Hubert Park Beck (1907 – January 16, 1989) was an American educational psychologist, and the writer of a book about the boards of trustees of 30 major U.S. universities.
Hubert Park Beck | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1907 |
| Died | January 16, 1989 New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Columbia University |
| Occupation | Educational psychologist |
| Employer | City College of New York |
| Spouse | Dorothy Fahs |
| Children | 1 daughter |
| Relatives | Sophia Lyon Fahs (mother-in-law) |
Early life
editBeck was born in 1907.[1] He earned a PhD in Educational Psychology from Columbia University in 1945.[2]
Career
editBeck began his career as a science teacher in Bronxville, New York.[1] In 1947, he became an assistant professor of Educational Psychology at the City College of New York. He remained a faculty member at CCNY for three decades, having been a full professor from 1969 to 1977.[2]
Beck was the secretary of the New York City chapter of the National Education Association. He served on the board of trustees of the New Lincoln School.[2] In 1986, he endowed a research doctoral dissertation grant program later known as the Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation.[1]
Research
editBeck authored Men Who Control Our Universities, a book about the boards of trustees of 30 major U.S. universities, including state and private universities, in 1934-1935.[3] By studying the professions, income levels, ages, sexes and religions of trustees, Beck found that most of them were wealthy Protestant male businessmen, bankers or lawyers over 60.[3][4][5] Beck argued that the trustees lacked an understanding of the working class or the under-privileged, and he added that they had no experience with teaching or academic research or administration.[5] In a review for The Elementary School Journal, Thomas H. Hamilton of the University of Chicago agreed with Beck that the trustees' social status might be a problem, but he did not believe that appointing trustees with teaching or research experience would necessarily lead to better decisions.[3] He added that the topic was under-researched and that the book was "a competent volume."[3] Reviewing it for the American Sociological Review, Scott Nearing concluded, "His study substantiates and documents the oft-repeated observation that the same men who run the banks and factories and operate the railroads of the United States also control and direct the institutions of higher education."[4]
Personal life and death
editBeck married Dorothy Fahs, the daughter of Unitarian activist Sophia Lyon Fahs.[1] They had a daughter Rebecca, and they resided in Manhattan. He died on January 16, 1989, at age 81.[2]
Selected works
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Background". Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Dr. Hubert Beck, 81, A Retired Professor". The New York Times. January 20, 1989. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Hamilton, Thomas H. (March 1948). "Reviewed Work: Men Who Control Our Universities: The Economic and Social Composition of Governing Boards of Thirty Leading American Universities by Hubert Park Beck". The Elementary School Journal. 48 (7): 399–400. doi:10.1086/458963. JSTOR 998372.
- ^ a b Nearing, Scott (December 1947). "Reviewed Work: Men Who Control Our Universities. by Hubert Park Beck". American Sociological Review. 12 (6): 728–729. doi:10.2307/2086961. JSTOR 2086961.
- ^ a b Anderson, Earl W. (December 10, 1947). "Reviewed Work: Men Who Control Our Universities by Hubert Park Beck". Educational Research Bulletin. 26 (9): 243–244. JSTOR 1474512.
External links
edit- Hubert Park Beck on the Internet Archive