.

Honorary Degree Candidates Records (1980-1997) concern distinguished scientists, artists, authors, government officials, activists, and others who were awarded or considered for Mount Holyoke honorary degrees. The materials consist of correspondence, biographical sketches, articles, citations for awards, and notes.

James Ellis Materials (1984-1990) concern charges of sexual harassment brought against a tenured Mount Holyoke College professor which resulted in his dismissal. These materials include correspondence, memoranda, newspaper articles, reports, financial records, medical records, and transcripts of hearings held before the College’s Appeals Committee in1989. Researchers should note that the James Ellis Materials are closed until January 1, 2070.

Administrative Advisory Council Records (1988-1993) consist of agenda, minutes, correspondence, and notes primarily relating to minutes of the Council, which was comprised of key administrators who acted as advisers to President Kennan regarding a variety of issues. Topics discussed in the documents include staff recruitment, training, supervision, and evaluation, security issues, use of technology at the College, the schedule of College holidays, and campus-wide regulations concerning smoking.

Justice Department Antitrust Materials (1989-1993) document Mount Holyoke’s response to a United States Justice Department investigation of twenty-one Northeast colleges and universities over the practice of holding joint meetings each spring to review financial aid applications from students admitted to two or more of those institutions. Department officials charged these schools with using a standard formula for determining how much a family could pay for a college education and sharing other information that deprived some students of the financial aid they might have received were there more competition among the institutions. Materials include legal documents, reports, correspondence, drafts, surveys, memoranda, articles, and lists.

Senior Staff Records (1989-1995) document President Kennan’s weekly meetings with a small group of key administrators and several faculty members to discuss topics such as the College’s financial situation, multicultural concerns, faculty and staff benefits, and campus-wide emergency procedures. The records consist of agenda, minutes, reports, correspondence, memoranda, notes, and lists.

Operational Policy Committee Records (1994-1995) concern the mission and activities of a group created in 1994 to replace the College’s Administrative Advisory Council. The records consist of agenda, minutes, reports, correspondence, publications, notes, and memoranda concerning issues such as the increasing use of technology on campus, campus emergency procedures, and staff training and compensation.

Presidential Search Committee Records (1977-1978) reflect the activities of a committee created by the Board of Trustees to conduct a search for a successor to David Bicknell Truman as President of Mount Holyoke. The records primarily consist of reports and correspondence describing the progress of the search.

Inauguration Records (1978-1979) reflect the activities of trustees, faculty, staff, alumnae, and students who planned and carried out the inauguration ceremony for Kennan and related events. These recprds consist of minutes, reports, correspondence, financial records, schedules, lists, invitations, publicity materials, and files concerning the transportation, registration, and housing of guests.

Biographical Material (1978-1995) primarily consists of copies of Kennan’s resumes and biographical sketches, notes, articles, and press releases about her. There are also transcripts of several interviews of her, itineraries and calendars reflecting her activities, and a list of her major accomplishments as President of Mount Holyoke.

Photographs (1956-1995) chiefly date from Kennan’s tenure as Mount Holyoke College President, although there are also photographs of her taken as a student at the College and Oxford University and one portrait from her high school years. Some of the photographs are formal portraits of Kennan. Many photographs show her events such as her inauguration, Commencement, Convocation, and annual Parent’s Weekend celebrations, while other photographs are of Kennan with students, alumnae, faculty members, trustees, and the presidents of other colleges and universities. There are also photographs reflecting Kennan’s participation in Faculty Shows at the College. These images include slides and contact sheets.

Audiocassettes (1978-1993) primarily record speeches given by Kennan at College events, particularly Convocation and Alumnae Council meetings. There are also tapes of several interviews of her.

Video Recordings (1982-1994) are chiefly of television interviews of Kennan either alone or as part of a group. Some of these interviews were on nationally televised programs, while others were produced by television stations in Springfield, Massachusetts. These programs primarily focus on the issue of single sex education for women and include a group interview with the presidents of Mount Holyoke, Colby Sawyer College, Smith College, and Wheaton College on April 13, 1989. Two other programs from October, 1990 feature comments by the Five College Presidents on Proposition 3, a Massachusetts legislative referendum calling for cuts in taxes. There is also a video recording of Kennan’s announcement of her plans to step down as President, April 13, 1994.