Early College Research Institute

**PHONE** | 413-528-7620

**ADDRESS** | 84 Alford Rd. Great Barrington, MA 01230

### **SUBMIT A RESEARCH REQUEST**

If you know what you're looking for or have a clear research question, follow these steps to submit a request. You can also contact the archivist for help narrowing your search, identifying relevant collections, and booking time in the Archives Reading Room.

1. **Review the collections and relevant finding aids** available on this site. If you see something specific that you'd like to review, copy the item number and/or location exactly as it appears in the finding aid.
2. **Share your research question** with the archivist, either **via phone or email**, along with relevant background information that may be helpful.
3. **Answer the following questions**: *What do you already know or have related to your research question? Are you hoping to browse materials in person? Do you want a digital copy of a physical copy of something specific? How quickly do you need the information/materials? In what format would you prefer to receive the information/materials?*
4. The archivist will work with you to identify the relevant materials you seek. For more information about this process, **view the Researcher Guidelines tab**.

### **ECRI COLLECTIONS & THE SIMON'S ROCK ARCHIVES**

One of the primary goals of the Early College Research Institute (ECRI) is to serve as the primary repository of materials related to early college in the United States. Established in 1984, the Simon's Rock Archives gained strong footing in 1985 when Simon's Rock founder Elizabeth Blodgett Hall donated her personal papers. Since then, the archives have grown to include a wide array official records, correspondence, art, video, audio, and artifacts that tell the story of Simon's Rock. The creation of the ECRI in 2020 promoted the expansion of the archives to preserve and provide access to materials related to the Bard Early College network and other early college initiatives.

### **MISSION**

To maintain, collect, and make available to interested researchers materials of continuing administrative, legal, fiscal, or historical value which are of permanent significance to the history of the Simon’s Rock; to serve as a research center for the study of Simon’s Rock genesis and development and its contribution to our cultural and intellectual heritage; to provide information services in support of the administration and operation of the Simon’s Rock; to facilitate the efficient management of the recorded information created by the Simon’s Rock departments and offices; to provide facilities for the retention, preservation, access, and research use of Simon’s Rock records (October 10, 2002).

To highlight Elizabeth Blodgett Hall’s life and work; to reinforce the reputation of the Simon’s Rock and encourage an appreciation of the institution’s past and its unique role in the history of American higher education as an Early College innovator; to provide permanent, archival storage for the retention, preservation, access, and research use of digital records (February 1, 2017).

To preserve and promote the early college idea, serve as the primary repository of materials related to early college in the United States, and to facilitate scholarly research related to the early college movement. Broadly, the ECRI seeks to capture valuable representations of the classroom experience and early college pedagogy, and collect insights from the successes of early colleges nationwide. (April 15, 2020).

### **COLLECTION AREAS & POLICIES**

**PRINTED RECORDS** | The archives strives to collect materials printed and/or published in a paper based format from the following offices:

* Office of the Provost (board minutes, official correspondence)
* Office of Communications (magazines, newsletters, posters)
* Office of Admissions (recruitment materials, application forms, brochures, posters)
* Institutional Advancement (invitations, appeals, brochures, posters)

The archives presently does not collect any records from any office that holds sensitive or restricted materials such as the Office of Student Life, the Wellness Center, the Office of Business and Administration (benefits, payroll), the Office of Financial Aid, or Academic Affairs (student records/registrar). The archives does hold some records from the above offices dated prior to 2002 (when the archives was officially formed) and many records have been assigned a restricted status.

**DIGITALLY-BORN RECORDS** | Presently, all official college records are created in a digital format and, almost all, are distributed/published exclusively in a digital format. As the website’s pages, links, and downloads are continuously updated, edited, and redesigned it is not a static environment, therefore the archives strives to capture and store digital records as stable files.

These files are sourced from the website and the webmail system, and are downloaded to a dedicated storage drive. Some files may be selected to be printed as well and stored in the physical archives collection. Images are collected either through digital scans of paper based photographs held in the archives collection or directly uploaded by the photographer. Images are uploaded, catalogued, and stored in a digital asset management database hosted on the Simon’s Rock Server.

**USE & ACCESS** | The Simon’s Rock Archives are located in the Alumni Library at Simon's Rock. The archives are open by appointment Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. If you would like to visit, need help locating materials, have any questions or have materials that you think should be preserved, please contact the Simon’s Rock Archives at [[1]].

**COPYRIGHT** | The Copyright Law of the United States (US Code, Title 17) governs the making of photocopies and reproductions of copyrighted material. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission for use of any material where copyrights, literary property rights, or other forms of ownership of intellectual property may apply, in conformance with the provisions of the United States Copyright Law. Photocopies are provided for scholarship and research purposes only and may not be further reproduced.

**REPRODUCTIONS** | Copies are prepared solely for the use of the researcher and may not be reproduced, published, broadcast without the prior written permission of the Simon’s Rock Archives.

**Personal Camera Use / Photocopying and Scanning Policy**

The Simon’s Rock Archives encourages researchers to use their own camera to capture material for research purposes, however photocopying and scanning can be arranged for most materials. These services have a nominal fee associated with them and must be handled by the Archivist.

**Audio/Visual**

Many audio/visual materials in the archives exist in formats no longer current. A copy request may involve transferring content to a digital format and therefore will carry a nominal fee. If you would like to request a copy of audio/visual materials please first contact the archivist via email to ensure that the archives can fulfill your request, then fill out this request form and email to archives@simons-rock.edu.

### **FINDING AIDS**

#### The finding aids below contain detailed information about the items that make up different parts of the collection. They are tools that are meant to help researchers locate materials, and can be used to inform either casual browsing or more directed research. Click the links below to view each finding aid. A downloadable, printable version can be found at the top of each page. New finding aids will be added continuously as more of the collection is processed.

* Simon's Rock Authors Collection
* Simon's Rock Yearbook Collection
* Bard Early College Collection
* Oral History Project (Coming Soon)
* Simon's Rock Administrative Publications Collection (Coming Soon)

### **ABOUT THE EARLY COLLEGE RESEARCH INSTITUTE**

As part of the Bard Center for Early College, the Early College Research Institute (ECRI) exists to foster the research, preservation, and scholarly discussion of the theory and practice of early college.

Based out of Bard College at Simon’s Rock, the nation’s only residential early college, the ECRI grounds early college in the broader educational landscape and informs the work of researchers of learning ecologies through its archival collections and academic journal, *Early College Folio*. *Early College Folio* is a digital, open access journal hosted on Bard Digital Commons.

Join our email list to stay up-to-date on our journal, collections, research, and ongoing initiatives.

### **MISSION**

To preserve and promote the early college idea, serve as the primary repository of materials related to early college in the United States, and to facilitate scholarly research related to the early college movement. Broadly, the ECRI seeks to capture valuable representations of the classroom experience and early college pedagogy, and collect insights from the successes of early colleges nationwide.

### **COLLECTIONS**

The ECRI is currently accepting donations of both physical and digital materials related to early college, and welcome inquiries about both the use and expansion of our collections at any time. Please [Collections|contact us] for more information.

**HISTORY OF EARLY COLLEGE**

### **HOURS OF OPERATION**

**The Simon's Rock Archives and ECRI Collections are open Monday-Friday between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.**

At this time, on-campus access is restricted to members of the Simon's Rock community: students, faculty, staff, and approved visitors. Virtual archives consultations are open to both members of the Simon's Rock community and the public. Contact us for more information.

### **ACCESSING MATERIALS**

##### IN-PERSON

Face-to-face services and Reading Room access are available to Simon's Rock students, stafff, fauclty, and approved visitors. Researchers must request an appointment in advance by contacting ECRI staff. A mask must be worn at all times in the library.

##### DISTANCE & DIGITAL CONSULTS

If you would like to view materials, but cannot visit the Simon's Rock campus, please contact us to arrange research assistance with our digital collections or to identify elements of the physical collection you would like to have scanned or photographed and emailed to you.

### **SUBMIT A RESEARCH REQUEST**

If you know what you're looking for or have a clear research question, follow these steps to submit a request. You can also contact the archivist for help narrowing your search, identifying relevant collections, and booking time in the Archives Reading Room.

1. **Review the collections and relevant finding aids** available on this site. If you see something specific that you'd like to review, copy the item number and/or location exactly as it appears in the finding aid.
2. **Share your research question** with the archivist, either **via phone or email**, along with relevant background information that may be helpful.
3. **Answer the following questions**: *What do you already know or have related to your research question? Are you hoping to browse materials in person? Do you want a digital copy of a physical copy of something specific? How quickly do you need the information/materials? In what format would you prefer to receive the information/materials?*
4. The archivist will work with you to identify the relevant materials you seek and arrange a time for you to view those materials in the Reading Room.

**FORMS FOR RESEARCHERS**

* Introduction to the Simon's Rock Archives - Learn more about the history of the archives and how archival materials can boost your research.
* Statement of Intended Use - Clarifies researcher's intended use of archival matierals.
* AV Copy Request Form - Use this form to request copies of audio and video archival materials.

### **SEARCHING OUR COLLECTIONS**

The finding aids on this site contain detailed information about the items that make up different parts of the collection.They are tools that are meant to help researchers locate materials, and can be used to inform either casual browsing or more directed research. Finding aids can also be useful in helping you assess the collection, make sense of the historical context tied to the materials, and judge the evidential value of the archives. In addition to finding aids, the Box List can also be useful in locating items tied to your specific interest or research topic.

The Box List and each finding aid are keyword searchable. To bring up a "Find" box on your screen, click Ctrl + F, then enter a keyword (e.g. a person's name, event, or place name). Please be aware that spellings of names or places may have changed over time, so you may have to conduct multiple searches.

##### UNDERSTANDING CALL NUMBERS

Contained within a finding aid's contents list or inventory will be a brief description of each item in a collection, which may include details such as the date and size of the item. Each entry will have a location and record number(s) associated with it. When you wish to look at a particular item, please provide the archivist with this location information.

Below is an sample entry from the Oral History collection:

Anne O'Dwyer oral history interview with Molly McGowan '13 [edited transcript]
See also: /9773, /2021.024.006

**This item's call number is CO LIB.05-02/9772**. The item's date appears on the first line of the far-right column, followed by a brief description and a notation of related materials. The full call number for related materials may be found by searching the item record number with the Ctrl + F function in your browser.

### **DURING YOUR VISIT**

When it is time for your scheduled appointment in the Reading Room, you will find the items you requested waiting for you at a workspace in the Alumni Library. Your use of these materials must follow the guidelines in the Statement of Intended Use (linked on the left-hand side of this page), which you will sign prior to your arrival. **Please review these reminders about handling archival materials:**

* No food or drink is allowed at your workspace.
* Please view only one item or folder at a time; be careful to return items to their original container.
* You may not leave the room with any items from the archives.
* Pens may not be used anywhere in the reading room, only pencils.
* If you would like a photocopy of any materials, please ask the archivist for assistance.
* Help save our collections—exercise great caution when handing archival materials. Don't make marks or notes on books, papers, or other materials. Do not fold, bend, or tear fragile materials. Use gloves when handling photographs.

Some supplies may be available for you to use during your visit, including hand sanitzer and gloves. **Please remember to bring the following items with you:**

* Pencil and paper for notetaking
* Laptop for any additional research you may need to do
* Smart phone or camera to take pictures/make research copies.

### **PREFERRED CITATIONS**

#### For books and periodicals in the ECRI's collections, follow the citation rules outlined in whatever style is required for your assignment (Chicago, MLA, APA, etc.).

For archival manuscripts, photographs, correspondence, or other records/papers, follow these examples, which include all of the required elements according to the 16th edition of Chicago Manual of Style:

* Author or creator of the collection
* Type of records in the collection
* Date span of the collection
* Manuscript or series number
* Name of holding repository
* Location of holding repository

##### BASIC STRUCTURE

**When you are citing an entire collection (for a bibliography):**

*Collection Name, date span*. Collection Code. [Record(s) type]. Early College Research Institute, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

`*Bard Early College Collection, 2001-2021*. BEC. [Papers]. Early College Research Institute, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.`

**When you are citing content from a particular item, document, or record in the larger collection (for footnotes/endnotes):**

"Item title" date. Box #, Folder #/Record Number. *Collection Name, date span*. Collection Code. [Record(s) type]. Early College Research Institute, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

"Minutes of the Long Range Planning Committee" May 24, 1970. Box 01-01, Folder 3/5999. *Simon's Rock Deans and Directors Collection*. DD. [Eileen Handelman Papers]. Early College Research Institute, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

### **Finding Aid to the Simon’s Rock Yearbook Collection (1970-2021)**

##### SUMMARY INFORMATION

**Reference Code/Call Number**

PUB S YB

**Repository**

Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Early College Research Institute, Simon’s Rock Archives

**Title**

Simon’s Rock Yearbook Collection

**Inclusive Dates**

1970-2021

**Extent**

87 print yearbooks (approximately 4.8 linear feet)

2 DVDs

3 digital files

**Name of Creator(s)**

Bard College at Simon’s Rock

Bard College at Simon’s Rock Students

**Language**

Materials entirely in English

**Historical Note**

Bard College at Simon’s Rock was founded in Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1966 based on the idea that many bright, motivated students are ready for serious intellectual work at the age of 16 or 17. Created through the vision of Elizabeth Blodgett Hall, the College’s founder and first president, Simon’s Rock became the nation’s first early college. Since then the early college movement has gained considerable momentum, yet Simon’s Rock remains unique in the early college landscape as the only residential college in the United States specifically designed to provide students with the opportunity to begin college after the tenth or eleventh grade.

Simon’s Rock opened as a women’s school in the fall of 1966 and offered its students a four-year program that combined the last two years of high school and the first two years of college—concluding with an associate of arts (AA) degree. In 1970, the first graduates received their degrees. That same year the College became a coeducational campus. By 1974, Simon’s Rock restructured and eliminated its high school component entirely. Through the support from the National Science Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation, the College developed its bachelor of arts (BA) program. With the introduction of its first BA concentrations, Simon’s Rock became what it has remained ever since: a four-year college of the liberal arts and sciences designed expressly to educate young, bright, motivated scholars.

In 2015, the Simon’s Rock campus welcomed its first class of 20 students, ages 12-14, as students of Bard Academy, a two-year, residential high school program built to prepare 9th and 10th graders to enter the early college program at Simon’s Rock.

When the Early College Research Institute (ECRI) was created in 2020, the Simon’s Rock archives (which included materials from and related to Bard College at Simon’s Rock and Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock) became part of a larger repository maintained by the ECRI. ECRI continues to collect materials related to Simon’s Rock, but has also expanded to include materials by and about the Bard Early College network and other early college initiatives nationwide.

[Note: Simon’s Rock has undergone a series of name changes throughout its institutional history. Former names for the institution include: Simon’s Rock (1964), Simon’s Rock College (1970), Simon’s Rock Early College (1977), Simon’s Rock of Bard College (1979), Simon’s Rock College of Bard (1990), Bard College at Simon’s Rock (2007). Informally, it has always been known as “Simon’s Rock.”]

**Scope and Content Note**

The types of materials present in this collection include student-made yearbooks in multiple formats. Most yearbooks are bound, hardback books though in some cases the yearbooks are paperback, spiral-bound, or digital files. Some gaps in the collection exist either because a yearbook was not created that year, or because no copy is currently maintained by the archives. Yearbooks from the first class (1966-1970) resemble personalized scrapbooks for each student rather than publications which represent the larger group. Only one example of this exists in the collection, “Laura Butler’s Yearbook” (PUB S YB/2018.001.001), which has been digitized. The archives does not hold a physical copy of Laura Butler’s yearbook, but since it was not *born digital*, it is noted as the first record in the inventory under Series I: Physical Yearbooks.

Series II holds born-digital yearbooks (though a print copy may also exist). Two of the yearbooks from this series, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, are digital because COVID-19 prevented in-person meetings and widespread hand-offs of physical copies. Students did not return to campus after Spring Break 2020, so remote work was required on behalf of the yearbook committee to complete and disseminate the 2019-2020 yearbook. Though many students were back on campus the following year, the committee felt that a digital yearbook would be more accessible to all students, including those forced to study remotely.

The title “Lapidus” was given to many yearbooks between 1976 and 2000. “Lapidus” is from the Latin *lapis*, meaning “stone,” a reference to Simon’s Rock, the glacial erratic for which the school was named.

##### ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

**Conditions Governing Access**

The vast majority of the collection is open for research; some new or unprocessed items may not be available to researchers immediately. A superscript plus sign ( ⁺ )  next to an item number indicates that access to the material may be restricted.

**Conditions Governing Reproductions and Use**

ECRI encourages researchers to use their own camera to capture material for research purposes, however photocopying and scanning can be arranged for most materials. Copyright restrictions may apply. Copies are prepared solely for the use of the researcher and may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, or shared on social media without the prior written permission of ECRI staff. Copy requests and any questions regarding reproductions and use should be directed to the archivist: archives@simons-rock.edu.

**Arrangement Note**

Series I yearbooks are arranged on a bookshelf in the archives in chronological order. Since there are no box numbers or folder numbers for these items, the container is listed as BSA (Book Shelf A). Series II born-digital yearbooks are saved and maintained by the archivist in both local and cloud-based servers. The container, in the case of born-digital yearbooks, refers to the title of the file folder.

**Processing Information**

Most of this material was processed by former College Archivists Russell Miller and Margaret Cherin around 2005 and after the yearbooks’ removal from the library’s non-circulating collection. In 2021, Erin Donahue processed additional materials from 2018-2021 and created a finding aid with details from various inventories of the collection.

**Related Materials**

ECRI also manages repositories for Bard Early College, Bard Academy, and other early college programs nationwide. Yearbooks from these programs, once processed, will be included in the inventory under the heading “Related Materials from Other ECRI Collections.”

**Preferred Citation**

*Simon’s Rock Yearbook Collection* 1970-2021. PUB S YB. [Publications]. Early College Research Institute, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, MA.

##### CATALOG HEADINGS

**Corporate Name Subject**

Bard College at Simon’s Rock

Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock

**Geographic Subject**

Great Barrington (M.A.)

##### INVENTORY

\* indicates the material has been digitized

⁺ indicates that access to the material may be restricted; consult repository for details

##### Series II: Born-Digital Yearbooks

Simon’s Rock yearbook [DVD]
 PUB S YB
 PUB S YB
Simon’s Rock yearbook [PDF]

##### Related Materials from Other ECRI Collections

Jane Powers de Colgyll ‘66 oral history interview with Erin Donahue [edited transcript]; narrator mentions early yearbooks from 1970 at approximately the 42-minute mark.
See also: /2021.048.004⁺ [recording] and /2021.048.005⁺ [unedited transcript]

Last updated: October 21, 2021

### **Finding Aid to the Bard Early College Collection (2000-2021)**

##### SUMMARY INFORMATION

**Reference Code/Call Number**

BEC

**Repository**

Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Early College Research Institute, Bard Early College Archives

**Title**

Bard Early College Collection

**Inclusive Dates**

2001-2021

**Bulk Dates**

2001-2006

2019-2021

**Extent**

1 box (approximately 1 linear foot)

digital files

**Name of Creator(s)**

Bard Early Colleges

Sharpe, Patricia, 1943-

Weinstein, John B.

Win, Judith

Win, U Ba

**Language**

Materials entirely in English

**Historical Note**

Bard Early College (BEC), formerly known as Bard Early Colleges, is the network of early college programs designed and implemented by Bard College as an extension of the early college model at Simon’s Rock. Bard has a 40-year history in early college education, dating back to 1979 when Bard assumed leadership of Simon’s Rock, the nation’s first private, residential early college. This experience led Bard College President Leon Botstein (who entered college himself at age 16) to make the case for early college education in his 1997 book Jefferson’s Children: Education and the Promise of American Culture. The 1999 Columbine High School massacre reignited a debate about how to better serve the American teenager through high school reform. The first Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) opened in 2001 made possible by the support of the New York City Department of Education under the leadership of Chancellor Harold Levy. It was among the first public early college high schools established in the country.

In 2002, just after the first BHSEC opened, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Early College High School (ECHS) Initiative along with the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The initiative was inspired by two existing models: Bard High School Early College (est. 2001) and Middle College High School at LaGuardia Community College (est. 1974). While this collection is not specifically related to the Gates ECHSI, some materials in this collection come from or mention the initiative due to meetings and conversations which occurred between representatives from both BHSEC and the ECHSI. In a few cases, folders may contain materials from early college initiatives outside both the ECHSI and BHSEC models.

In the first decade of Bard Early College, two campuses operated in New York City (Brooklyn [opened in 2001, but moved to Manhattan in 2002] and Queens [opened in 2008]), followed by one campus in Newark, New Jersey in 2011. In its second decade, BEC expanded its campus network to five states (NY, NJ, LA, OH, MD) and the District of Columbia. BEC also introduced new models and new approaches to early college and made public policy inroads to support early college education.

When the Early College Research Institute (ECRI) was created in 2020, the Simon’s Rock archives (which included materials from and related to Bard College at Simon’s Rock and Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock) became part of a larger repository under the ECRI umbrella. ECRI continues to collect materials related to Simon’s Rock, but has also expanded to include materials by and about the Bard Early College network and other early college initiatives nationwide.

[Note: Content adapted from “Our History”, 2020 https://bhsec.bard.edu/our-history/ and “Early College: What and Why?” by Patricia Sharpe, 2006. Additionally, Bard Early College has undergone a series of name changes throughout its institutional history. Former and/or alternate names for the institution include: the Bard Early College Network and Bard Early Colleges.]

**Scope and Content Note**

The types of materials present in this collection include correspondence, reports, speeches, memos, paper files, and digital files: PDFs and MP4s. While the materials mostly relate to the Bard Early College Network, materials from some other early college programs appear in the papers of Ba Win and Pat Sharpe, and provide context to the early college landscape between 2001 and 2006.

##### ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

**Conditions Governing Access**

The vast majority of the collection is open for research; some new or unprocessed items may not be available to researchers immediately. A superscript plus sign ( ⁺ )  next to an item number indicates that access to the material may be restricted.

**Conditions Governing Reproductions and Use**

ECRI encourages researchers to use their own camera to capture material for research purposes, however photocopying and scanning can be arranged for most materials. Copyright restrictions may apply. Copies are prepared solely for the use of the researcher and may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, or shared on social media without the prior written permission of ECRI staff. Copy requests and any questions regarding reproductions and use should be directed to the Archivist: archives@simons-rock.edu.

**Arrangement Note**

Unless otherwise noted in the series and subseries descriptions, the arrangement scheme for the collection was imposed during processing in the absence of a usable original order. Within each series, the collection is arranged loosely by date (or date range) with respect to individual accessions’ provenance.

**Processing Information**

Most of this material was processed by Erin Donahue after the creation of the ECRI in 2020. Upon the retirement of Patricia Sharpe from Simon’s Rock in 2021, Erin Donahue processed additional material for this collection. Some related material (see below) was accessioned in 2014 by Margaret Cherin, but remained unprocessed until 2020.

**Related Materials**

Before the creation of the ECRI, materials related to Bard Early College were contained in other personal collections tied to Simon’s Rock. These people, (Patricia Sharpe and U Ba Win) served in roles for both Simon’s Rock and Bard Early College. Their personal collections within the Simon’s Rock Deans and Directors Collection remain intact since they were accessioned together and relate, more generally, to Simon’s Rock. However, because these materials are so closely related to the BEC Collection, they are included in the inventory below unde the "Related Materials" heading.

ECRI also manages repositories for Bard Academy and Bard College at Simon’s Rock, plus other early college programs nationwide. The Institute holds research related to the landscape of early college in America. For more information, contact the archivist.

Additional materials related to one BHSEC—BHSEC Baltimore—are held in archives managed by Librarian Rachel Wasserman. These materials were initially collected and maintained by BHSEC Baltimore Principal Francesca Gamber since the school’s inception.

**Preferred Citation**

*Bard Early College Collection, 2001-2021.* BEC. [Papers]. Early College Research Institute, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, MA.

##### CATALOG HEADINGS

**Personal Name Subject**

Marcy, Mary

Rodgers, Bernard F., 1947-

Sharpe, Patricia, 1943-

Tremaine, Stephen

Weinstein, John B.

Williams, Dumaine

Win, U Ba

**Corporate Name Subject**

Bard Early College

Bard High School Early College (BHSEC)

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI)

**Geographic Subject**

Great Barrington (MA, US)

New Orleans (LA, US)

New York (NY, US)

##### INVENTORY

\* indicates the material has been digitized

⁺ indicates that access to the material may be restricted; contact archivist for details

**Series I: Publications**

Includes formal, external publications like books and journals, plus any official document created by Bard Early College for wide dissemination to students, employees, parents, or the public.

**Series II: Papers**

This series includes documents created or collected by individuals within (or related to) the organization for personal use. These are typically internal documents and may include notes, memoranda, files, etc.

 BEC.01
List of Bard Early College pedagogy trainings at the Early College Summer Institute.

**Series III: Correspondence**

This series includes original letters (with related materials) and printed copies of emails from and to leaders within the organization.

 BEC.01
Messages to Simon’s Rock from the Dean of Early Colleges, John B. Weinstein [printed emails].
*See also:* BEC>CORR>JBW for digital access

**Series IV: Born Digital**

The materials in this series are called “born digital” because they were originally produced in a digital form rather than having been converted from print or analog equivalents. In accordance with ECRI’s collection development policy, these materials are retained in digital forms, but perhaps altered (printed, reformatted, or converted) to provide more stable access. The container refers to the file location.

*Series IV, Subseries A: Publications*

>PUB A>
ANNUAL REPORTS
 BEC>PUB
>PUB A>
NEWSLETTERS
 ECRI>PUB
Early College Folio vol. 1, issue 1
*See also:* /2021.030.002 [launch event recording] or view all issues of the journal here: https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/earlycollegefolio/

*Series IV, Subseries B: Audio/Video*

 ECRI>MEDIA
*See also:* /2021.030.003 [edited transcript] or view the transcript here: https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/earlycollegefolio/vol**1/iss1/23/**

*Series IV, Subseries C: Press Clippings*

>2019
 BEC>PRESS
>2020
 BEC>PRESS
>2021
Miscellaneous online articles; Bard Early College in the news

*Series IV, Subseries D: Email Correspondence*

“A Message to the Bard Early College Community” from Stephen Tremaine and Dumaine Williams.

**Related Materials from the Deans and Directors Collection**

This collection contains miscellaneous ephemera from administrative and academic leaders at Bard College at Simon’s Rock whose papers span more than a single college office. Included in this collection are the papers of Eileen T. Handelman, Ba Win, and Patricia “Pat” Sharpe. A small sample from this collection is shared here since both Ba Win and Pat Sharpe worked closely with the BHSEC program.

*Series I: Dean of Academic Affairs*

These materials are part of a larger collection of Pat Sharpe’s papers. Sharpe was the Dean of Academic Affairs at Simon’s Rock for many years, but left in 2001 to support academic procedures for the founding BHSEC in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (this campus moved to Manhattan after its first year). In 2007, she returned to New York to help found Bard High School early College Queens, where she served as Dean of Studies until 2016.

*Series II: Ba Win*

Though Ba Win held the title of Provost for much of his time at Simon’s Rock, he also served as Dean of Students and in several other leadership roles on campus. Additionally, he is considered an architect of the Bard Early College Network having been a part of the creation of the first two BHSECs from 2001-2008.

**Related Materials from Other ECRI Collections**

 PO IV.01
 PO IV.01
 PO II.01
 MED DVD.08
 CO LIB.07-02
Ba Win oral history interview with Molly McGowan ‘13 [edited transcript]
*See also*: SR>CO>LIB>OH>2015\_2016 for digital access; /9779 [video recording]

Last updated: November 2, 2021

### **THE ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION**

In 2005, Simon's Rock Archivist Russell Miller initated a series of oral history interviews with long-serving members of Simon's Rock faculty and staff. Since then, with the support of archivists Margaret Cherin and Erin Donahue as well as many Simon's Rock students, the collection has grown to include even more perspectives including those of alumni and donors.

View selected excerpts from the Simon's Rock Institutional Oral History Project on Digital Commons. Requests to view full transcripts or audio/video recordings can be directed to the archivist.

https://youtu.be/WCm6ykvOfHQ

### **WHAT IS FOUNDER'S DAY?**

Founder's Day is an annual celebration held on (or near) November 16th, the birthday of Simon's Rock founder Elizabeth "Betty" Blodgett Hall (pictured left at Simon's Rock circa 1964). November 2020 marked the first ever Founder's Day and Simon's Rock launched a successful fundraising campaign in honor of what would have been Betty's 111th birthday.

**This year, students recognized and celebrated Betty's commitment to building community on campus through a shared reading and reflection event on Monday, November 15th.**

### **WHO WAS ELIZABETH BLODGETT HALL?**

Elizabeth "Betty" Blodgett Hall (1909-2005) moved with her family from New York City to Great Pine Farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts when she was about 12 years old. Despite her city upbringing, Betty revered the life she had in Great Barrington. She learned to ice fish, milk a cow, fell a tree, drive a tractor, and found satisfaction in mastering these skills of country living. Plus, she and the neighborhood children even built a clubhouse at the massive rock up on the hillside. The locals called it "Simon's Rock."

At the age of 32 and as a mother of four, Betty attended Radcliffe College. She graduated in 1946 and later joined the faculty at Concord Academy, a private preparatory school for girls. She became Headmistress within a year. Betty staked her claim in the world of education as a visionary—tough and passionate, smart and stubborn. It wasn't until her parents' health declined in 1963 that Betty returned to Great Pine Farm (no longer a working farm) with a new hope: create a school that would reject the notion of the traditional structure of American education. In her eyes, there was too much wasted in the redundancy of the last two years of high school and the first two years of college. Students were left bored and dismissed by the reign of standardized tests and by memorization masquerading as educational excellence. Simon's Rock would be different. It would allow students to follow their passions and engage deeply with "the whole range of human inquiry" (EBH I.09.33/1670). And in 1964, she broke ground for the campus's first new building, Kendrick House, on a corner of what once was her family's farm.

The first class of Simon's Rock students arrived in September of 1966. Betty led the institution as President and Founder until 1972 at which point she joined the Board of Trustees and helped negotiate the 1979 merge with Bard College. She remained part of the campus community and the Board for more than twenty years, often seen driving around campus in a golf cart after she relinquished her driver's license due to her declining vision.

Betty Hall died in 2005 in Canaan, Connecticut. Many of her papers, letters, and manuscripts can be found in the Simon's Rock Archives and at Harvard's Schlesinger Library. A scholarship fund named for Betty and her husband, Livingston Hall, provide Simon's Rock students with 100% tuition coverage.

### **WHAT IS "THE NATURE AND BUILDING OF COMMUNITY?"**

**"The Nature and Building of Community"** is a speech given to new Simon's Rock students by Betty Hall on October 8, 1975. This speech was the final event in a series called the Dolliver Seminar. By this point in Simon's Rock history, Betty was no longer the President of Simon's Rock, but she still lived on campus, was a member of the Board, and was a prominent figure in the eyes of faculty, staff, and students.

The archives holds three drafts of this speech: an incomplete handwritten outline, a typed outline/narrative with hand-made notes and edits, and a complete, edited transcript created some time after. The version you have access to is the second one, which is understood to have been the version from which Betty spoke, though some lines from the third and final transcript can be found in the annotated version. These documents are linked below.

**The** **Dolliver Seminar** was created some time in the early 1970s as a sort of orientation for new students. The goal, as stated in a 1975 outline, was "to help orient students to their new social collegiate freedoms and responsibilities by clarifying the nature of issues and choices many are confronting for the first time on their own" (EBH I.01.14/335). The seminar ran each Fall for approximately one month and boasted a series of activities, discussions, speakers, and opportunities for reflection between faculty, staff, and students.

In a January 1975 article in *The Rock* (student newspaper), the editor of the paper defends the seminar against those who dubbed it the "*Dull-*iver Seminar":

The Dolliver Seminar is based on the premise that we, as individuals, reassess our values, particularly during a time of transition from one phase of life into another. This, in reference to the Dolliver Seminar, is the transition from adolescence to adulthood, from dependence to independence. The premise is sound, and the fact that many of these people who are in need of value reassessment cannot perceive the need for it, does not preclude the basic premise. . . . But this is not to say that since it is founded on unimpeachable concepts, no changes in format or structure should be made. In the Dolliver Seminar Simon's Rock as a rough and unpolished, but exquisite gemstone which will take work to perfect. (PUB S.01/248

By the following fall, major structural changes to the program can be seen including a renewed focus on the individual student's responsibility to herself *and* her community.

### **DONATE TO THE SIMON'S ROCK COLLECTION**

The Simon's Rock Archives welcomes submissions of digital photographs, documents, and videos of life at Simon's Rock through this community submisssions form. The purpose of this collection is to document the student, faculty, and staff experience of Simon's Rock in all of its diversity. If you have questions or would prefer a more individualized consultation regarding your donation, email us at archives@simons-rock.edu.

### **DONATE TO ANOTHER ECRI COLLECTION**

Are you (or *were* you) part of an early college program? Do you have materials related to the planning, design, and function of that program? Perhaps you have classroom materials or something else that tells the story of early college. Contact us at ecri@simons-rock.edu! We'll be happy to work with you.