Clara Woolie Mayer (1895-1988) held a long affiliation with the New School: as a student, as a trustee, and then in administrative roles, including dean of the School of Philosophy and Liberal Arts (1943-1961) and vice president of the New School for Social Research (1950-1961). Dating largely from 1950 to the early 1960s, the collection consists of subject files pertaining to programs, departments, and New School faculty and administration.

Of note is Mayer's correspondence, largely related to teaching and lectures, with well-known figures, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Albert Einstein, Berenice Abbott, Alvin Johnson, John Cage and Erich Fromm. There is also a wealth of material relating to Mayer's contributions to post-war European relief efforts. Finally, the collection contains typescript writings by Mayer, including articles, speeches, commencement addresses and translations. Some files are restricted. Please email archivist@newschool.edu for details.

The Institute of World Affairs records document the operations of the Institute and its administrators and researchers. Mostly originating from its 1942 founding to its redesignation as the Research Division of the New School for Social Research in 1953, the files include administrative records such as minutes, correspondence, proposals, contracts, and budgets; manuscripts, notes, and published research material; and research project records.

The bulk of the material consists of project files, particularly the records from the Leisure-time project (1947-1953), as well as of projects and studies by researchers and administrators associated with the Institute, including Hans Staudinger, Phyllis Poses, Adolph Lowe, Elizabeth Tood, Lewis Lorwin, Henry G. Aubrey, and Alexander Ringer.

Joseph J. Greenbaum (1924-2011), a specialist in experimental psychology, joined the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research in 1957 and was appointed full professor in 1962. He also served as dean of the Graduate Faculty from 1966 to 1979. This collection contains documentation of Greenbaum’s courses in the Psychology Department and administrative files from his role as dean.