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Thomas R. Tritton presidential papers
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Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
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Thomas R. Tritton became Haverford College's 12th President in July, 1997, and served for a decade, leaving in June, 2007. A Quaker and a cancer research expert, Tritton came from the University of Vermont, where he had been a pharmacology professor, vice provost, and had had oversight for computing and technology. He was also responsible for the University's performing arts and museum programs. The hallmark of his tenure at Haverford was the successful "Educating to Lead, Educating to Serve" campaign to raise $200 million. The primary goal was to raise capital and endowment funds for "Tritton's concept of integrated scholarship [which] implies the dissolution of boundaries across and between academic disciplines as well as among the various constituencies of the College." (Haverford Magazine, Fall 2006, p. 26). Two new buildings were constructed, the Marian E. Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center and the Douglas B. Gardner '83 Integrated Athletic Center, and two programs were established, the John B. Hurford '60 Humanities Center and Center for Peace and Global Citizenship. Endowments for faculty support and multicultural programs were also increased, although the original efforts to advance campus technology dropped in priority after 9/11. (Final Campaign Report, June 30, 2004, p. 64; Topical Series, Computing/IT file, 2002). Tritton was credited with bringing Haverford "from being a 'best-kept secret' to a position where our institutional accomplishments, profile and fund-raising reflect our academic stature and tradition." (Haverford Magazine, Fall 2006, p. 26). After leaving Haverford he became the second president of the Chemical Heritage Foundation, a research center for the history of science.
These are files maintained during the presidency of Thomas R. Tritton from July, 1997 to June, 2007. Unlike the files of his immediate predecessors, these seem incomplete, perhaps a reflection of the increasingly electronic form of information and communication. There are two main series. The "Topical" files are copies of emails kept (not carefully) by Tritton. Although covering a wide range of subjects, the files on College planning and diversity are particularly abundant. Other significant files for the Provost and Senior Staff reflect on many aspects of Tritton's tenure. The Chronological series is the outgoing correspondence and memoranda files kept by his administrative assistant, with some incoming letters. The majority of this material concerns the fundraising efforts for the $200 million "Educating to Lead, Educating to Serve" campaign from 1998 to 2004. In this and throughout the Tritton papers there is much discussion of integrated learning which was realized in the construction of the Marian E. Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center and the Douglas B. Gardner '83 Integrated Athletic Center, as well as the establishment of the John B. Hurford '60 Humanities Center and Center for Peace and Global Citizenship. The Budget records were sampled as indicated in the description. The Miscellaneous material fell outside the other series and includes the 1999 Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Self-Study and 2004 periodic review of progress since 1999.
The papers are organized into four series: Topical, Chronological/Correspondence, Budget, and Miscellaneous.
Transferred from President's Office.
The Topical series was boxed in banded groups of papers with Tritton's note on the file name with date of transfer from his office, evidently as he was clearing out his office. There were several instances of two transfers for one file name, and these were combined into one file. The file order was created by the processor. Original order was maintained for the Chronological/Correspondence series. As noted in the catalog record, the Budget series was sampled. The Miscellaneous series was assembled from files located in different boxes.
Processed by Linda Stanley; completed January, 2015.
- Publisher
- Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- Linda Stanley
- Finding Aid Date
- January, 2019
- Access Restrictions
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The Thomas R. Tritton papers are closed for a period of 25 years from the date of creation.
- Use Restrictions
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Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).
Collection Inventory
Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Archives with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.
These are files maintained during the presidency of Thomas R. Tritton from July 1997 to June 2007. Unlike the files of his immediate predecessors, these seem incomplete, perhaps a reflection of the increasingly electronic form of information and communication.
There are two main series. The "Topical" files are copies of emails kept (not carefully) by Tritton. Although covering a wide range of subjects, the files on College planning and diversity are particularly abundant. Other significant files for the Provost and Senior Staff reflect on many aspects of Tritton's tenure. The Chronological series is the outgoing correspondence and memoranda files kept by his administrative assistant, with some incoming letters. The majority of this material concerns the fundraising efforts for the $200 million "Educating to Lead, Educating to Serve" campaign from 1998 to 2004. In this and throughout the Tritton papers there is much discussion of integrated learning which was realized in the construction of the Marian E. Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center and the Douglas B. Gardner '83 Integrated Athletic Center and the establishment of the John B. Hurford '60 Humanities Center and Center for Peace and Global Citizenship.
The Budget records were sampled as indicated in the description. The Miscellaneous material fell outside the other series and includes the 1999 Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Self-Study and 2004 periodic review of progress since 1999.
Physical DescriptionThese files are primarily copies of emails with faculty, administrators, Board members, and others. The were kept by Tritton according to subject and were transferred by him at the end of his tenure in two lots. Some of the copies have his handwritten notes on them, although his writing is almost illegible.
2 foldersLists of Council cases; with some memoranda on policies and procedures.
4 foldersStatistics and admissions policies and procedures including: survey of faculty on most and least desired qualities of students, 2005; memorandum on selections process, 2005; some information on specific applicants and matriculants; with Report of the Committee on Admissions Policy [concerning women], 1976. Although the file name includes "financial aid" there is little on this subject.
11 foldersEmails, correspondence, memoranda and other material primarily for the "Educating to Lead, Educating to Serve" campaign to raise $200 million. Some other topics are: art donations, including sculpture from the Muriel and Philip Berman estate; office budget, operations, and staffing, including report on staffing, structure, operations, programs and resources, 2006; with file on hiring of Vice President for Institutional Advancement and employment and financial arrangements.
1 foldersMemoranda to Committee to develop a five-year strategic plan.
5 foldersArrangements and agenda for semi-annual meetings and inquiries for membership; information that touches only in passing on some of the issues considered by the organization: Collegenews website enhancement; U. S. Department of Education visits, 2004, on building diversity; Carnegie Endowment Reclassification. Tritton became Chairman, July 2003.
6 foldersConcerning a wide variety of subjects, including: NCAA Division III and Centennial Conference issues; Equity in Athletics Disclosure and other statistics; personnel; facilities and equipment, including GIAC (Gardner Integrated Athletic Center) and field house resurfacing; fan behavior; sports programs, including decline in the soccer program. Also "Ford Athletics and Quakerism" memorandum, September 2003.
1 foldersSparse file of little substance, with Tritton's notes on agenda items for meetings.
8 foldersA random accumulation of material on the Board and the Corporation, including: nominations to the Board and policies on nominations; role of the Corporation and maintaining the Quaker character of the College; with Board self-study, 1997.
3 foldersAdditional material on nominations and revisions to Bylaws.
3 foldersEstablishing and developing Center programs.
1 foldersSmall file on planning for what would become the John B. Hurford Humanities Center.
10 foldersMinutes, memoranda, and Tritton notes on a variety of planning projects including: identifying priorities for fund raising campaign, 1999; Middle States Periodic Review Report, 2003, reporting on progress since the 1999 review, with much consideration given to the vision for future, including the Quaker character; possible student body expansion, 2005, and faculty concerns; expanded arts presence, with grant proposal for supporting a New Arts Community, 2006.
10 foldersMeeting agenda and minutes and related emails reporting on discussions on: Office of Multicultural Affairs; Students for Diversity and Unity (SDU), 2000; $5m campaign for diversity initiatives (as part of "Educating to Lead, Educating to Serve" campaign); classroom climate affecting diversity issues; Supreme Court decision on use of race in college admissions and change to summer Tri-Co Institute, 2005. Although it was observed that the "CoD is rather inert as an action committee but has served a role for thrashing about policy matters" (September 19, 2006), some indication of its activities can be found in reports on new initiatives , fall 1999, and recent accomplishments October 23, 2001. There are also some statistics on Haverford student and faculty populations and many articles on the subject of diversity. The file also includes some documentation of the development of the Diversity Initiatives Committee (DIC) that assumed the responsibilities of the CoD.
6 foldersCollaborative Information Officer (CIO) meeting agenda and notes, memoranda, articles on technology issues for faculty, students, and administration, including: website development; Admissions system; IT teaching endowment proposal, March 2001; ethics and legal policies and guidelines for users; academic computing; organization and reorganization, 2004; Stokes space renovation for IT offices. There are several documents that provide summaries of plans and implementation (or not) of plans: three-stage plan, November 1999; charge to the Officer, January 2000; annual reviews, August and November 2000, July 2001, and self-study, summer 2002. A document, January 2002, notes that the focus of the fundraising campaign kickoff had changed from technology to multicultural/international/global issues as result of 9/11. A "day in the life" of students and faculty, October 2003, predicts the campus of the future with technology.
11 foldersEmails with Dean's Office on a wide range of subjects and reports including: review of Career Development for Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges, 2003; reports on Health Professions Advising and Pre-Law Office, 2003; internet copyright infringement issues; review of Housing Department, 2004; an Honor Code violation; Haverford diversity statistics for Consortium on High Achievement and Success, 2005; dormitory and student spaces; 25th anniversary of coeducation; Lapsansky-Warner memo on Quakerism at Haverford, 2006.
1 foldersJob description and memoranda on process for selection.
12 foldersInvestments, endowments, personnel; operating and campaign budgets; some information on endowment policies and holdings, 1999-2006.
7 foldersStatistics, comparative and internal; 568 Group meeting notes, Statement of [Financial Aid] Principals, and common needs analysis protocol for determining financial aid; background articles.
7 foldersSteering Committee minutes of meetings with architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson(BCJ), reports, and email exchanges on: location of building; LEED certified elements; and financing; including campus Space Planning report to the Board, April, 2001, and GAIC progress report with history of the project, September 2002.
8 foldersExchanges largely from Thomas J. Wyly on efforts of the Higher Education National Steering Committee in promoting the Global Sullivan Principles in the academic community. The Principles were established by Rev. Leon Sullivan in 1999 to promote "equal opportunity for employees of all ages, races, ethnic backgrounds and religions." Thomas J. Wyly was a consultant to Sullivan; Tritton was co-chair of the Committee.
1 foldersSmall file of memoranda on Hansen's transition from Vice President for Advancement to Secretary of the College and Senior Gift Planner, and his retirement.
2 foldersIntegrated Learning Council minutes with reviews of activities, discussions of programs' relationships with curriculum, including: definition of "integrated learning," November 2002; Guidelines for Academic Center with policies and procedures for all centers, mission statements, relations to academic departments, bi-college, tri-college relations, budget, organization and other center information, December 2003.
5 foldersMemoranda, meeting minutes, correspondence, including disputes over height of building and removal of 6 college circle.
1 foldersAppears to be Helene Pollock, Assistant to the President, file on the Quaker character at Haverford, including past commentary on the question at Haverford and other Quaker educational institutions.
3 foldersDiscussions of the future of the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) programs at Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Swarthmore, with background documents and memorandum on past and future of program, 2006.
18 foldersRelating to facilities, curriculum, tenure, and a full range of faculty issues including: the deliberations and reports of the Faculty Committee on Academic Enrichment (FCAE) on governance, research and scholarship, curriculum, compensation, and facilities, and a proposed a shift from 5 to 4 course teaching responsibility, 2006.
1.5 linear ft.Agenda, minutes and background material for weekly meetings of college President, Provost, Dean, V. P. Institutional Advancement, V. P. Finance and Administration, Director of Admissions, Director of Athletics on a wide variety of administrative issues. The Senior Staff had an annual retreat In August where each member outlined goals for the year. Some of the topics discussed and documented are: how to observe Martin Luther King Day; diversity; space planning, including a student arts center proposal and use of space by Philadelphia Buddhist Association, 1997/1998; rape and sexual assault policy, May 1998; Haverford College defining characteristics, 1999/2000; September 11 observance and alcohol policy, 2001/2002; alumni survey, January 2002; Senior survey, April 2002; a year end evaluation by Senior Staff, June 2002; marketing and communication, 2002/2003; statement on athletics and education at Haverford College, November 2002; peer-to-peer file sharing, 2003/2004; Haverford College Apartments problems and co-ed housing issues, February, June 2006; faculty admissions standards, March 2006.
2 foldersPrimarily concerning Students Council constitution revisions passed at Spring 1999 Plenary and vetoed by Tritton; also Student Policy Concerning Classroom Animal Use resolution in Fall 1999 Plenary.
1 foldersCommunications on vote of Physical Plant employees to unionize and the college response to pro- and anti-union groups.
Memorands and letters from and to Tritton.
1.5 cubic ft.Outgoing correspondence and memoranda file kept by Tritton's executive assistant. A major portion of the series consists of memoranda to files and letters of appreciation for cultivation visits to major donor prospects to the fundraising campaign from 1998 to 2004. Often requests are made for support for specific campaign projects, including the integrated learning centers (Marian E. Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center, John B. Hurford Humanities Center, Center for Peace and Global Citizenship, Douglas B. Gardner '83 Integrated Athletic Center), and programs to support diversity. How to maintain a strong Quaker character at Haverford is a frequent issue of discussion. There are also job reference letters, honorary degree invitations, responses to job seekers, and handwritten notes; increase visibility while maintaining Quakerly. Following the completion of the fundraising campaign there are more letters and memoranda on recruitment of potential Board of Managers candidates and thank you notes to hosts of regional alumni gatherings. Some general themes and items of interest are given below, listed by academic year. 1997/1998: Middle States reaccreditation self study. 1998/1999: "My view is that Haverford cannot remain among the first rank, of institutions if it is not successful in realizing a diverse community, October 1998, and alumni endorsement of Board of Managers statement at February meeting on the importance of diversity and support for "an in depth examination to understand and define diversity and develop a comprehensive plan to recruit students, increase support for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, recruit talented faculty, administrators, and staff," April 1999; removal of #6 College Circle. 1999/2000: past and future cooperation with Bryn Mawr, August 1999; diversity; future of natural sciences and how to provide program, February 2000; response to articles on coed housing, April 2000; faculty recruitment, June 2000. 2001/2002: " I'm planning one of the themes of the upcoming academic year for the Board will be an examination of our Quaker values, what they mean to the College, and what we can do to best realize them," July 2001; responses to various alumni opinions on Haverford, July 2001; 9/11; first mention of naming athletic center after Gardner, January 2002; plans for CEO breakfasts to discuss how educational institutions do or do not support the needs of society and fulfill the expectations of American enterprise (with John Bogle), February 2002; outline of campaign for athletic center, May 2002; difficulties in fund raising with the stock market decline (generally, but one donor in particular). 2002/2003: acknowledgements of faculty contributions to annual giving; Marshall estate claim rejected, April 2003. 2003/2004: Plans for U. S. Open in 2012, September 2003. 2004/2005: Guidelines for Academic Centers (Spring 2004), September 2004; Center for Equal Opportunity letter threatening to file complaint against racially exclusive programs, October 2004; list of all construction dates and square footage for campus buildings (11/2004), February 2005. 2005/2006: beginning of discussions on college expansion; acknowledgment of opinions expressed in response to alumni questionnaire, December 2005; "… three overarching themes for the college in the coming years: integrated learning, the arts, and globalization," April 2006 2006/2007: "Andy said that he wished that the Center emphasized the 'peace' more then [sic] the 'Global Citizenship', I countered by telling him that my sense was that this was the case, and that no one was really sure what 'Global Citizenship" meant anyway."
6 foldersIncoming correspondence, many with replies, from students, parents, faculty, alumni, and colleagues. Some early correspondence relates to cancer research, later files include notes of appreciation for his support of student activities. There is some overlap with the chronological series.
1 cubic ft.Monthly reports on expenses in President's office. Sampled.
1.5 cubic ft.These files fall outside the other major series. They include: Tom Tritton, 2000-May 2004: Miscellaneous memoranda, email, and correspondence. ( 3ff.) Calendar, February-May 1997: Appointments prior to assuming presidency. (1f.) Invitations refused. 1f Curriculum vita, clippings on appointment and other. (1f.) Speeches, 1997-2001: Inaugural, collections, convocations (including Bryn Mawr), and others. ( 1f.) Extramural: Fox Chase Cancer Center, 1996-2008: Correspondence and information on Center where Tritton was a board member; New York Academy of Sciences conference on "Unity of Knowledge: The Convergence of Natural and Human Science" Tritton's address "Integrated Learning: Passing Fad or Foundation for the Future?", 6/2000 (published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, v. 935.) (2ff., 1 each) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Self-Study, February 1999: Thorough review of all aspects of the college—mission, governance, faculty, curriculum, finance, with recommendations for future activities. Major recommendations were in the areas of academic and interdisciplinary initiatives, student experience, diversity, information technology, admissions and financial aid, and planning. ( 1 binder) Middle States, May 1997-May 1999: memoranda on organizing and writing self-study, including drafts, timelines and working group lists, with Middle Sates report and Haverford response; with extensive appendices. 6ff. Middle States Periodic Review Report, May 2004: report on progress since 1999 evaluation and report on assessment and planning. ( 1 binder) Assessment and Planning at Haverford College, 2004: document on educational assessment and academic planning, prepared for and largely incorporated into Middle States Periodic Review Report. (1 binder)