Donald M. Blinken papers,
- Author:
- Blinken, Donald Mayer, 1925-
- Call Number:
- MSS APAP-080 local
- Abstract:
- This collection documents the activities and concerns of Ambassador Donald M. Blinken as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the State University of New York from 1976 through the early 1990s. The majority of papers in the collection are correspondence between Blinken and members of the Board, the Chancellor, the campus presidents, and New York State government officials. There are also a large number of reports regarding the entire SUNY system or particular SUNY campuses. Some examples are from the Independent Commission on the Future of SUNY (1983-1985), Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (1978-1984), Intercollegiate Athletic Board regarding upgrading SUNY Buffalo to Division II (1985-1986), SUNY and CUNY relations (1977-1989), and reports related to the Dube controversy at SUNY Stony Brook (1983-1987). Constant topics of concern were SUNY's financial position in both challenging and stable economic times and SUNY's growth as a state wide educational system including individual campus changes. Although the collection does contain information regarding SUNY campuses, not all of them are represented in this collection. There is little material regarding curriculum other than a proposal for a degree in Arts Management. There is also little documentation related to student life or faculty.
- Historical Note:
- Donald Blinken was born in New York in 1925. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944. In 1948 he graduated magna cum laude in economics from Harvard. After 10 years in the retail business, including two in the United Kingdom with Marks & Spencer, he joined the investment firm of E.M. Warburg Pincus, the largest venture capital firm in the United States. He continued to be associated with Warburg, Pincus as a managing partner until taking up government service. In January 1977, Governor Hugh L. Carey appointed Blinken to the board of the State University of New York and subsequently appointed him chairman in July of 1978. He was re-appointed to that office by Governor Mario M. Cuomo and served until 1990. The State University of New York is the nation's largest institution of higher education. It serves nearly 400,000 students on 64 campuses throughout New York. It awarded Mr. Blinken an honorary degree in 1993. Donald Blinken was sworn in as Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary on March 29, 1994 and served until 1997. In addition to his services in education and government, Ambassador Blinken has dedicated his time and energy to the arts. He was named President of the Mark Rothko Foundation in 1976. In recent years, Mr. Blinken has also served as vice-chairman of the New York Philharmonic Symphony Society, as a member of the executive committee of the New York Public Library, as a board member and chairman of the Commentary Publication Committee, as a trustee of the Institute of International Education, as overseer of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, and as a member of the Trustees' Council of the National Gallery of Art.
- Physical Description:
- 5.95 cu. ft
- Access Terms:
- Access to the collection is unrestricted.
- Notes:
- Part of the Archives of Public Affairs and Policy. local
- Subjects:
- Education, Higher New York (State), Universities and colleges New York (State), Education, Higher, and Universities and colleges
- Genres/Forms:
- Correspondence. aat and Reports. aat
- Names:
- Blinken, Donald Mayer, 1925-, Javits, Jacob K. (Jacob Koppel), 1904-1986, D'Amato, Alfonse, Schumer, Charles E, Carey, Hugh L, Cuomo, Mario Matthew, Carey, Hugh L, Cuomo, Mario M., 1932-2015, D'Amato, Alfonse, Javits, Jacob K. (Jacob Koppel), 1904-1986, and Schumer, Charles E
- Corporate Names:
- State University of New York, City University of New York, City University of New York, and State University of New York
- Geographic Terms:
- New York (State)
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