Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Description:

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Description:

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

The collection comprises materials related to a study that Heath, a clinical psychologist, conducted on 36 members of the Class of 1954 during their years at Princeton. Most of the documents are transcriptions of interviews Heath conducted with the students on a regular basis. The students are coded by number, but Heath provided a list to enable individuals to be identified once the collection is opened in 2035. Heath's work was published in The Reasonable Adventurer (1964), which spawned a follow-up volume comparing the study participants with other members of the class of 1954 as part of the class' 25th reunion activities. Series 1 contains advisee files on each participant, and Series 2 contains materials related to the project such as reports and summarized responses on specific topics, as well as one 25th reunion interview titled "Soundings."

Heath maintained eight folders on each student: three on their freshman year, one on their sophomore year, two on their junior year, and two on their senior year. Exceptions exist when folders are missing, or when students died during the course of the study (as did students number 156 and 181), or dropped out of Princeton (as did students number 103, 249, and 371). The first folder contains information on student grades and extracurricular activities.

Although the bulk of the documents are transcriptions of interviews, there is a variety of other material on the students as well. Because Heath served as their faculty advisor all four years, he kept extensive records of their progress at the university academically, socially, and emotionally. He visited the students' homes and took notes on their family make-up and socio-economic background. A few files contain student personal memorabilia Heath considered of interest, such as drawings, newspaper clippings, and freshman English compositions.

The interviews themselves primarily concern University issues, such as course selection and rooming arrangements. Many of the students discussed deeply personal matters with Heath as well. There are some standard questions Heath asked each student to address at different points, questions relating to their perceptions of ethnic and racial minorities, religion, sexual behavior, women, and the Princeton club system. During November of the academic year 1953-54 Heath gave each student a short test for which they had to produce a drawing and writing sample; he discussed it with them afterwards and the interviews were transcribed.

All the interview sheets have code numbers printed on their upper-right hand corners which correspond to the code numbers of the discs on which the interviews were recorded.

Arrangement

The collections is divided into two series:

Collection Creator Biography:

Heath

Roy Heath was a member of the Princeton University class of 1939. He later served on the faculty as professor of psychology and was appointed director of a sweeping study of undergraduate education at Princeton, the results of which were published in The Reasonable Adventurer (1964). The study entailed Heath acting as the advisor to thirty-six members of the Class of 1954 throughout their undergraduate careers and documenting the social and academic progress of the students through periodic interviews.

Acquisition:

Series 1 materials were donated by Roy Heath in 1990, accession number AR.1990.018. Series 2 materials were donated by Charles Millard in 2011, accession number AR.2011.140.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Andrea Schorr in 1990. Finding aid written by Andrea Schorr in 1990.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is closed until January 1, 2035, but may be used by scholars who agree to use it for statistical purposes only.

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:

Roy Heath Class of 1954 Advisee Project Interviews; Princeton University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/c247ds09s
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 1-19