Career Center Records, 1887-2003
| Oberlin College Archives
Administrative/Biographical History
Between 1837 and 1905, placement assistance was offered informally to Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music graduates seeking careers in teaching or religious work. (Oberlin Theological Seminary placed its own graduates even after formal placement service was instituted). Seniors typically sought letters of reference from their teachers or other individuals who could vouch for their character, academic preparation, and fitness to teach. In 1895, under the direction of English Professor W. W. Cressey (1867-1900), a "teachers' agency" was established to refer seniors to prospective employers. The formation in 1904 of a faculty Committee on the Placing of Teachers led to the creation in 1905 of the Bureau of Appointments, so-called because its main function was the appointment of teachers.
From 1905 to 1915, the Bureau of Appointments took shape. It was headed by William Frederick Bohn (1878-1947), an assistant to President Henry Churchill King (1868-1934), who worked with an advisory committee chaired by the Dean of College Men and Professor of Pedagogy, Edward Alanson Miller (1866-1958). In his first annual report to the President (1905/06) as Bureau Secretary, Bohn emphasized the importance of gathering accurate data on students for use in providing letters of recommendation. To this end, he proposed the creation of the "President's Senior Record"-- a form supplying biographical data furnished by each senior and character assessments made by deans, teachers, and college officials. Bohn tied an effective placement service to strengthening relations with alumni. In time, the Bureau responded not only to undergraduates seeking teaching positions but also to those wishing to enter other professional fields.
Between 1915 and 1923, even in the face of frequent changes in its personnel caused by the war-service of faculty members, the Bureau of Appointments expanded its activity on two fronts: alumni involvement in placement, and the psychological study of individual students for the purpose of offering vocational guidance. Under Bureau Secretary and Assistant Professor of Psychology Edward S. Jones (1888-1969), assisted by Professor of Psychology Raymond H. Stetson (1872-1950), the Bureau urged alumni to send notice of vacancies and to establish local placement committees to assist Oberlin graduates. At the same time, the Bureau strengthened its contacts with business, industrial, and social work organizations, although most Oberlin graduates continued to choose teaching over other occupations until the depression of the 1930s made all work difficult to find. Figures show, for example, that 52.63% of the Class of 1910 entered teaching. In 1920, of the 371 students served by the Bureau, 266 chose to teach.
In 1928, the administrative structure of the Bureau of Appointments was altered in order to eliminate the annual reappointment of faculty advisors serving as liaisons between the Bureau and the College administration. The Bureau of Appointments was established as a division of the newly created Department of Personnel Service, and the Secretary of the Bureau was made an associate to the Director of Personnel Service, J. Anthony Humphreys (b. 1894; A.B. 1916). Humphreys, well-educated and experienced in personnel work, moved in 1928 to centralize the placement function of the entire institution--including campus, summer, and post-collegiate employment--within the Bureau of Appointments. In 1930, the Bureau reported 1,401 registrants, the largest number in its history. Personnel Services now directed the administration of intelligence and subject placement tests to freshmen by the Department of Psychology; conducted individual interviews with students; and offered counseling and referrals. Drastic program cuts, brought about by the national depression, forced the elimination of the Department of Personnel Service in 1933.
The merger in 1938 of two positions, the Director of Admissions and the Director of the Bureau of Appointments, stretched the staff and budget of the Bureau at a time of increased office activity. During visits to area schools, Bureau Director William H. Seaman (1902-48) combined both student recruitment and teacher placement. In 1939, in cooperation with the Dean of Men, the Bureau organized the first in an ongoing series of biennial career conferences for men; conferences for women, begun in 1937, were held in alternate years. As more students chose to attend graduate or professional schools during the post-war years, the Bureau faced new demands. Consequently, it developed informational files on scholarships and graduate education, conducted regular meetings and interviews with seniors, and established a credential service to supply student transcripts to schools and employers. The expansion of placement programs prevented the Bureau Director from offering guidance counseling on a regular basis. In 1946, Director William Seaman recommended to President William E. Stevenson (1900-85) the appointment of an individual solely to offer vocational counseling. Services of this kind were not initiated or funded until the mid-seventies, when a presidential Task Force concurred with Seaman's assessment.
During the sixties, the office once again modified its programs to meet the changing needs of graduating seniors, underclassmen, and alumni. In 1962, during the tenure of Director Dorothy Mabel Smith (b. 1908; Acting Director, 1948-52; Director 1952-74), the Bureau of Appointments changed its name to the Office of Placement and Graduate Counseling. This title reflected more clearly the office's expanded services in the area of vocational guidance. The preference of seniors to spend their "first year out" traveling or in social service led to the formation of an in-house library of vocational literature. Workshops on career planning were offered to freshmen and sophomores in an effort to link their undergraduate studies with vocational choice. The increased use of placement services by alumni/ae (as they delayed graduate study for several years following graduation) added significantly to the office's administrative duties.
Events of May 1968 focused campus-wide attention on the Office of Placement and Graduate Counseling. The prospect of violent student protests against military recruiters led President Robert Kenneth Carr (1908-79) to close the office to all recruiters; the office remained closed for six months. Continuing student protests against the Viet Nam War, combined with the abolition of distribution requirements and the shrinking job market, brought into question the role of the Office of Placement as it entered the decade of the seventies.
During the years 1972 to 1974, under the administration of President Robert W. Fuller (1970-74), a Task Force studied the general question of what the future emphasis in placement and career counseling should be at Oberlin. The Task Force advocated the establishment of a program in career counseling and guidance to be centralized within the placement office rather than carried out by various staff, faculty, and college officials. In 1974, the name of the office was changed to the Office of Career Development and Placement in order to account for a new emphasis on career development as part of the educational process. The director of Career Development reported to the Office of the Dean of Students, known after 1990 as the Office of the Dean of Student Life and Services.
Lanna C. Hagge, who served as Director of Career Development and Placement from 1974 to 1994, and director of the office under the name Career Services from 1994 to 1996, developed new programs to enhance employment opportunities for liberal arts graduates in the business fields. These included the Oberlin Career Counseling Program, developed in 1976, which put students in touch with alumni in various professional fields; and the Longman Business Initiatives Program, established in 1987. Under Directors Benjamin Bailey (1929-88) and Perry Boyle (b. 1934), the Business Initiatives program assists students in finding internships and jobs in the business sector.
Since Lanna C. Hagge’s departure in 1996, two acting directors and three directors have served to market the institution to employers. In 2013 the name of the office changed to that of the Career Center, with Richard T. Berman as its director.
Officials of the Career Center and Predecessor Bodies
Bureau of Appointments, 1905-62
William Frederick Bohn, Secretary, 1906-15
Louis Eleazar Lord, Secretary, 1915-18
Edward Safford Jones, Secretary, 1918-23
Ivanore Virginia Barnes, Secretary, 1924-38
William Harlow Seaman, Acting Director, 1938-40; Director, 1940-48
Dorothy Mabel Smith, Acting Director, 1948-52; Director, 1952-62
Office of Placement and Graduate Counseling, 1962-74
Dorothy Mabel Smith, Director, 1962-74
Office of Career Development and Placement, 1974-94
Lanna C. Hagge, Director, 1974-94
Julie S. Rea, Acting Director, 1985
Office of Career Services, 1994-2013
Lanna C. Hagge, Director, 1994-96
Wendy Smith Miller, Acting Director, 1996-97; Director, 1997-2006
Erin Corwin, Acting Director, 2006-07
Leo Charette, Director, 2007-11
Liz Lierman, Acting Director, 2011-12
Richard T. Berman, Director, 2012-2013
Career Center, 2013-
Richard T. Berman, Director, 2013-
SOURCES CONSULTED
Published Sources
I. Books
Alumni Register (Oberlin College: Oberlin, Ohio, 1960).
Annual Report of the President and the Treasurer of Oberlin College (Oberlin College: Oberlin, Ohio), 1904/05, 1905/06, 1927/28, 1928/29.
General Catalog of Oberlin College, 1833-1908 (Oberlin College: Oberlin, Ohio, 1909).
II. Articles
Appley, John, "New Paths to Life Beyond Oberlin," The Observer, Vol. 10:6, 3.
Gannon, Christine, "Helping Students Find Jobs," The Observer, Vol. 12:7, 3.
Jones, Edward S., "Bureau Asks for Alumni Cooperation," Alumni Magazine (April 1921).
Smith, Dorothy M., "Retrospect: Placement Through the Years; Forecast: the Future of Career Development and Placement," Alumni Magazine (Sep/Oct 1974).
Wickham, Anne, "Alumni career counseling," Alumni Magazine (Jan/Feb 1978).
Unpublished Sources
Records of the Office of the Career Center (39), Oberlin College Archives.
Staff File (28) of J. Anthony Humphreys.
Staff File (28) of Lanna C. Hagge.
Flood, Margie and Weitendorf, Nancy, "Office of the Dean of Students," unpublished finding guide, Oberlin College Archives, 1989, 1991.
Williams, Brian, "Papers of Presidential Assistant William F. Bohn," unpublished finding guide, Oberlin College Archives, 1991.
Stuart, Kathryn, Dean of Studies, e-mail correspondence, 3 January 2014.
Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
The records of the Career Center, due to their functional nature, are organized as an autonomous record group outside of the Office of the Dean of Student Life and Services. Records document the record-keeping and placement functions of four predecessor offices: The Bureau of Appointments (1905-62), the Office of Placement and Graduate Counseling (1962-74), the Office of Career Development and Placement (1974-94), and the Office of Career Services (1994-2013). Administrative files, covering mainly the years 1937-2003, offer modest research potential. Files documenting the years of operations since 2003 at the Career Center are still held by the office.
Records are divided into two subgroups: Subgroup I, Administrative Files and Subgroup II, Oberlin College Student Placement Files. Within Subgroup I, records series are: Series 1. Annual Reports; 2. Budgetary Files; 3. Forms and Form Letters; 4. Recruitment Program and Vocational Guidance Files; 5. Occupational Choice: Studies and Statistical Files; and 6. Publications. Within Subgroup II, records series are: Series 1. Placement Files, Classes 1906-16, 1918-21; 2. Placement Files, Classes 1896-1973; 3. Placement Files, Classes 1887-1935; and 4. Placement Files, Classes 1936-69. In Subgroup I, records are typically arranged alphabetically by subject or by type of material and chronologically thereunder. In Subgroup II, placement files are maintained in the order in which they were received, in four overlapping chronological periods of graduating classes. Within each chronological period, files are arranged alphabetically by student name.
Noticeably absent from the Administrative Files of Subgroup I is a separate series of executive correspondence. Administrative correspondence of the first Secretary of the Bureau of Appointments, William F. Bohn (1878-1947), is located in record group 3/1. The correspondence of Director Dorothy M. Smith (b. 1908; Acting Director 1947-52; Director 1952-74) includes nineteen file copies of letters (1954-61) to Secretary Donald M. Love (1894-1974), Treasurer William Potter Davis (1893-1975), and Assistant Secretary Robert Barr (1908-62) concerning budgetary and personnel matters documented by portions of the financial records of the office (1956/57-1959/60, 19663/64-1970/71). This correspondence, originally dispersed among the budgetary files, is brought together and housed in Series 2, Budgetary Files. Additional correspondence (1949-55) between Smith and Oberlin alumni, housed in Series 4, relates to alumni placement activities on behalf of Oberlin graduates and to plans for career conferences (1949-61).
Annual reports exist for the years 1956/57-2002/03 but are missing for the years 1926/27-1930/31; 1932/33-1939/40; 1941/42-1944/45; 1946/47-1955/56; 1974/75-1976/77; 1980/81-1981/82; 1985/86-1986/87; 1988/89-1989/90; 1995/96; and 2001/02. Gaps existing in Series 1 may be filled by consulting the annual reports of the secretaries and directors of the Bureau of Appointments which are housed in the records of the Office of the Secretary. From 1928 to 1933, annual reports for the Bureau of Appointments were produced by J. Anthony Humphreys (b. 1894), Director of the Personnel Service. Annual reports were not regularly written until 1946.
Additional administrative files date largely from the tenures of two directors of the Bureau of Appointments: William Harlow Seaman (1902-48; Acting Director 1938-40; Director 1940-48) and Dorothy M. Smith (b. 1908; Acting Director 1947-52; Director 1952-74). Included are a comprehensive run of forms and form letters (1913-70) used by both the Bureau of Appointments and by the Office of Placement and Graduate Counseling to communicate with students, faculty, and alumni; files documenting various recruitment programs sponsored by the office (1939-73); printed materials publicizing career conferences for men and women (1937-66, 1975); job notices (1955-64); occupational reference files (1940-69); and three files documenting President Robert Kenneth Carr's suspension of recruitment activity at Oberlin from May to November 1968. Of interest for evaluating trends in student employment following graduation are numerous statistical files and studies (1926-70) relating to vocational choice. These were maintained by the office for use in annual reports and in advising students. In general, statistics apply solely to graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, but some take account of vocational distributions among graduates of the Conservatory of Music.
The bulk of the records of the Career Center and its predecessor offices consists of around 11,800 placement files for individual students. These files, housed in Subgroup II, offer evidence of the record-keeping functions of the office while supplying information on students from the classes of 1887 to 1969 who registered with the office. Series 1, Placement Files, Classes 1906-16, 1918-21, includes the first data forms to be used by the Bureau of Appointments. These forms not only provide data on students of the period 1906-21 but also offer an opportunity to analyze the requirements then governing student entry into teaching and related professions. Forms supply student name, home and Oberlin addresses, names of parents, high school name, church affiliation, academic specialty, brief opinions of teachers on the student's character ("independent," "very nervous," "excellent girl") and scholastic performance appraisals. Each form bears a photograph of the student, and many forms are accompanied by letters of reference. Series 2, 3, and 4 contain placement files for students of the classes of 1896-73; 1887-1935; and 1936-69, respectively.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Subgroup I. Administrative Files, 1913(1938-70)-2003 (8.4 l.f.)
Subgroup I consists of records created and received by the Office of the Career Center and its predecessor bodies in the course of administering the office and its various recruitment and vocational guidance programs. Records are divided into five records series: Series 1. Annual Reports; Series 2. Budgetary Files; Series 3. Forms and Form Letters; Series 4. Recruitment Program and Vocational Guidance Files; Series 5. Occupational Choice: Studies and Statistical Files; and 6. Publications.
Series 1. Annual Reports, 1925/26-2002/03 (0.6 l.f.)
Contains an incomplete run of annual reports (1925/26, 1931/32, 1940/41, 1945/46, 1956/57-1973/74, 1977/78-1979/80, 1982/83-1984/85, 1987/88, 1990/91-1994/95, 1996/97-2000/01, 2002/03), including a brief memorandum (1946) outlining the method of incorporating statistical material into reports from 1933 to 1946. Reports contain detailed statistical information on occupations of Oberlin graduates. Annual reports are chronologically arranged. Also included is a report of the year plan for 1991/92-1995/96.
Series 2. Budgetary Files, 1954-71 (0.2 l.f.)
Records include hand-written and mimeographed budget sheets showing office expenditures in the areas of staff salaries, equipment maintenance, supplies and services, communication, and travel for both the Bureau of Appointments (1956/57-1959/60) and the Office of Placement and Graduate Counseling (1963/64-1970/71). The correspondence (1954-61) of Dorothy M. Smith with various College officials, originally interfiled with budget sheets, concerns management of the office budget. Accounts and correspondence are chronologically arranged.
Series 3. Forms and Form Letters, 1913-70, 1984-91 (0.8 l.f.)
Contains single copies of forms and form letters used by the Bureau of Appointments and the Office of Placement and Graduate Counseling to communicate with students, faculty, and alumni. Records include student data cards; registration forms; college interview forms; forms for faculty recommendations; letters describing student employment opportunities; statements of service provided by the office; and faculty and alumni mailings. Materials are in mimeograph, micrograph, and carbon formats; some contain emendations. Forms and form letters are chronologically arranged.
Series 4. Business Initiatives Program, Recruitment Program and Vocational Guidance Files, 1937-73, 1987, 1996-97 (1.2 l.f.)
Records include Business Initiatives Program material concerning the program and its website; file copies of correspondence (1949-55) between Dorothy M. Smith and alumni clubs concerning vocational counseling; printed programs for career conferences and symposia held at Oberlin (1937-66, 1975); job notices (1955-64); files (1966-73) relating to the 1968 suspension of recruitment at the Office of Placement and Graduate Counseling by President Robert Kenneth Carr (served 1960-70); reference materials (1940-69) maintained by the office for student use; and staff talks to graduating seniors (1938-43, 1945-59). Records are alphabetically arranged by subject and chronologically thereunder.
Series 5. Occupational Choice: Studies and Statistical Files, 1926-89 (5.4 l.f.)
Contains published and unpublished studies (1926-70), class summaries (1948-89), reports on graduating seniors' application to graduate school (1965-86), and miscellaneous statistical files (1933-61), created and received by the office, relating to the vocational choices made by Oberlin graduates. Occupational statistics by class (1934-47) contain data on the employment of Arts and Sciences and Conservatory of Music graduates and office copies of class directories indicating the student's present occupation and address. Materials are separated into studies and statistical files and arranged alphabetically thereunder.
Series 6. Publications 1998, 2000-02 (0.2 l.f.)
Contains newsletters for faculty and staff, and Opportunity Knocks.
Subgroup II. Oberlin College Student Placement Files, 1896-1973 (120 l.f.)
Subgroup II consists of 11,800 files maintained by the Bureau of Appointments and Office of Placement and Graduate Counseling which contain information on students used during the placement process. Files typically include a data sheet providing name, sex, place of birth, parents' names and occupations, academic major, and fields of interest. Supporting documentation may include letters of recommendation, confidential credentials, employment history, correspondence between students and office staff, and photographs.
Files are arranged into four records series. Series 1 includes data forms for the classes of 1906-16, 1918-21 which were received in a set of fifteen leather binders. Series 2 through 4 follow the chronological divisions by groups of classes established by the Office of Career Development in its effort to manage volume. (In responding to alumni requests, the office frequently retained for current use the files of alumni long-since graduated, or retrieved stored files for reactivation. As a result, considerable overlapping of dates occurs between Series 1, 2, and 3.) In Series 1, boxes are numbered 1 to 11. In Series 2 through 4, boxes are numbered consecutively, boxes 1 to 105.
No longer housed within this record group are the placement files of graduates of the Oberlin Kindergarten-Primary Training School, Classes of 1928-33. These files are housed with the records of the school in Record Group 33.
Series 1. Placement Files, Classes 1906-16, 1918-21 (4.2 l.f.)
Contains the first "placement forms" used by the Bureau of Appointments from 1906 to 1921; forms for the Class of 1917 are missing. These forms, titled "Oberlin College President's Record for Seniors," were formerly bound in fifteen leather binders; they are now housed loosely in folders and arranged chronologically by class year and alphabetically by student name thereunder. Loose letters of reference are filed as they were found, at the back of individual folders, together with sets of photographs of Conservatory of Music graduates. Each form bears a photograph of the student affixed to the upper right-hand corner; most photographs are in excellent condition. The forms themselves are extremely brittle with torn edges, and many are singed.
Series 2. Placement Files, Classes 1896-1973 (8.75 l.f.)
Subseries 1 contains boxes 1 to 12 of placement files for individual students from the classes of 1896 to 1973. Records include letters of recommendation, credentials, employment history, correspondence, and photographs created while aiding students and alumni secure post-collegiate employment. Files pertain to those who are either deceased or to those considered unlikely to ask again for placement assistance from Oberlin College. Files covering a designated period of time (1896-1973) are arranged alphabetically by student name. The broad chronological division (1896-1973) was established by the creating office in order to manage bulk.
Subseries 2 consists of one box of placement files which were transferred to the Archives under accession 1992/109. These files represent a sampling from the placement files of Oberlin College classes 1947-1959.
Series 3. Placement Files, Classes 1887-1935 (46.25 l.f.)
Contains boxes 15 to 52 of placement files for individual students from the classes of 1887 to 1935. Within this chronological period, files are arranged alphabetically by student name.
Series 4. Placement Files, Classes 1936-69 (65 l.f.)
Contains boxes 53 to 105 of placement files for individual students from the classes of 1936 to 1969. Within this chronological period, files are arranged alphabetically by student name.