The collection consists of materials relating to the publication of the book Measure by Measure: a History of New England Conservatory from 1867 by Bruce McPherson and James Klein. This book was published by the Trustees of New England Conservatory in 1995 in conjunction with the restoration of Jordan Hall.
Bruce McPherson
Bruce McPherson came to New England Conservatory in 1984 to chair the liberal arts department, and remained here until his retirement in 2007. Shortly after his arrival, NEC secured a $182,780 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support McPherson's work on restructuring and upgrading NEC's liberal arts curriculum, with core courses in the humanities and sciences, and an academic skills program focusing on writing, thinking, and computing.
McPherson grew up and was educated in Australia. In North America, he taught at Simon Fraser University and Boston University. He has published books and articles on a wide range of subjects including intellectual history, educational policy, social policy, psychoanalysis, film, and Australian history. He was a Mellon Fellow at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies and was awarded major grants from the NEH and the Lilly Foundation.
B.A., M.A., Australian National University; Dip. Ed., Sydney University; Ed.D., Harvard
University.
James A. Klein
James A. Klein graduated from Kenyon College summa cum laude with highest honors in English literature and the philosophy of history. As recipient of the American Association of Colleges Oxford Fellowship, he then took a second baccalaureate in modern history from Oxford University, then a master’s in modern history (also from Oxford). He then returned to the United States to complete his education at Harvard University, where he took a second master’s and a doctorate in English history. His dissertation, "Politics and Publicity: A Study of Victorian Conservatism," won Harvard University’s DeWitt Prize in History, given for outstanding contribution to the field of Constitutional Politics. Since coming to NEC, Klein has written and lectured extensively on late Victorian politics, on political corruption, and on modern electoral reform. Klein has received numerous National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships, as well as several awards for teaching excellence, including Who’s Who of American College Faculty and Harvard University’s Fellowship for Outstanding Teaching from the Derek Bok Institute. After holding positions as assistant dean of freshmen at Harvard College and associate dean of the Extension School at Harvard University, Klein has twice served as dean of students at NEC.At Commencement 2000, James Klein received NEC's Louis and Adrienne Krasner Teaching Excellence Award.
B.A., M.A., Oxford; A.M., Ph.D., Harvard University
Physical Description
This collection consists of 8 manuscript boxes containing paper materials and photographs (7 boxes) and one box of electronic records- floppy disks and audio recordings in various formats.
Provenance
Bruce McPherson donated this collection to the NEC library in 1992, upon completion of this book.
Access
Access to the Measure by Measure Collection is granted by the NEC Archivist. Appointments must be scheduled in advance.
Copyright
For restrictions pertaining to copyright, consult with the Archivist or Director of Libraries.