RG 04/A16

Inventory to the Records of the Rutgers University Office of the President (Mason Welch Gross), 1936, 1945-1971

By Ellen R. Callahan, Eileen P. Meyer, Diana Morris, and Kathy Stewart

May 2000

Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries

Administrative History and Biographical Sketch of Mason Gross

Mason Welch Gross was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on June 3, 1911, the son of Charles Wells Gross and Hilda Frances (Welch) Gross. He received an A.B. and M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University in 1934 and 1936, respectively. Gross earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Harvard in 1938. On September 6, 1940, he married Julia Kernan with whom he had four children: Ellen Clariss (Mrs. Frank A. Miles), Katherine Wood (Mrs. Clayton H. Farnham), Charles Wells and Thomas Welch.

Dr. Gross began his career at Rutgers University in 1946 as assistant professor of philosophy and assistant to the dean of the College of Arts and Science. He previously had been an instructor from 1938 to 1942 at Columbia University. In the interim he served in the Army Intelligence Corps, where he was stationed in Italy during World War II. In 1949 he was made a full professor and took on the newly-created position of provost under the ailing president, Robert Clothier. When Clothier took an extended leave of absence because of his health, Provost Gross took over his duties as President of Rutgers. Clothier resigned in 1951 and Dr. Gross continued as provost under President Lewis Webster Jones. He was given the additional title of vice president in 1958. President Jones resigned the presidency in August, 1958, and in February, 1959, Gross was chosen as his successor. On May 6, 1959, Mason W. Gross became the sixteenth president of Rutgers University.

Mason Gross presided over a time of great change at Rutgers. During his tenure, the university's enrollment doubled from 18,000 to 35,000 and the annual budget of the institution rose from $18 million to $68 million. There was also great physical growth which included additions to the Douglass Campus, the purchase and development of Camp Kilmer into Livingston College as well as additions to the Newark and Camden campuses. Much of the money for this expansion came through state and federal legislation for which President Gross lobbied extensively.

There was also expansion and diversification of academic programs at Rutgers during the Gross administration. The Medical School was founded in 1961; the Graduate School increased its doctoral programs from 29 to 50; the Eagleton Institute of Politics was founded as well as the Urban Studies Program.

Dr. Gross was also a part of many political and social struggles. In 1965, he became embroiled in the controversy involving Rutgers professor Eugene D. Genovese, who stated at a "Teach-In" over United States involvement in Vietnam that he would welcome a Vietcong victory in Southeast Asia. The following year law professor Arthur Kinoy was arrested and physically expelled from a House Un-American Activities committee hearing because of his vocal and adamant defense of a client. In both cases the public saw these people as communists or at least communist sympathizers and President Gross drew criticism by resisting public pressure to dismiss both professors.

The late 1960's was also a time of great unrest and change on college campuses because of the Civil Rights Movement. On February 24, 1969, students took over Conklin Hall on the Newark campus of Rutgers, protesting the low enrollment of Blacks and other minorities. President Gross was able to defuse the situation and negotiated with the students. One result of these negotiations was a the Urban University Program, designed to increase the recruitment of African-American and Puerto Rican students.

Dr. Gross was active in a variety of professional, civic and charitable activities during his presidency. He served as trustee or member of the board of directors for Vassar College, the Taft School and Middlesex General Hospital. He was also involved with the American Cancer Society, the Mediation Board of New Jersey and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.

In 1971, after 25 years of service to Rutgers, the last 12 as President, Mason Gross retired. He became director of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation and served in this position until his death on October 11, 1977.

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Scope and Content Note

The presidential records of Mason Gross cover the years 1936 and 1945-1971. The bulk of the material spans his tenure as president of Rutgers University, 1959-1971. The records are divided into 4 series: General Correspondence (1949-1971), Subjects (1936, 1945-1971), Speeches and Writings (1948-1971), and Mason Gross' Faculty Papers (1946-1971). There are 124 manuscript boxes (60 cubic feet) in this collection.

Series I, General Correspondence (boxes 1-12), contains in-coming and out-going correspondence between Mason Gross and various individuals, associations, and corporations. These files cover Mason Gross' times as a faculty member, Provost, and President of Rutgers University. Gross' correspondence with the various individuals and organizations was often brief, and therefore did not warrant individual files. The topics covered, though, are often similar to those in Series II, Subjects. These files are alphabetically arranged.

Series II, Subjects (boxes 13-119), contains in-coming and out-going correspondence, reports, news clippings, telegrams, minutes, memoranda and a few architectural drawings. These files span from 1945 to 1971, but the bulk are from 1959-1971. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within each folder. Researchers should note that individuals, such as Deans, may be listed separately either under their names or with their affiliate department or office. Mason Gross had contact with a wide variety of correspondents, ranging from influential politicians, scholars, and businessmen to the student body and state citizenry. This should elucidate further the special role and responsibilities befitting a state university president during this period.

While these files cover a wide variety of subjects that address Mason Gross' professional duties and responsibilities, as well as outside interests, there are several especially notable topics in this series that include individual schools and departments within the university;correspondence between Gross and the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees; faculty correspondence; budgets; commencements; the expansion and development of the university; and the various problems associated with student unrest related to Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement, urban unrest, and Kent State.

Several topics reflect Mason Gross' influence locally and state-wide as president of Rutgers University. Some of the subject files which reflect his impact in these areas include his correspondence with state legislators and governors Alfred E. Driscoll, Robert B. Meyner, and Richard J. Hughes; dealings with various state departments and divisions; the New Jersey Tercentenary celebrations; the cities of New Brunswick, Newark, and Piscataway Township; and various New Jersey associations, clubs, and organizations. Areas of personal interest for Gross include his work on television programs, such as "Think Fast" and "Two for the Money," as well as the CBS radio program, "Invitation to Learning."

Series III, Speeches and Writings (boxes 120-123), is organized into two sections: Speeches and Writings respectively. These files are chronologically arranged by date of speech or written article, save for the first three folders in box 120, which contain a calendar of most of Mason Gross' speeches between 1947-1970, clippings on various speeches given, and several miscellaneous and unidentified items. Where available, the title of the speech, the event, and the place are noted in the inventory. On occasion, a brief description of the speech topic is given when no other information is available. The speeches and writings cover Mason Gross' tenure as Provost, as well as President of Rutgers University. See box 103 in Series II, Subjects, for correspondence regarding speaking engagements, including Gross' acceptances and regrets.

In general, these files include the transcripts of his speeches at commencement exercises for Rutgers colleges and other institutions, conventions and conferences for a variety of associations, and awards and dedication ceremonies. His writings include letters to the editors of the Rutgers Alumni Monthly and the Sunday New York Times, as well as articles and reviews for publications such as the New York Herald Tribune and the American Review.

Series IV, Mason Gross' Faculty Papers (box 123-124), is alphabetically organized and contains files pertaining to Mason Gross' role as professor of philosophy at Rutgers. While this series spans 1946-1971, the bulk of the materials are from the late 1940s through the early 1960s. The series contains twenty-one (21) folders related to various courses Gross taught while professor, Provost, and President. Other files illuminate some of the questions and problems facing higher education in the post-World War II era, such as the influx of more students less concerned with scholarly pursuits and more concerned in education for economic advancement. Of special interest may be the file entitled "Replies to Memoranda on Teaching of American Democracy" (box 124, folder 11), which deals with the issue of democracy in the classroom during the emergent Cold War era.

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Arrangement Note

The records are divided into the following four series:

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Name and Subject Terms

Personal Names

Corporate Names

Subjects

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Bibliography

Devlin, John C. "Mason Gross, Ex-Head of Rutgers" (obituary), The New York Times Bibliographical Service. New York: New York Times, 1997

Frusciano, Thomas J., "Leadership on the Banks: Rutgers' Presidents, 1766-1991," The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries, Vol. LIII, June 1991, 33-34.

Rutgers Alumni Magazine, Vol. LI, No. 1, September 1971, 1-7.

McCormick, Richard P. and Schlatter, Richard, eds. The Selected Speeches of Mason W. Gross. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Publications, 1980.

McCormick, Richard P. Rutgers: A Bicentennial History. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press,1966.

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Detailed Description of the Records/Container List