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Collection Overview

Creator:
Princeton Cooperative School Program.
Title:
Princeton Cooperative School Program Records
Repository:
Princeton University Archives
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/nc580m650
Dates:
1958-1977 (mostly 1963-1966)
Size:
5 boxes
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-5
Language:
English

Abstract

The records of the Princeton Cooperative School Program document the history of this summer program for disadvantaged youth held at and administered by Princeton University.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence, classroom material, printed material, reports, minutes, and proposals. The material primarily concerns staff, students, administration, program planning and outcome, budget, and participating high schools. Like materials relating to the Secondary School Science Project and Princeton-Trenton Institute are also included.

PCSP curriculum and the instructors' ideas for and reflections on the curriculum are particularly well documented in reports. Also of interest are materials relating to specific classes and students, which in some cases reflect the progress of and changes observed in students during their time in PCSP and afterwards. The records are comparatively sparse for the years following Judson's departure as program director after the 1966 session, but the 1977 "Survey of College Retention and Attrition in the Princeton Cooperative School Program" provides somewhat detailed information on PCSP sessions from 1966 to 1975.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged alphabetically by form or topic and chronologically therein.

Collection Creator Biography:

Princeton Cooperative School Program.

Established in January 1964 as the Princeton Summer Studies Program, the Princeton Cooperative School Program (PCSP) was an Upward Bound program with the purpose of increasing the pool of qualified college applicants from those "disadvantaged by race, economics, or both." Sheldon Judson, Knox Taylor Professor of Geology at Princeton, served as program director from 1963 to 1966. Judson was also chair of the Secondary School Science Project, "Time, Space, Matter," another Princeton program which supplied the science curriculum for the PCSP.

The PCSP was divided into two phases: a six-week summer residential program on the Princeton campus and an individualized follow-up program that lasted through each student's senior year of high school. African-American students selected from the Princeton, Burlington, Trenton, Hightstown, Newark, and Jersey City, New Jersey school systems were the program's primary participants. Students were selected for participation in the spring of their sophomore year and were nominated by their teachers on the basis of strong personalities and the potential to achieve in the areas of social or intellectual leadership. Classes in English, science and math formed the core of the curriculum, along with social studies, language arts, and creative arts. The PCSP was primarily staffed by university and high school faculty, but Princeton undergraduates and some graduate students served as teaching assistants. Teachers from a Princeton University administered program for high school teachers, the Princeton-Trenton Institute, also participated.

PCSP students spent most of the day in class, and devoted late afternoons to athletic activity. In the evenings, students were expected to complete homework and participate in student government meetings. On weekends, participants often went on field trips. Some students held campus jobs. The PCSP was supported by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and in part by Princeton University and the National Science Foundation. The program was phased out after the 1976 summer session.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Sheldon R. Judson donated these records to the University Archives after 1977 .

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Christine A. Lutz in 2002 with the assistance of Chris Cunningham. Finding aid written by Christine A. Lutz in 2002. The Princeton Cooperative School Scrapbook and Princeton Summer Studies Program Photo Album were donated to the Princeton University Archives by Pamela Judson-Rhodes in 2004. Materials were processed and added to the collection by Kimberly McCauley in 2019.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

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.

Credit this material:

Princeton Cooperative School Program Records; Princeton University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/nc580m650
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-5