Committee on the Developing Student, 1968 - 1969

The Committee on the Developing Student was appointed in the Spring of 1968 and was tasked with evaluating the then-current “special students” program. At the time, “special students” were defined as “disadvantaged” admits with promising academic potential despite low college board scores. In the spring of 1964, Barnard admissions made two distinct decisions– to admit more “special students” as well as more Black students. In the fall 1964 semester, the first group of “special students were admitted along with 18 Black students. A few years later, in May 1968, the Committee on the Developing Student started meeting, and in December 1968, produced their first draft proposal reimagining the “special students” program as Barnard’s Program for Developing Students (PDS). In original drafts, PDS was imagined to be an “expansion and revision” of Barnard’s existing program for “culturally disadvantaged” (and in later drafts “educationally disadvantaged”) students. The proposal recommended the admission of 50 PDS students each year with a substantial amount from the NYC metropolitan area.

During the proposal drafting process, the Committee on the Developing Student faced pressures from within the student body. In February of 1969, the recently formed Barnard Organization of Soul Sisters (BOSS) directed 10 demands at President Peterson–one of which pertained to the “special students” program. Specifically, BOSS criticized Barnard for the lack of material support given to “special students” after their admission to the college. After numerous proposal drafts, PDS was approved at a Faculty meeting on April 21st, 1969. The program officially began in the fall of 1969 with the admission of 29 PDS students and the appointment of a new program director. In records, the Committee is also called the Committee on Disadvantaged Students and the Committee on Special Students.