On May 1, 1923, Dr. William Fletcher Russell was coaxed from the cornfields of Iowa to accept the position of Associate Director of the International Institute of Teachers College. Earlier in February 1923, John D. Rockefeller Jr., through the International Education Board made a gift of $100,000 a year for ten years for the establishment and support of the International Institute.(a)
The institute was made possible in large part by the efforts of Dr. Paul Monroe, Alexander‘s doctorate mentor, who was very active in international education and the promotion of world democracy.74 He saw the need for some consideration for the professional training of foreign students as a means of spreading democracy and developing international understanding and goodwill, especially after such a devastating world conflict. Ultimately the work of the International Institute served three purposes. The first was to give special instruction and constructive advice to foreign students, then bring American schools in touch with the best foreign educational theories and practices that could be found, and finally render direct educational assistance to foreign countries on invitation. After the war, the flow of foreign students at Teachers College had increased significantly so that by 1920 over 2000 had studied there.75 Along with William F. Russell, Monroe was established as the Director. The original staff included Isaac L. Kandel, professor of education at Teachers College and a staff member of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; Lester L. Wilson, a professor at Teachers College; and Stephen P. Duggan, professor at City College, New York. As the Teachers College; and Stephen P. Duggan, professor at City College, New York. As the institute‘s activities quickly expanded, in 1924, Dr. Thomas Alexander was asked to become part of the staff joining, Milton C. Del Manzo, George S. Counts, and Ruth McMurry.
(a) Liping Bu, ―International Activism and Comparative Education: Pioneering Efforts of the International Institute of Teachers College, Columbia University,‖ Comparative Education Review, (41)4, (1997): 413-434.
74 Jacques Cattell, & E. E. Ross, Leaders in Education, 3rd Edition. (Lancaster, PA: Science Press, 1948).
75 Liping Bu, ―International Activism and Comparative Education: Pioneering Efforts of the International Institute of Teachers College, Columbia University,‖ Comparative Education Review, (41)4, (1997): 413-434.
The institute was made possible in large part by the efforts of Dr. Paul Monroe, Alexander‘s doctorate mentor, who was very active in international education and the promotion of world democracy.74 He saw the need for some consideration for the professional training of foreign students as a means of spreading democracy and developing international understanding and goodwill, especially after such a devastating world conflict. Ultimately the work of the International Institute served three purposes. The first was to give special instruction and constructive advice to foreign students, then bring American schools in touch with the best foreign educational theories and practices that could be found, and finally render direct educational assistance to foreign countries on invitation. After the war, the flow of foreign students at Teachers College had increased significantly so that by 1920 over 2000 had studied there.75 Along with William F. Russell, Monroe was established as the Director. The original staff included Isaac L. Kandel, professor of education at Teachers College and a staff member of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; Lester L. Wilson, a professor at Teachers College; and Stephen P. Duggan, professor at City College, New York. As the Teachers College; and Stephen P. Duggan, professor at City College, New York. As the institute‘s activities quickly expanded, in 1924, Dr. Thomas Alexander was asked to become part of the staff joining, Milton C. Del Manzo, George S. Counts, and Ruth McMurry.
(a) Liping Bu, ―International Activism and Comparative Education: Pioneering Efforts of the International Institute of Teachers College, Columbia University,‖ Comparative Education Review, (41)4, (1997): 413-434.
74 Jacques Cattell, & E. E. Ross, Leaders in Education, 3rd Edition. (Lancaster, PA: Science Press, 1948).
75 Liping Bu, ―International Activism and Comparative Education: Pioneering Efforts of the International Institute of Teachers College, Columbia University,‖ Comparative Education Review, (41)4, (1997): 413-434.
