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© 2003 Smith College. All rights reserved.
Jill Ker Conway was the first female president of the college. Her selection, a watershed in the history of Smith, was also a hallmark in an era of significant change in the perception of women and their role in society. In her inaugural address, she stressed the importance of not only supporting women through their undergraduate education, but furthering the college mission "...to foster research and the creation of new knowledge about matters of central importance in women's lives." Some of the most significant accomplishments of her tenure reflect this vision. She focused much of her energy on developing and funding women-centered projects such as the Smith Management Program, Ada Comstock Program, and Project on Women and Social Change.
Conway was only 39 years old when she accepted the Smith appointment in 1974. A native of New South Wales, Australia, she received her undergraduate education at the University of Sydney (1958). Two years after completing her B.A., she left Australia to pursue her Ph.D. at Harvard University. While at Harvard, she met and married John Conway, a Canadian historian and a native of Toronto. Together they moved to Canada where both obtained positions at the University of Toronto. Jill Conway remained at the University of Toronto for more than ten years, beginning in 1964. She began as a professor of U.S. social and intellectual history, then gradually rose through the administrative ranks to serve as the vice-president for internal affairs (1973-1975).
Conway assumed the Smith presidency in July 1975. Several administrative and curricular changes were enacted during her tenure. Administrative offices, such as the Career Development Office (previously the Vocational Office), Dean of the College, Dean of Students, and Public Relations, were reorganized. The Women's Studies, Comparative Literature, Peace and War Studies, and Engineering Dual Degree programs were added to the curriculum during this period, and academic minors were introduced.
Lasting physical reminders of her presidency include the Ainsworth Gym, expanded outdoor athletic facilities, as well as renovation and additions to Neilson Library. The Alumnae Gymnasium was also renovated during this period, and became home to the Smith College Archives, the Sophia Smith Collection, and the Nonprint Resource Center.
Following her departure from the college in 1985, Conway has been a visiting professor in MIT's Program in Science, Technology, and Society. She has also authored and edited a number of books of fiction and nonfiction. Three volumes of her memoirs provide detailed biographical information about Conway. The third volume (released October 2001), chronicles her years at Smith. While this volume deals with Conway's personal as well as professional development, and is admittedly from a singular perspective, it can serve as a guide to the major developments of Smith College during her tenure.
The Conway Files include approximately 95 linear feet (226 document boxes) of material dating from 1974-1985. Some material has been restricted according the College Archives policies. The open records (154 document boxes/ 64.5 linear feet) include incoming and outgoing correspondence, reports and working papers, newspaper clippings and photographs. For more specific information about the contents of the collection see the series descriptions and folder listing below. See the Subject Guide on pages 9-12 of this finding aid for a list of topics of a broad nature.
Additional material in the Smith College Archives about the Conway era may be found in the records of other departments and offices of the college, as well as in the personal papers of Jill Ker Conway. The central secondary literature on Smith's Conway era comes from Conway herself. She has authored a number of articles and full-length works on her professional and intellectual development, which amply describe her evolving perceptions on the intersections of women's education, history and feminism. Even a cursory internet search yields a wealth of biographical information about Conway, as well as details and commentary on her literary career and continuing involvement with women's education. See the list of publications in the finding aid for Conway's personal papers for a comprehensive list of publications.
The Subject Guide is meant as a supplement to information provided in the Series Descriptions and Folder Listing, and is in no way intended as a comprehensive listing of significant subject matter in the collection.
This collection is organized into eighteen series:
The bulk of the collection (154 document boxes, or approximately 64.5 linear feet) is open to researchers according to the regulations of the College Archives. Another 72 document boxes (30 linear feet) are currently open only to employees of the office of origin.
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or quote from the documents must be obtained from the Smith College Archives.
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Office of the President Jill Ker Conway Files, Box #, Smith College Archives.
The Records of the Office of the President constitute a continuing collection, because certain materials remain in active use by the office for periods exceeding a president's actual tenure. The College Archives may receive accessions/additions long after the date of creation. Significant additions will be noted in an updated finding aid
The majority of the Conway records were transferred to the College Archives from the Office of the President in a number of accessions dating from the time of her tenure until the present. Some material, however, came from Conway herself after her departure in 1985. Additional biographical materials, such as newspaper clippings, press releases, and photographs, have been added by the College Archives staff.
Processed by Laura Finkel, with the assistance of Sara Streett.
Additional material in the Smith College Archives about the Conway era may be found in the records of other departments and offices of the college, as well as in the personal papers of Jill Ker Conway. The central secondary literature on Smith's Conway era comes from Conway herself. She has authored a number of articles and full-length works on her professional and intellectual development, which amply describe her evolving perceptions on the intersections of women's education, history and feminism. Even a cursory internet search yields a wealth of biographical information about Conway, as well as details and commentary on her literary career and continuing involvement with women's education. See the list of publications in the finding aid for Conway's personal papers for a comprehensive list of publications.
The records in this series include newspaper clippings, press releases, and correspondence relating to Conway's appointment, presidency and retirement. Included with the material about her appointment are a series of subject files she compiled while preparing to take office. These files offer an interesting perspective on the priorities of various college officials, departments and offices, as well as Conway herself. There is also information in this series about Conway's husband, John Conway, and a 1996 student paper about the official presidential portrait painted by Sarah Swenson.
More extensive biographical material can be found in Jill Ker Conway's personal papers, as well as her published works. [There is additional oversized material from this series stored separately. Ask College Archivist for Flat Files list.]
See also Series XII. Faculty & Staff-Emeritus Presidents & Their Families1974-1975
See also Series IV. Administrative Issues-Media Coverage -and- Series V. Administrative Offices-Public Relations
The files in this series are arranged alphabetically by the most recent name of the department.
Included are newspaper clippings, correspondence, and reports from the undergraduate departments of the college. Also included are programs administered by the departments. For example, files from the Smith College Day Schools are included as a sub-series of the Department of Education. However, undergraduate and graduate academic programs administered either jointly by two or more departments, or by a separate and autonomous college office, are filed either with Academic Programs or Administrative Offices. Graduate Programs are filed in the Graduate Work series. Information about Five College joint academic programs in several areas of study can be found in the Intercollegiate Associations series.
See also Series IX. Cttes & Bds.-Physical Education, Ad-hoc Committee on -and Series XVII. Students-Athletics
See also Series III. Academic Programs-History of Science -and- Series VII. Bldgs & Grounds-Clark Science Center -and Cttes & Boards-Science Cttes
The Academic Programs series consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and reports regarding academic programs administered by the college outside of the regular operations of academic departments. Those programs include the Ada Comstock Scholars Program, Honors Program, Junior Year Abroad, Bridge Program, Intermediate School 201, student exchanges, and several interdisciplinary programs.
See Also Series XI. Events-Conferences-The Older Undergraduate Woman
See also Series III. Academic Programs-Student Exchange w/China -and- Series XIII. Graduate Work-American Studies Diploma Program-1975-1977
See also Series IX. Cttes & Bds-Honors and Independent Programs, Committee on1975-1976
See also Series IX. Committees & Boards-Study Abroad, Committee on
This series documents activity in the President's Office which is either of a general nature, requiring the attention of only the president and her closest assistants, or requiring the participation of a number of administrative bodies at once. Included in this series are records relating to a number of general issues, such as Legislators and Legislation, Lesbianism, Race, and Women's Education. At the end of the series there is a collection of miscellaneous correspondence handled by the President's Office, filed in alphabetical order. Several issues, such as lesbianism, race and women's education, pervaded many areas of campus activity and were handled by several offices and departments. Because material on these topics can be found under a variety of headings, a Subject Guide has been provided on pages 9-12 of this finding aid to assist the researcher.
See Also Series XV. Non-Smith Organizations-AICUM -and- Series XV. Non-Smith Organizations-United States Government
See also Series IV. Administrative Issues-Legal Counsel -and- Series XV. Non-Smith Organizations-Committee for the Concerns of Women in New England Colleges...1976-1979
See Subject Guide for further sources of information
See also Series I. Biography-Publicity -and- Series V. Administrative Offices-Public Relations
See Subject Guide for further sources of information.
See Series XV. Non-Smith Organizations-Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
See also Series XII. Faculty & Staff-Horowitz, Helen1975-1985
See Subject Guide-Racism for further sources of information
See also Series XIII. Grad Work-Education & Child Study-Clarke School Teacher Training
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Childcare Center at Sunnyside
See Subject Guide-Gender for further sources of information.
The files are arranged alphabetically by the most recent name of the office.
Nearly nineteen document boxes (8 linear feet) of Development material is open for research. Due to the sensitive nature of the development process, however, there is a large collection of material which will be closed to researchers for a minimum of seventy-five years.
The Administrative Offices series is the largest series in the Conway records. It includes correspondence and reports from individual offices as well as newspaper clippings and other general information about their activities and functions. Development comprises the largest section of the Administrative Offices series, specifically because fundraising became a much more significant part of the duties of the President during Conway's tenure than in previous administrations.
There may also be useful information in the Buildings and Grounds series about the buildings in which the various offices were housed.
See also Series IX. Committees & Boards-Assistance in Written English, Committee for
See Subject Guide-Computers, for further sources of information
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Administrative Information Systems
See Subject Guide-Computers, for further sources of information
See also Series IX. Cttes & Bds-Enrollment Mgmt Ctte -and- Series IX. Cttes & Bds-Admissions, Bd. of -and- Series IX. Cttes & Bds-Alumnae/Admissions Task Force -and- Series XV. Non-Smith Orgs-Cooperative Institutional Research Prog., for admissions statistics
See also Series IX. Committees & Boards-Bookstore Advisory Ctte
See also Series V. Administrative Offices-Development-Foundations-General
See also Series V. Administrative Offices-Development-Corporations-General
See also Series V. Administrative Offices-Development-Foundations-Pew Memorial Trust
See also Series XII. Faculty & Staff-Women and Social Change Project
See also Series V. Administrative Offices-Development-Foundations-Glenmede Trust
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Development-Resource Development Committee.
See Series XIV. Intercollegiate Associations-Five Colleges-Grants and Proposals
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Residence & Dining Services
See also Series IX. Cttes & Bds. for a number of related committees.
See Series XVII. Students-Student Organizations-Student Government Association-STA
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Residence & Dining Services
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Environmental Health and Safety
See also Series IX. Committees & Boards-Jahnige Center Advisory Committee
See Also, Series IX. Committees & Boards -Non-Print Resource Center Committee
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Treasurer-President's Discretionary Fund
See also Series IX. Cttes & Bds-Rental Properties, Advisory Ctte
See also Series XVII. Students-Violence Against -and- Series XV. Non-Smith Organizations-Assoc of Indep.Colleges and Universities in Mass. (1983-1984), for standards of campus security throughout Massachusetts
See Series III. Academic Programs-Bridge Program -and- Series III. Academic Programs-I.S. 201 -and- Series IV. Admin Issues-Summer Progs
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Career Development Office
This series includes material on a number of issues related to the alumnae, as well as the Alumnae Association and its activities. The bulk of the files contain information about the Alumnae Association, class reunions, Smith Clubs, and specific individuals. The section related to individuals is in alphabetical order, and contains correspondence to, from and about alumnae. Many are routine and pro forma letters of thank you for attending certain functions, or congratulations on administrative successes. However, there are also letters scattered throughout addressing specific issues pertinent to the period. There is also a file of birthday greetings sent to alumnae by the President's Office, generally offering congratulations on reaching a remarkably advanced age.
Information about alumnae involvement with Admissions can be found in the records of Alumnae/Admissions Task Force in the Committees and Boards series, and in the records of the Admissions Office's Candidates Committees in the Administrative Offices series.
See Series VII. Buildings & Grounds-Alumnae Gym-Smith Alumnae Committee to Save the Alumnae Gym
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Admissions-Alumnae Candidates Committees
See Series IV. Administrative Issues-Lesbianism-Feminist & Lesbian Alumnae of Smith College
Student residences are grouped together and organized alphabetically.
This series includes records related to the maintenance and development of campus structures and infrastructure. Construction projects during Conway's term included the Friedman Apartments, Ainsworth Gym, and indoor and outdoor track and tennis facilities. Major renovations were completed for Drew Hall, Lyman Plant House, Neilson Library and the Alumnae Gym.
Related material may be found in the Committees and Boards series in the records of the Campus Planning Committee, Facilities Planning Committee, Committee on Faculty Offices, Grounds Committee, Ad-hoc Committee for the Selection of Architects and Supervision of Building Programs, Committee on Space Allocation, and the Campus Beautification Committee. There is additional information in the Administrative Offices series in the records of the Physical Plant as well as the Assistant to the President for Campus Planning (President's Office).
See also Series V. Admin Offices-Institutional Research (MAR-APR 1984)
See Series VII. Buildings & Grounds-Clark Science Center-Addition
See Series IV. Administrative Issues-Clarke School for the Deaf-Magna House
The files are organized alphabetically by institution, with a series of alphabetical miscellaneous material at the end.
This series consists of correspondence, reports and newspaper clippings from other institutions regarding cooperative programs, institutional activities and events, as well as common educational issues.
For institutions of either the Five Colleges, Seven Sisters or Twelve College Exchange, see also the Intercollegiate Associations series.
See Series III. Academic Programs-Student Exchange with Japan
See Series III. Academic Programs-Student Exchange with China
See Colleges and Universities-Nanking Teachers College -and- Series VI. Alumnae-Alumnae Association-Travel/Trips-China -and- Series VI. Alumnae-Ginling College
However, college policy and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act require the restriction of the records of both the Board of Trustees and the Board of Counselors.
This series includes correspondence, reports and working papers of the standing and ad-hoc committees and boards of the college. The most central and far-reaching decision-making bodies are the Board of Trustees, the Board of Counselors, and the Committee on Planning and Resources (previously the College Planning Committee and the Faculty Planning Committee). Other significant committees in this series include several faculty committees, the Committee on Social Responsibility and the Committee on Student Affairs. Also included in this series are three free-standing administrative groups: Administrative Department Heads, Senior Administrative Group, and Senior Staff. The files of the Senior Staff are the most extensive of these three groups. The Senior Staff (also know as the President's Staff) included key administrative figures, such as the Treasurer, the Directors of Development and Public Relations, Assistants to the President, and Deans and Associate Deans. Minutes and major reports from most committees are available in the Dean of the Faculty Records of the Smith College Archives.
See also Series IX. Cttes & Bds-Faculty Compensation and Development
See also Series V. Admin. Offices -Foreign Students Office -and- Series XV. Non-Smith Orgs-Institute of International Education -and- Series XV. Non-Smith Orgs-Institute of World Affairs
See Series XIII. Graduate Work-School for Social Work-Ad Hoc Committee on Governance
See also Series IX. Cttes & Bds-Administrative Staff Grievance Ctte -and- Series IX. Cttes & Bds-Clerical Staff Grievance Ctte -and- Intra-College Disputes, Ad Hoc Ctte on
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Development-Parents Ctte
See Series IX. Committees & Boards-College Planning & Resources Committee
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Development- Resource Development Committee
See Series IX. Committees & Boards-Administrative and Clerical Personnel Advisory Boards
This series of records works in concert with the Speeches and Events series to provide a detailed description of the activities and responsibilities of the President of Smith College. Included are a set of files containing details of various off-campus appointments and events the president attended (organized by date of event or appointment). There are also a set of calendars, daily schedules, travel schedules, and a sample of engagements the president had to refuse.
Along with the Speeches and Engagements series, the records in this series document the activities and responsibilities of the President of Smith College. The events in this series (as opposed to the Engagements series) include significant campus traditional gatherings and celebrations as well as one-time happenings. Routine events include assemblies, commencement, Rally Day, and the awarding of Smith College Medals and honorary degrees. Other events include Conway's inauguration, concerts, conferences, symposia, lectures, as well as various events at the President's House.
Material on the Jeane Kirkpatrick debacle can also be found in this series with the records of the 1983 commencement.
See also Series VI. Alumnae-Reunions -and- Series IX. Cttes & Bds -Commencement Wknd, Ctte on -and- Series XI. Events-Honorary Degrees
See also Series IX. Committees & Boards-Conference Committee
See Administrative Offices-Development-Bridge to the Eighties Conference
See Series V. Admin. Offices-Development-Fdns-Commonwealth Fund, Mott Fdn, and Rockefeller Fdn
See also: Series IX. Cttes & Bds-Honorary Degrees, Ctte on -and- Series XI. Events-Commencement -and- Series XI. Events-Rally Day -and- Series XI. Events-Commencement-1983-Speaker-J. Kirkpatrick
See Series V. Administrative Offices-Libraries-Renovation Dedication
See Series XI. Events-Rally Day -and- Series IX. Committees & Boards-Smith College Medal Committee
The records in this series document the relationship of the President's Office with faculty and staff. There is information on a number of general faculty and staff issues, such as salaries and retirement, as well as information about specific individuals. Material relating to emeritus faculty and staff (including former Smith presidents and their families) can be found in this series as well.
Additional material for specific faculty or staff members may be found in the Academic Departments, Administrative Offices, or Committees and Boards series. The Committees and Boards series also includes records for a number of faculty and staff-related committees. The records of the Women and Social Change Project, a faculty-research endeavor, is also included in this series. There is general administrative material for the project as well as a number of grant applications.
See also Series IX. Committees & Boards-Early Retirement Program Study Group
See Series XV. Non-Smith Organizations-Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
See Administrative Issues-Sexual Harassment
The Graduate Work series includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, and reports regarding the evolution and operation of several graduate studies programs at the college. There are records documenting general aspects of graduate education, as well as specific programs of study, such as the American Studies Diploma Program, teacher training at the Clarke School for the Deaf, the Smith-Northampton Summer School, and the School of Social Work.
Useful information may also be found in the Committees and Boards series on the Committee on Graduate Study.
See also Series IV. Admin Issues-Town & Gown Relations-Clarke School for the Deaf
There are six intercollegiate associations included in this series: Five Colleges, Inc., Seven Sisters, Society Organized Against Racism, Ten Universities Group, Twelve-College Exchange, and Women's College Coalition.
Five Colleges: The Five Colleges material includes correspondence, reports and newspaper clippings tracing the evolution of cooperative relations between Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College, Amherst College, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Seven Sisters: The records of the Seven Sisters (also known as the Seven Colleges) include correspondence, reports and newspaper clippings documenting relations between seven of the most important historically women-only colleges in the Eastern United States: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley.
Society Organized Against Racism (SOAR): The SOAR records include correspondence and reports documenting the founding and early activity of the organization. SOAR, founded in 1982, is a consortium of New England colleges and universities working to improve the racial climate in academic institutions.
Ten Universities Group: The Ten Universities Group file includes the records of a July 1980 conference on issues related to faculty and tenure. The Ten Universities were the California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Rochester University, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University.
Twelve-College Exchange: The Twelve-College Exchange files include records of the student exchange program begun in 1968 which eventually included the following institutions: Smith, Amherst, Bowdoin, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Trinity, Vassar, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Wheaton, and Williams. The program had a publicly stated purpose of expanding the collegiate experience for the students, but privately was initiated as an experiment in coeducation for several traditionally single-sex institutions.
Women's College Coalition: The Women's College Coalition was founded in 1972 under the auspices of the Association of American Colleges. It includes more than seventy two- and four-year colleges. The material in this collection includes correspondence, reports and announcements of the organization's events and projects.
See also Series V. Administrative Offices-Development-Special Projects-Canadian Studies
See Series XIV. Intercollegiate Associations-Five Colleges-Sciences-Astronomy
The files in this series are organized alphabetically by organization name, with a number of miscellaneous organizations also filed alphabetically, in the last few boxes.
The material in this series documents the variety of national, regional and local organizations which had an impact on, and a relationship with, Smith College. Included are reports, newspaper clippings and correspondence with a number of academic, civic, corporate and nonprofit organizations. Organizations of particular interest are the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM), the Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE), and state and federal government bodies.
See also Series XV. Non-Smith Organizations-Cooperative Institutional Research Program
See also Administrative Issues-Legislation/Legislators-U.S. Department of Education
The records in this series are filed chronologically by event and are labeled with one or all of the following: title, location, and event.
The duties of the President included many public speaking engagements, not only at Smith College events but also at local and national gatherings. The records in this series include notes and some full texts for many of these speeches, as well as associated correspondence and newspaper clippings.
More detailed information about the events themselves can be found in the Events and Engagements series, and in some cases in the records of sponsoring Smith Administrative Offices, Academic Departments, Committees and Boards, or Non-Smith Organizations.
The records in this series document the relationship of the Smith student body with the faculty and administration of the college. There are records about student organizations, publications, athletics, and other activities.
Information about students can also be found in the records of Committees and Boards with student representation, in the Administrative Offices series in the records of the Dean of the College and the Dean of Students, as well as in the records of specific student residences in the Buildings and Grounds series.
See also Series V. Administrative Offices-Dean of Students-Assistant Dean -and- Series IX. Committees & Boards-Alcohol Task Force
See also Series II. Academic Departments-Exercise and Sport Studies
See Series IV. Admin. Issues-Administrative Structure (1976)
See Subject Guide-Race
See Administrative Issues-Sexual Harassment
See Series XV. Non-Smith Orgs-Cooperative Institutional Research Program
See also: Series XVII. Students-Student Organizations-BSA (1983)
The photographs in this series document many of the events and activities described in the printed material.
Additional photographs may be found in the Smith College Archives collections which document specific events, such as Honorary Degree presentations, Ivy Day and Commencement. Please note that slides are not included in the photograph listing, as they have been integrated into the Archives' general slide collection. Please ask the reference archivist if you wish to see slides.
See also: Series XVIII. Photographs-Events-Smith-Ivy Day, -Miscellaneous, and -Panels
See also: Series XVIII. Photographs-Portraits-by Kidd, Chuck