The Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration: 1956 - 1962

Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration brochure, ca. 1956

"From College to Career." Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration brochure, ca. 1956. Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Records. Harvard Business School.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Catalogue, 1956-1957

The Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Catalogue, 1956-1957.

A Growing Partnership

Acknowledging an awareness of the changing role of women in business, Harvard University announced in 1955 that Radcliffe's Management Training Program would become the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration (HRPBA). This name change, the University explained, "was undertaken to meet more effectively the growing demand for women in administrative positions." (1) With the exception of New York University, HRPBA boasted the greatest number of female students in business administration. Individuals like Margaret Earhart, an activist for workers' rights as well as a faculty member, helped to sustain the program with her financial support.

Opportunities for Women and the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration, 1956-1957

Opportunities for Women and the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration, 1956-1957. Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Records. Harvard Business School.

Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration brochure, ca. 1956

"From College to Career." Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration brochure, ca. 1956. Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Records. Harvard Business School.

Dudley Meek, a publishing executive, became director. He led a review and revision of the curriculum, resulting in full-year courses in marketing, control (accounting and statistics), production, human problems in administration, finance, and economics. (2) The well-known Written Analysis of Cases course was also added. The HRPBA curriculum had many similarities to the Harvard Business School MBA program. Weekly evening lectures featured business leaders, who discussed with students the problems they encountered in their own organizations.

"Graduate Business School Trains Women for Executive roles." Office Management, February 1957

"Graduate Business School Trains Women for Executive roles." Office Management, February 1957.

Class of 1956, the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration

Class of 1956, the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration. Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Records. Harvard Business School.

HRPBA continued to grow, and students enrolled from all over the United States as well as Canada, England, Sweden, Turkey, South Africa, Korea, and India. They included graduates from Radcliffe, Wellesley, Smith, and Mount Holyoke Colleges, Stanford University, and the University of Michigan. Promotional literature featured the job experiences of the program's alumnae to illustrate the range of career opportunities available to women.

Allyn Moss. "The Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration: Dear Campus Leader, What Now?" Mademoiselle, October, 1958

Allyn Moss. "The Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration: Dear Campus Leader, What Now?" Mademoiselle, October, 1958. Copyright© 2012. Condé Nast. All rights reserved.

"Administrative Opportunities for Women." Journal of College Placement, February, 1960

"Administrative Opportunities for Women." Journal of College Placement, February, 1960. Reprinted with permission of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, copyright holder.

"Grey Flannelettes Invade Sanctuary." The Harbus News, February 17, 1956.

"Grey Flannelettes Invade Sanctuary." The Harbus News, February 17, 1956.

"The Program aims to establish those basic understandings and analytical abilities which will help the graduate adjust quickly to the demands of her job," the 1956 - 1957 course catalogue noted, "and, with application, advance as opportunity permits to higher levels of responsibility." (3) Many HRPBA graduates found employment in administrative positions in manufacturing firms, financial institutions, schools, and colleges. A 1958 article in Mademoiselle reported that graduates of the program "are being hired for jobs that till recently were considered strictly male territory." (4)

"Radcliffe Program Girls Enjoy Some MBA Courses." The Harbus News, September 30, 1960.

"Radcliffe Program Girls Enjoy Some MBA Courses." The Harbus News, September 30, 1960.

"Women Admitted To MBA Next Year." The Harbus News, May 15, 1959.

"Women Admitted To MBA Next Year." The Harbus News, May 15, 1959.

Transition

In 1959, graduates of the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration could apply for admission to the second year of Harvard Business School MBA program. Three women took advantage of this new opportunity, joining the MBA class of 1960. Men and women now attended classes together. "Harvard is reconciled. Women are here to stay—in business," the May 13, 1959 Wall Street Journal noted of the change. The transition for those entering the second-year MBA program at HBS did not prove altogether seamless. Barbara Hackman Franklin, (MBA 1964) who later became U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1992 to 1993, remembered, "HBS was a real culture shock. Some faculty were opposed to having women in the classroom. So were some students." (5)

Roberta Moniz Lasley (MBA 1960), Diana C. Greer (MBA 1960), and Sara Beth Wilkinson (MBA 1960) at registration in Baker Library, 1959

Roberta Moniz Lasley (MBA 1960), Diana C. Greer (MBA 1960), and Sara Beth Wilkinson (MBA 1960) at registration in Baker Library, 1959. HBS Archives Photograph Collection: Student Life. Harvard Business School. olvwork380792

The Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Catalogue, 1961-1962

The Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Catalogue, 1961-1962. Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Records. Harvard Business School.

HBS Dean Stanley F. Teele asserted, "It cannot be said that women are being placed widely in top management positions, nor will they be in the near future, but greater numbers of them are being used as administrative assistants to top management men in all the functions of business management." (6) Most graduates worked as department heads or assistants to a senior executive in fields related to what they had studied. During late 1950s and early 1960s, as the country was experiencing tremendous economic growth, the employment rates for graduates of the program grew to 75 percent or more for both single and married graduates. Statistics showed a rising number of married women returning to work after their children became of school age. (7)

"From College to Career." Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration brochure

"From College to Career." Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration brochure. Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Records. Harvard Business School.

Students on HBS campus, ca. 1960

Students on HBS campus, ca. 1960. HBS Archives Photograph Collection: Student Life. Harvard Business School. olvwork687892

When HRPBA ended in 1963, 1,200 alumnae had gone through the program, and many reflected on its value. Betty Diener (HRPBA 1963, MBA 1964, DBA 1974) believed that for that time the program had given the students a "voice"; if they had only gone to HBS she said, "we never would have spoken up, we never would have been recognized for our ideas, and we never would have gained that sort of self-confidence." (8)

  1. University News Office Press Release, February 4, 1954. Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Records (Arch E73.10B), HBS Archives, Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School.

  2. Roberts, A Short History, p. 4.

  3. Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration, Catalogue, 1956 - 1957, Cambridge: Radcliffe College, p. 8.

  4. Allyn Moss, "Dear Campus Leader, What Now? Mademosielle, October 1958. Reprint.

  5. Barbara Hackman Franklin in PBA’s 50th Reunion Catalog, p. 11. Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Records (Arch E73.10B), HBS Archives, Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School.

  6. Dean Stanley F. Teele quoted in "HBS Plans to Open Its Doors to Women," Wall Street Journal, May 13, 1959.

  7. Roberts, A Short History, p. 11. Christine Hobart, "Administrative Opportunities," Journal of College Placement, Vol. 21, February 1960.

  8. Betty J. Diener, interview by Livingston Grant, transcribed tape recording, March 27, 2000, Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration Oral History Project, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.