Swarthmore College financial records

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:

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.