Historical/Biographical Note:
DOROTHEA BERGER (1907- ), M.A. Universities Berlin. Halberg, Bonn am Reim, 1927-1933; Ph.D.University of Bonn am Rheim
Return to topDorothea Berger came to Washington Square College in 1949 as an instructor in the German Language Department. In 1954 she became an Assistant Professor. She became a student counselor in 1959 and received a promotion to Associate Professor. In 1960 she became Acting Chairman of the German Language Department and remained a part of the teaching faculty until September 1961 when she became the successor to Dean Dorothy Arnold. Rather than Dean of Women, she received the title Counselor for Women Students. She did not report directly to the Dean of the College but to the Dean of Students. Her administrative powers and responsibilities were smaller than Dean Arnold's. In 1962 she became Assistant to the Dean of Students as well as Counselor for Women Students. In this capacity, she worked more closely with another office, Counseling and Advisory Services, than had her predecessor.
In 1965 another woman, Elsa Robinson, joined the Dean of Students' office as an Assistant to the Dean for Advisement and as a Counselor. In the Spring of 1966 Berger was one of seven assistants to the Dean for Advisement. The Fall of 1966 found Berger teaching again, as a full professor. Elsa Robinson was her apparent successor as counselor for women students.
Dorothea Berger became emeritus in 1973.
Sources:
Arts & Sciences, Faculty of WSC: Reminiscences, Berger, Dorothea July 8, 1963.
Return to topScope and Content Note
The Berger Papers (1952-1966) reveal a much less powerful role for the administrator for women's interests. Berger, a counselor rather than a dean, usually reported through an associate dean, the Dean of Students to the Dean of Washington Square College. Her main duties were counseling in strictly non?academic areas, advising the Association of Women Students (formerly League of Women), the Committee of Junior Advisors and chairing the senior and junior tutors committee. She also advised the Student Council.
The most valuable student activities files are files on the organization of the University Christian Foundation, the activities of Gamma Gamma Sigma, Association of Women Students and Pan?Hellenic. Berger's files, especially the Day Organization, indicate that she was not as exclusively concerned with women students as her predecessor. While she held this position, the emphasis seemed to shift away from women students towards all student affairs.
Berger seems to have inherited and continued the use of some of Dorothy Arnold's files. For ongoing organizations such as the Association of Women Students, the Junior Advisors, Eclectic and Gamma Gamma Sigma this was a logical action for a successor. However some files from Dorothy Arnold's era has had little or nothing added to them by Dorothea Berger.
This is the case for the following folders: Judson Residence, Faculty Women's Lounges, Bucker, Mildred Parker and four Arnold annual reports to the Dean. This material should probably be included in the Arnold collection. One file, Administrative Management Council, begins in 1971,after the date of Berger's return to teaching. It belongs more properly in either her personal papers or in her successors' files.
The files end with the letter "R" indicating that more material may be in the Dean of Washington Square and University College offices. The files are arranged alphabetically bra subject or correspondent. Each folder is arranged chronologically with the earliest dates in the front of each folder. The Berger papers are not as substantial as the Arnold Berger Papers and should be used as supplementary materials.
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Arrangement |
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| Folders are arranged alphabetically by subject/author heading. | ||
| The files are grouped into one series. | ||
Separated Material
No documentation of anything separated from the collection.
Return to topRestrictions
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers.
Use Restrictions
There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. Appointments are necessary for use of manuscript and archival
materials. For more information, contact
New York University Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2646
Fax: (212) 995-4070
Email: university.archives@library.nyu.edu
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Administrative Information
Provenance
The Berger Papers are the administrative files of the successor to the Dean of Women's office and were accessioned from the Dean of Washington Square and University College when that campus closed.?
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); The Berger Papers; ; box number; folder number; New York University Archives
, New York University Libraries.