Elinor Miller Greenberg Papers
Scope and Content
The Elinor Miller Greenberg Papers contain publications such as books, pamphlets, and single articles. These articles are either authored by Greenberg or are about Greenberg’s research on the challengers, needs, and directions for education in relation to adult and experiential learning.
The materials begin when Greenberg became the Founding Director of the University Without Walls, UWW, program at Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado. She held that position from 1971 to 1979. UWW was a program in 13 public and private institutions of higher education across the country that was designed to expand access to the B.A. Degree for a broad range of adult learners. UWW was an individualized baccalaureate program that offered academic credit based on contracted new learning in a variety of settings. The program evaluated prior non-college learning based on skills and competencies gained outside of college classrooms.
The last project documented in this collection is Greenberg’s work from 1996 to 2002 with the Mountain and Plains Partnership, MAPP. By this time period, technology began to make it possible to bring education to the student rather than bringing the student to a site-specific campus. MAPP was a partnership of 16 higher education institutions and health-related agencies that provided online Master degree programs to advanced practice health care providers in underserved rural and urban communities.
The collection contains her unpublished presentations as well as the official reports evaluating experiential learning programs and their outcomes. Other items include her projects files, videos, and DVDs which discuss the different facets of education. The videos and DVDs focus on the facets of distance learning provided through interactive videos and the internet.
Although the emphasis of the collection is on Greenberg’s professional life in education, there are also autobiographical materials including her personal writings.
This collection contains administrative files, presentations, reports, project files, books, publications, photographs, media, and press clippings.
Series Listing and Description
Series 1 – UWW Administrative – Cartons 1 & 2
University Without Walls, UWW, was a program designed for non-traditional adult learners that assisted them to earn a B.A. degree based on 128 semester credit hours and an individualized course study. Elinor Miller Greenberg became the founding director of UWW at Loretto Heights College from 1971 to 1979.
This series is composed of Greenberg’s administrative files from 1970 to September 1974, which includes brochures, bulletins, programs, project information, proposals, and the director’s notebook of UWW programs.
Series 2 – Presentations and Conferences – Cartons 2, 3, & 4
This series contains the presentations given by Greenberg for conferences, civic groups, foundations, and educators between 1971 and 2002. These presentations were given both as the UWW director and as an independent consultant to numerous organizations.
Her presentations focus on adult learning opportunities, leadership training, volunteer recruitment and development, and the economic integration of women in the community. These presentations contain descriptions of the programs and projects Greenberg founded, supervised, and consulted on during her various capacities in the fields of adult learning, education, and career development.
Of special interest are the international papers given at the UNESCO Conference held in Vienna in October 1973. The papers presented reflect a mixture of attitudes towards experiential learning.
Series 3 – Personal Writings – Carton 4
The materials in this series are autobiographical. They consist of poetry written by Greenberg about the life experiences she shared with family members and friends, as well as meditative reflections on various stages of her life and work.
Series 4 – Reports – Cartons 4 & 5
These files include Greenberg’s working notes and memos, as well as the official evaluations of her work with foundations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and educational institutions.
Of special interest are reports on the UWW Teacher corps project which gave Colorado prison inmates and ex-offenders opportunities to earn a college degree and gain their release from prison, while project staff completed masters and doctoral degrees. Also, of special interest are the Navajo Area and Indian Health Service Project papers which supported Navajo mental health workers, and the Union of Experimenting Colleges and Universities.
Series 5 – Project Files – Cartons 5, 6, & 7
These files document the projects Greenberg created and collaborated on while working for various state agencies and corporations. In 1991, she founded her own consulting and publishing firm, and designed and advised on projects in an independent capacity. The project files included State Board for Community College and Occupational Education, Pathways to the Future, Project Leadership, U.S. West Foundation, Colorado Telecommunications Advisory Commission, and the Mountain and Plains Partnership.
Series 6 – Correspondence – Carton 8
The correspondence in this series are the professional letters to and from Greenberg in her capacity as a consultant, board member, workshop leader, and participant in various educational concerns. Many U.S. congressional and state officials are included in these letters.
Notable names include Roy Dyson, Gary Hart, Floyd Haskell, Dottie Lamm, Richard D. Lamm, Sr. Patricia Jean Manion, Frederico Pena, Dan Shaefer, Patricia Schroeder, and Ron Ruppa.
Correspondence is filed chronologically.
Series 7 – Clippings – Carton 8
This series is composed of news clippings from 1966 to 2007 which record Greenberg’s activism and professional work.
Series 8 – Awards and Activities – Carton 8
Awards in this series were received between 2008 and 2017 and include induction to the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, Civis Princeps, the Elizabeth T. Kennan Award, the Wilma J. Webb Founders Award, and the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award.
Series 9 – Photographs – Carton 8
The photographs in this collection focus on Greenberg at events connected with her professional activities.
Series 10 – Publications – Cartons 8 & 9
This series is composed of publications both by and about Greenberg. The bound publications in this series are by Greenberg, or are books that include articles by her. Also included are articles form magazines and newspapers.
Series 11 – Media – Carton 10
The majority of this series is composed of videotapes on educational programs, especially those delivered by long distance broadband networks. Topics focus on educational issues, particularly the limitations and achievements in teaching, as well as the ways the technology of video-based distance learning expands access to information both geographically and economically for schools and the community. Some tapes in this series address cultural attitudes and mentoring needed to develop the leadership capacities of women.
Of special interest is a DVD, “When a King Came to Town,” produced in 2006 by Adam Dempsey and shown annually on PBS/Chanel 6 about the visit to Denver and Littleton by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, in 1964. One interviewee is Elinor Miller Greenberg, who was responsible for Dr. King’s visit to Littleton. Implications for social action in the 21st Century are discussed.
A second DVD, “A Journey for Justice,” produced in 1993 by Channel 9, documents the mission by 26 diverse Coloradans, including Elinor Miller Greenberg, to Germany and the concentration camp at Dachau. This mission was sponsored by the Office of the Colorado Lt. Governor and was intended to investigate the rise of ethnic violence in Germany. Hate crimes in the early 1990s on both sides of the Atlantic are compared.
Series 12 – OV Items
This series is composed of two oversized memorabilia items, an album and 6 posters. The album contains rosters, agendas, photographs, clippings, and seminar activities from the Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning (CAEL) conventions between 1980 and 1984. The 6 posters each represent a different aspect of the learning experience in the University Without Walls (UWW) at Loretto Heights College in the 1970s.