Records of the Harvard Policy Committee kept by Linda Liu Behar, 1966-1969
Overview
The Records of the Harvard Policy Committee kept by Linda Liu Behar, dating from 1966 to 1969, document Behar’s participation on the Harvard Policy Committee and its 1967 audit of the Architectural Sciences field of concentration. The audit eventually led to the abolition of the Architectural Sciences Department and the creation of the Visual and Environmental Studies Department in 1968. Primarily consisting of Harvard Policy Committee records and academic administrative records, the materials offer insight into how Visual and Environmental Studies and Architectural Sciences was taught at Harvard in the 1960s. Many items include annotations from Behar.
Dates
- Creation: 1966-1969
Creator
- Behar, Linda Liu, 1947- (Person)
Access Restrictions
Open for research with the following exception: Personnel and student records are closed for 80 years. Specific restrictions are noted at the folder level.
Extent
0.22 cubic feet (1 half document box, 1 flat folder)Dating from 1966 to 1969, the Records of the Harvard Policy Committee kept by Linda Liu Behar document the process of the Harvard Policy Committee’s 1967 audit of the Architectural Sciences field of concentration and the state of the Architectural Sciences Department in the 1960s. Records from the committee include questionnaire forms created by the Committee for students taking courses in Architectural Sciences, lists of Committee members, letters from chairman of the Department of Architectural Sciences Albert Szabo, and a copy of the Committee’s final report. The final report offers historical background on the Architectural Sciences Department, challenges it faced during this period, and recommendations for improvements.
To understand the goals and structure of the Architectural Sciences Department, the Harvard Policy Committee also reviewed materials related to the instruction of Visual and Environmental Studies. Course outlines, classroom lists, faculty meeting agendas, department memos, professor lists, and student enrollment lists provide a glimpse into the Visual and Environmental Studies program at Harvard in the 1960s. Clippings from the Harvard Crimson report on the work of the Harvard Policy Committee and provide general information about the Visual and Environmental Department and the Architectural Sciences Department. Many items include annotations from Behar.
Biographical Note on Linda Liu Behar
Visual artist Linda Liu Behar was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1947. She received an AB from Harvard College in 1968 concentrating in Architectural Sciences. As an undergraduate she served as a staff photographer for Harvard Yearbook Publications and was a member of the Young Democrats, the Harvard Policy Committee, and the Architectural Sciences Audit Committee. After graduating from Harvard, she worked as a graphic designer for a firm in downtown Boston. She married Ken Behar in 1970. In 1983 Behar took up fiber arts. Her art quilts have been featured in multiple publications and exhibits. She is also known for her photorealistic embroidery art.
Historical Note on the Harvard Policy Committee
The Harvard Policy Committee was created in 1965, along with the Harvard Undergraduate Council, to replace the Harvard Council for Undergraduate Affairs. The purpose of the Committee, composed of 14 undergraduate members (one from each House, two freshmen, and three Radcliffe students) was to represent student opinions in questions of educational policy. The education audit portion of the Policy Committee selected different fields of concentration for critical evaluations by their students. In 1967 Architectural Science was chosen for appraisal. Over a period of six months this committee sought to illuminate and evaluate the various aspects of visual education at Harvard including its conception, curriculum, and role in the University community. Following the committee’s recommendations, the Department of Architectural Sciences was abolished and replaced with the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies in 1968.
Arrangement
The records are arranged in chronological order.
Acquisition
Gift of Linda Liu Behar, August 8, 2018; accession 2019.048.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Jehan Sinclair in November 2019. Folder titles in brackets were devised by the archivist.
Creator
- Behar, Linda Liu, 1947- (Person)
- Title
- Behar, Linda Liu, 1947-. Records of the Harvard Policy Committee kept by Linda Liu Behar, 1966-1969 : an inventory
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua28019
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
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archives_reference@harvard.edu