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Swarthmore College financial records

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG6-G

Scope and Contents

The Swarthmore College financial records include materials from the college's Treasurer, Development Office, Finance Office, committees of the Board of Managers, and other entities of the college. Included are bookkeeping records for college finances, student tuition records, both printed and handwritten fundraising materials, and more.

The collection is organized into five series:

  1. College finances
  2. Tuition and scholarships
  3. Endowment fundraising
  4. Subject files and reports
  5. Prospect research (*RESTRICTED*)

Series 1. College finances consists primarily of cash books (chronological listings of transactions) and ledgers (listing of transactions organized by account), with other bookkeeping records, investment ledgers (circa 1912-1931), and a letterpress book of Treasurer Robert Biddle's correspondence (1888-1901). The series is organized by document type. See also RG6/B, Swarthmore College Corporation Records and RG6/C, Records of the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College.

Series 2. Tuition and scholarships includes ledgers of student accounts, student promissory notes, tuition payment receipts, and a 1975 survey of scholarship options at Swarthmore. The series is organized in chronological order.

Series 3. Endowment fundraising includes general fundraising records and endowment campaign materials. It consists primarily of lists of donors/subscribers and printed appeals and progress reports from endowment campaigns. (See also RG6/A, Official Publications of Swarthmore College, Series6: Fundraising Publications.) There are some general records of the college's Development Office, including study reports, press releases, records of the 1984 Development Planning Group, and more.

Series 4. Subject files and reports includes reports, correspondence, financial documents, reference materials, committee papers, and other types of documents relating to the finances of Swarthmore College, development/fundraising efforts, funded projects, the office administration of finance and development departments, and other materials. The Development Planning Group reports are particularly valuable sources of in-depth information about the college's resources and needs. Of special interest are files on Advisory Committee on South African Investments, the China and Swarthmore Program (a program of cultural interchange efforts, notably scholarships for students from the People's Republic of China), and the Swarthmore-Chester Internship Program (which placed Swarthmore student workers on community development projects in the nearby City of Chester, Pa).

Series 5. Prospect research files contain sensitive personal information and therefore access is restricted, but they also contain useful biographical information which may be provided upon request. Class of 1943 to Class of 1946, 0.1 linear feet.

Dates

  • 1864-1999

Creator

Limitations on Accessing the Collection

Materials in this collection are restricted. Contact Curator to inquire about receiving permission to access items from the collection.

Copyright and Rights Information

Copyright has not been assigned to Friends Historical Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in to the Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Friends Historical Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

Biographical / Historical

Swarthmore College was founded on April 1, 1864, by the Religious Society of Friends (Hicksite), by Act of Incorporation of the Pennsylvania State Legislature. The College Charter authorized the Board of Managers to raise capital funds through the sale of shares of stock in the Corporation, with each stockholder entitled to one vote at its annual meeting. Once $50,000 was raised, land was purchased in the Westdale section of Springfield Township (now Swarthmore), Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The College building was completed in time for classes to begin in the fall of 1869, with a co-educational program at both preparatory and college levels.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, Swarthmore had an operating budget of $108,600,000. Its endowment, with a market value of $1,249,254,000, was the 12th highest per student in the U.S. (FY2009). (Source: "Swarthmore College Facts & Figures." Accessed April 8, 2015. http://www.swarthmore.edu/about/facts-figures.)

Extent

15 Linear Feet

Language

English

Overview

The Swarthmore College financial records include materials from the college's Treasurer, Development Office, Finance Office, committees of the Board of Managers, and other entities of the college. Included are bookkeeping records for college finances, student tuition records, both printed and handwritten fundraising materials, and more.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Deposit, 1972 and on-going

Related Materials

Additional materials related to the college's financial support can be found in RG6/B, Swarthmore College Corporation Records and RG6/C, Records of the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College.

Printed materials from fundraising efforts can also be found in RG6/A, Official Publications of Swarthmore College, Ser.6 Fundraising Publications.

See PG 7 Reference files and RG 6/V College Reference for secondary information.

Processing Information

The bulk of the material was received circa 1972 and processed as part of Swarthmore College Archives, Series 2, Official Records of the College.

Title
Finding Aid for the Swarthmore College Financial Records, 1864-1999
Author
FHL staff
Date
2019
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting reproductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library

Contact:
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore Pennsylvania 19081 USA