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Robertson v. Princeton University Case Records
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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Robertson v. Princeton University lawsuit was a dispute between the university and members of the Robertson family regarding the use of a multi-million dollar endowment given by Marie Robertson, wife of Charles Robertson, a member of the Class of 1926. The funds established the Robertson Foundation in 1961 for the expansion and support of academic study at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. As a result of disagreements over control and disbursement of the funds, in July of 2002 William S. Robertson '72, along with other members of the Robertson family, filed a lawsuit against the University and designated Trustees of the Robertson Foundation. A settlement agreement was reached on December 9, 2008, that called for the dissolution of the Robertson Foundation and the creation of a new fund that would continue support of the graduate program at the Woodrow Wilson School. The records in this collection were transferred to the University Archives through an attorney, Jeffrey D. Colman, acting on behalf of an anonymous donor.
The collection consists of records related to the Robertson v. Princeton University lawsuit including: board meeting materials of the Robertson Foundation, the depositions of several Princeton University administrators including former presidents William G. Bowen, Robert F. Goheen, Harold T. Shapiro, and Shirley Tilghman, reports from experts in finance and law, financial statements, and other legal documents pertaining to the Robertson v. Princeton University lawsuit.
Please see descriptions in contents list for additional information about individual series.
Records have been arranged in five series: Meetings, Depositions, Expert Reports, Audit Reports, and Miscellaneous Documents.
Materials were transferred to the University Archives in July 2014 (Accession number AR.2014.053).
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection contains materials created and used in digital formats. Researchers are responsible for meeting the technical requirements needed to access these materials, including any and all hardware and software.
This collection was processed by Rossy Mendez in 2015. Finding aid written by Rossy M. Mendez in 2015 with the aid of Jarrett M. Drake.
No materials were separated from the collection at the time of accessioning.
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Date
- 2015
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is closed until November 17, 2026.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.
For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Contains board and budget committee minutes, agendas, correspondence, and handwritten notes related to meetings as well as additional supporting materials. Also included in the series is 1 compact disc.
Records in this series are arranged chronologically.
Physical Description1 box
10 digital files
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Contains the depositions of several university administrators including former presidents William G. Bowen, Robert F. Goheen, Harold T. Shapiro, and Shirley M. Tilghman, and former deans of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Anne-Marie Slaughter and Harry Bienen. Also included are the depositions of former Provost Amy Gutmann and former Vice President and Secretary, Thomas H. Wright as well as of several Board of Trustees members.
Records in this series are arranged alphabetically by last name of witness.
Physical Description27 boxes
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Contains reports written by experts in finance and law including Harvey P. Dale, Professor of Philanthrophy and Law at New York University, Marcus S. Owens, former Director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the Internal Revenue Service, Robert M.O'Neil, former president of the University of Virginia, and Sheryl K. Pressler, former Chief Executive Officer of Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Incorporated.
Records in this series are arranged alphabetically.
Physical Description4 boxes
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19 digital files
Contains three audit reports created by the investment firm, Grant Thorton., LLC.
This series is arranged chronologically.
Physical Description1 box
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Contains other miscellaneous documents pertaining to the Robertson v. Princeton University case including the Robertson Foundation's 990s, correspondence, orders and opinions as well as information related to the Princeton University Investment Company(PRINCO).
This series is arranged alphabetically by subject matter.
Physical Description4 boxes
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