Katherine Lower papers

The Katherine Lower papers house the professional papers of Katherine Lower, director and dean of the Graduate Department of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College. The collection, which ranges from 1946 to 1970, consists primarily of office papers relating to the development and history of the department.

The collection consists of four series: “Series I: Biographical Material and Clippings,” “Series II: Correspondence,” and “Series III: Departmental Materials,” and “Series IV: Course Materials.”

“Series I: Biographical Material and Clippings” contains biographical information and clippings. “Series II: Correspondence” contains Lower’s correspondence with Mildred Fairchild, director of the Social Work department during the 1930s-1940s; departmental correspondence on curriculum, 1950s; and miscellaneous correspondence, 1950s to 1970s. “Series III: Departmental Materials” contains a variety of materials from the Social Work department, much of it related to various committees (Doctoral Committee, Social Sciences Subcommittee, Advisory Committee, Research Committee, etc.) of which Lower was a part. “Series IV: Course Materials” contains course outlines from 1960 and 1965; exams from 1950; and two bound volumes titled “The Graduate Department Social Work and Social Research, Appendix B, Course Material.”

During Lower’s administration as director, the social work faculty grew, as did the student enrollment. She greatly expanded and enriched the graduate curriculum. This collection provides additional insight into the her administration and would be of use to anyone interested in the Graduate Department of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr during the late 1940s and into the 1970s.