Dr. Marguerite Ross Barnett Papers, 1990-1992

Biographical Note

Marguerite Ross Barnett was born in Charlottesville, Virginia on May 22, 1942, but grew up in Buffalo, New York. She graduated from Buffalo's Bennett High School in 1959, and later attended Antioch College graduating with an A.B. in Political Science in 1964. Following her undergraduate studies, Barnett continued her study of political science at the University of Chicago where she received her M.A. and Ph.D. in 1966 and 1972 respectively.

Barnett held several teaching positions during her career, beginning as a lecturer at the University of Chicago in 1969. She also taught at Princeton, Howard, and Columbia. As an administrator, she held positions at the City University of New York and the University of Missouri-Saint Louis before coming to the University of Houston in the fall of 1990.

When Dr. Barnett assumed the role of President at the University of Houston, she became the first woman, as well as the first African-American to hold the office. Among her many accomplishments at UH, Barnett succeeded in raising more than $150 million for the institution, establishing the Texas Center for Environmental Studies, and instituting the nationally recognized Bridge Program. The Bridge Program aided motivated, disadvantaged students make a successful transition from high school to college.

In early 1992, the University of Houston's Board of Regents granted Dr. Barnett a six month leave of absence for treatment of a neuro-endorcrinological condition. She succumbed to complications from the disease on February 26, 1992.

Sources

• Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. “Marguerite Ross Barnett,” Notable Black American Women. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc. 1992.
• Williams-Andoh, Ife. “Marguerite Ross Barnett,” Facts on File Encyclopedia of Black Women in America: Education. New York: Facts on File, Inc. 1997.

Scope and Contents

The papers of Dr. Marguerite Ross Barnett contain speeches, correspondence, and other information relating to her appointment and tenure as President of the University of Houston. Dr. Barnett's papers are arranged in five series, and chronologically within each series. The majority of the collection consists of speeches. The collection contains material dating from September 1990 to March 1992.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open for research.

Use Restrictions

Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, but copyright normally belongs to the creator of the materials or their heirs. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, locating copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form. For more information, consult the appropriate librarian.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Dr. Marguerite Ross Barnett Papers, Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries.

Acquisition

Donation, 1998

Processed by

Tyler Selle, October 1998

Detailed Description