Records of the Office of the Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts
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Abstract
The Tisch School of the Arts (TSOA) was founded as a school of performing and media arts in 1965. Alumni include Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Amy Heckerling, and Ang Lee. Much of the school's history is documented in the correspondence of the School's former Deans, Robert Oppenheim and Robert Corrigan, and former Professor Theodore Hoffman. Additional records in the collection include annual reports, budgets, financial records, minutes, curricula, scripts and press clippings.
Historical Note
In 1965, NYU developed as a conservatory training for film and stage actors in the context of a research university. In the following years Departments of Cinema Studies, Dance, and Theater Design were added to the school. In 1974 the undergraduate Department of Drama was founded and was followed by the Departments of Photography and Imaging, Performance Studies, Musical Theater Writing, and more. The school was named Tisch School of the Arts in 1985 after Laurence A. and Preston Robert Tisch made a donation which allowed the school to purchase 721 Broadway, the building where most of the Tisch offices are located.
These records describe the School's founding in 1965 and subsequent development through 1981. Many of the doucments are directly related to three men who were pivotal in the formation of the School. The first of these men was Robert W. Corrigan (1927-1993), a professor of Dramatic Literature who served as the first Dean of the School of the Arts from 1965-1968. Dean Corrigan was succeeded as Dean by David J. Oppenheim (1922-2007), a clarinetist and classical music producer who served as Dean from 1969-1991. The third of these men, Theodore Hoffman (1920-2009), came to NYU from Columbia to help found the School of the Arts in 1965. He was an actor, director, and vocal supporter for in-depth training of theater artists. Hoffman taught at Tisch for decades and was eventually name Professor Emeritus in 1992.
Arrangement
Folders are generally arranged alphabetically within each series
Scope and Content Note
The Tisch School of the Arts collection is divided into five main series, some of which are subdivided. The three principle series titles are: I. Dean Robert W. Corrigan, II. David J. Oppenheim, III. Miscellaneous Reports, IV. Development and V. Administrative Files. While the bulk of the material falls within the Oppenheim series, a significant portion relates to Corrigan's tenure as Dean of the School of the Arts and merits separation from the rest of the material. Chronologically, the Corrigan material is presented first since the series is devoted mainly to the founding of the School of the Arts in 1965, and its early years thereafter. It is divided into five subseries which make up the first two boxes of the collection and the first four folders of box three. Each subseries is arranged chronologically to give a sense of the early development of the School of the Arts. The subseries headings are:
A) Corrigan Correspondence and Papers (box 1, folders 1-23)B) Theodore Hoffman Correspondence (box 1, folders 23-25)C) Reports/ Bulletins (box 2, folders 6-12)D) School Administration (box 2, folders 13-33)E) Press Clippings (box 2, folders 34-36)F) Nanine Bilski Exams and Writings (box 3, folders 1-4).
The second series of this collection contains information and material relating not only to the Tisch School of the Arts, but also to David J. Oppenheim's career before coming to NYU. Indeed, this material comprises the bulk of the collection and dates as far back as 1956. It is included here because it was in the possession of Oppenheim while he was affiliated with NYU. It also supplies information on his extensive work with the performing arts before replacing Corrigan in 1969.
This series is divided into three major subseries, each of which covers a significant part of Oppenheim's career, before and during his tenure at NYU. These divisions are:
A) Career at CBS (boxes 3-5, and the first 19 folders of box 6)B) Career at the Public Broadcasting Laboratory (PBL)(folders 20-29 of box six and box 7, folders 1-25)C) Early Career at NYU (folders 24-27 of box 7, and folders 1-5 of box 8)
It should be pointed out that the Oppenheim papers covering the years between his arrival at NYU and the 1981 sesquicentennial are contained in the larger part of the main collection that had a preexisting arrangement prior to being accessioned.
Each subseries is further divided along lines similar to the divisions made in Series I:
A) Subseries A, for example, begins with Oppenheim's general correspondence while at CBS (box 3, folders 5-14). B) The next subseries comes under Research/Programming (box 3, folders 15-36; and box 4, folders 1-19), which provides information on the background work and research Oppenheim oversaw on his productions while at CBS. The broadcasts for which there is such information include "Casals at 88," Oppenheim's show on Igor Stravinsky, and "Pop Life: The Rock Revolution." C) Following the background series is a subseries made up of old scripts and transcripts(box 4, folders 20-26; all of box 5; and box 6, folders 1-6) dating as far back as 1956. Most are scripts from the Hallmark Hall of Fame productions. It is not clear if Oppenheim actually had anything to do with these productions, but these scripts were in his possession. Also included here are transcripts from his Stravinsky and "Pop Life" productions, among others. D) The fourth subseries(box 6, folders 7-9) covers administrative issues at CBS. E) The Reports/Conferences subseries covers issues relating to television and broadcasting (box 6, folders 10-12). F) The next subseries consists of promotional material for the "Play of the Week" broadcasts (box 6, folders 13-17). G) Press Clippings, most of which are reviews of different Oppenheim broadcasts (box 6, folders 18-19).
Subseries B is divided in the following manner:
A) General Correspondence at the Public Broadcasting Laboratory (box 6, folders 20-29).B) Research and Programming (box 7, folders 1-18). Included here is background information on a number of programs produced by Oppenheim, including his Jean-Luc Godard special, the Buffalo Arts Festival, and the Living Theatre.C) Scripts and Transcripts (box 7, folders 19-21).D) Public Broadcasting Laboratory Administration (box 7, folders 22-23).
Subseries C, the smallest of the three, is divided in this way:
A) Early NYU Correspondence (box 7, folders 24-25).B) Early NYU Administration (box 7, folders 26-27).C) NYU Sesquicentennial (box 8, folders 1-5).
The reports in the final series are separate because it is unclear how they fit in to either of the deans' tenures at the School of the Arts
Miscellaneous Reports is the smallest of the five series and was created because the original collection contained a number of documents whose relevance to the Tisch School could not easily be deciphered. The series, which is mostly made up of reports and research projects pertaining to the performing arts, comprise almost all of box 8 in this collection. It includes Ford Foundation reports, a paper on the history of African theater, and writings by Donald Shoulty.
A later accession, 93-025, was added to the collection. Series IV, Development and Series V, Administrative Files are included in this accession. Series V is the largest of the five series.
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Access Restrictions
Institutional records of New York University are closed for a period of 20 years from the date of their creation (the date on which each document was written). Board of Trustees records are similarly closed for 35 years from the date of creation. The opening date for files spanning several years will be 20 years from the most recent date. Access will be given to material already 20 years old contained within a collection that is not yet open when such material can be isolated from the rest of the collection.
Materials related to personnel, faculty grievances, job searches and all files with information that falls under the University's Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) policy are permanently restricted. Please contact the University Archivists with specific questions regarding restrictions.
Please note that there are several accessions in this collection and box numbers may be repeated in differenet series, eg. there may be multiple instances of a box number 1. Please make sure you've identified the series, subseries or sub-subseries that a particular box number is in and include the box and folder titles in your request.
Use Restrictions
Some materials may be restricted. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
New York University Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2641
Fax: (212) 995-4225
E-mail: university-archives@nyu.edu
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); The Records of the Tisch School of the Arts; RG 35; box number; folder number;
New York University Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2641
Fax: (212) 995-4225
E-mail: university-archives@nyu.edu
Location of Materials
Provenance
The material contained in this collection came to the New York University Archives as part of accession 93-025 on August 30, 1993 from the Tisch School of the Arts located at 721 Broadway. The entire collection from the files of TSOA Dean David J. Oppenheim contained 110 linear feet of files, photographs, films, books, audio tapes, and promotional information primarily from the years 1965 to 1981. Most of the collection arrived boxed and arranged in some order. The material listed here, however, was found in some disarray on the floor of a closet and had to be put back in order. Originally, the material measured 20 linear feet; after processing, which included the separation of a great number of books and photographs, the collection comprises ten linear feet of material.
Separated Material
There is no documentation of anything separated from the collection.