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Summary

Abstract:
The Samuel B. Gould Papers document his personal life as well as his many professional positions in education, including his tenure as chancellor of the State University of New York.
Extent:
4.34 cubic ft.
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, The Samuel B. Gould Papers, 1933-1997. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Gould Papers).

Background

Scope and Content:

The Samuel B. Gould Papers document's his long career in the field of higher education. This collection is divided into four series arranged chronologically: Biographical Material, Speeches, Reports and Published and Unpublished Works, and Administrative Files.

The Biographical Material series generally contains news and magazine clippings reporting events of Gould's life, particularly his tenure as chancellor at SUNY. There are also some articles on Gould's wife and two interviews with Gould as well as pictures of Laura Gould's paintings. This series also contains personal and professional photographs and Gould's naval orders and assignments.

By far the most extensive element in the papers are Gould's speeches, which cover the period of his presidency at Antioch College through his retirement. Speeches were Gould's primary means of communicating his ideas and views. Many of the speeches are repeated, with modifications for the audience and event, a process that was assisted by a 1969 condensed version of his ideas on education compiled by his SUNY staff. His speeches discuss trends in educational techniques and philosophies, including developments in non-traditional approaches and the use of electronic media. These also document the development of his programs for expansion at Antioch College, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Educational Broadcasting System, the State University of New York, and the Carnegie Commission on Non-Traditional Study. The researcher should note that each speech's title is proceeded by the institution in which Gould served at the time of the speech.

Samuel Gould's reports, published articles and books are generally extensions of ideas previously expressed in his speeches and lectures. The third series contains many published and unpublished works of Gould's, including his unpublished autobiography A Maverick in the Establishment. Some folders contain correspondence about publishing articles and book reviews, as well as requests for re-print.

The last series, Administrative Files, contains materials from Gould's administrative roles, such as memorandums and press releases.

Biographical / Historical:

Samuel Brookner Gould was an American educator known for promoting expanded access to education through the use of non-traditional means, such as educational television, college teacher-mentor systems, and universities without walls. Among his most important positions were the presidency of the Educational Broadcasting System (1962-64); the Chancellorship of the State University of New York (1964-70); and the chairman of the Carnegie Commission on Non-Traditional Study (1971-74).

Samuel Gould was born in Shelton, Connecticut, on October 11, 1910. At the age of 16 he attended Bates College in Maine, where he was a general assistant to the president. He graduated in 1930. He attended Oxford University briefly in 1931 but left due to financial difficulties. Gould worked for New England Telephone and Telegraph until he accepted a teaching position in English at William Hall High School in West Hartford, Connecticut (1932-38). He also worked part time for a radio station. In 1936, he married Laura Johanna Ohmen, a native of Finland. From 1938 to 1947, Gould headed the department of speech at Brookline High School in Massachusetts while working on his Ph.D. from Harvard. He had previously completed his M.A. at New York University.

Gould's doctoral work was interrupted by World War II. He served in the Navy as a Lt. Commander, PTD, gaining honors. After the war, he helped establish Boston University's Communications Department and served as an assistant to the president from 1951 to 1953. In 1954, Gould became president of Antioch College in Ohio, a position he held until he was appointed chancellor of the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1959. UCSB expanded its academic program under his leadership. In July of 1962, Gould became president of the Educational Broadcasting System in New York with the flagship station, WNDT-TV, channel 13.

In 1964, Gould was appointed chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY). During his administration, SUNY underwent its greatest physical and academic expansion and consolidation. Gould's vision for SUNY went beyond a desire to establish a traditional university system. He included in the university system new technologies such as television and non-traditional study opportunities such as those provided by the Empire State College teacher-mentor system. Under his tenure, the concept of granting academic credit for non-academic experience was initiated.

In 1970, Gould retired from SUNY, became Chancellor Emeritus and served briefly as a director at McKinsey and Company. From 1971 to 1974, he served as the chairman of the Carnegie Commission on Non-Traditional Study which attempted to modify and set new goals for education. During the 1970s Gould worked periodically with the Venezuelan Ministry of Education in developing that nation's university system. He accompanied former United States Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller, a close personal friend, on his 1977 tour of Latin America. From 1976 to 1977, he served as interim chancellor for higher education for the State of Connecticut. He has also served as a trustee of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association and on the Commission for Post-Secondary Educational Planning in Florida.

Gould died on June 11, 1997.

Acquisition information:
Samuel B. Gould donated his papers in 1988 to the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives. When Dr. Gould passed away in 1997, his children gave some of his personal materials to Dr. Martin Fausold who was researching both the history of the State University of New York and Dr. Gould. Fausold later donated these materials along with his own papers in 2008.
Processing information:

Processed in 1989 by Eric Reichert and Geoffrey A. Huth.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into the following series:

  1. Series 1 - Biographical Material, 1933-1997, Undated
  2. Series 2 - Speeches, 1954-1985, Undated
  3. Series 3 - Reports and Published and Unpublished Works, 1936-1980, Undated
  4. Series 4 - Administrative, 1964-1989, Undated

All series are arranged chronologically.

Physical location:
The materials are located onsite in the department.

Contents


Access

Using These Materials

ACCESS:
The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
RESTRICTIONS:

Access to this record group is unrestricted.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions, but the legal determination ultimately rests with the researcher. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, The Samuel B. Gould Papers, 1933-1997. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Gould Papers).

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