Mark Ellingson digital audio recording of RIT's 1956 Alumni Pledge Drive

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: RITArc-0621

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Mark Ellingson 1956 Alumni Pledge Drive digital audio recording contains an audio recording from Mark Ellingson, sent to alumni as a fundraising effort as well as a state of the institute report. The recording starts with the Alma Mater and moves into a plea to alumni from Mark Ellingson for contributions and pledges. He discusses the growth of the institute, its progress and achievements. Ellingson then talks about costs of operations and how growth is made possible by special gifts or bequest contributed by business and industry. He describes what their contributions would be used for (i.e. additional building and facilities, land, equipment, more adequate salaries) and ends with warm personal greetings as the holiday season approaches. Original cassette recording was digitized on 9/17/2013.

Dates

Creation: 1956-1956

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

Mark Ellingson began his career at the institute in 1936 as a teacher. During his term as president, the institute was able to increase the endowment from $1.5 million in 1937 to $20.8 million three years later. An important merger between the Empire School of Printing and the Mechanics Institute took place in 1937. In 1944, the Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute was renamed Rochester Institute of Technology. During Ellingson's presidency, RIT revised its decision regarding awarding degrees. Under Ellingson's direction, the university began planning for the Henrietta campus in 1961, and after the move was complete President Ellingson made his decision to retire in 1969 after seeing his vision completed.