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Office of the President Jill Ker Conway Files, 1974-1985
226 boxes (95 linear ft.)
Collection number: RG 32

Abstract:
Author, professor, and the first female president of Smith College who pledged "...to foster research and the creation of new knowledge about matters of central importance in women's lives" by helping to develop and fund women-centered projects such as the Smith Management Program, Ada Comstock Program, and Project on Women and Social Change. Includes incoming and outgoing correspondence, reports and working papers, newspaper clippings and photographs.

Terms of Access and Use:

Restrictions on access:

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.

Restrictions on use:

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or quote from the documents must be obtained from the Smith College Archives.

Smith College Archives
Northampton, MA

Biographical Note

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.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

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.


Information on Use
Terms of Access and Use
Restrictions on access:

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.

Restrictions on use:

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or quote from the documents must be obtained from the Smith College Archives.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Office of the President Jill Ker Conway Files, Box #, Smith College Archives.

History of the Collection

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.

Accruals:

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

Processing Information

Processed by Laura Finkel, with the assistance of Sara Streett.

Subject Guide
Note

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.

Computers
Gender
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Lesbianism
Race
Rape
  • Series V. Administrative Offices
Records Management

Additional Information
Contact Information
Smith College Archives
Northampton, MA 01063

Phone: (413) 585-2970
Fax: (413) 585-2886

Email: nyoung@smith.edu
URL: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/archives

Language
English.