List of Teachers College, Columbia University alumni

Following is a list of notable alumni of Teachers College, Columbia University.

Art and architecture

Charles Alston (M.F.A. 1931), artist
Aaron Douglas (M.A. 1944), painter, illustrator, and major figure in the Harlem Renaissance
Maude Kerns (M.A. 1906), pioneering abstract artist and teacher
Audrea Kreye (M.A.), metalsmith and jewelry designer
Ryah Ludins (B.S. 1921; artist and art teacher
Agnes Martin (B.A. 1942), artist
Georgia O'Keeffe (1914), artist
Raphael Montañez Ortiz (Ed.D. 1982), artist and founder of El Museo del Barrio
Frank Shifreen (2001), artist; curator; teacher
Elaine Sturtevant (M.A.), artist
Marius Sznajderman, painter, printmaker, and scenic designer
Hilda Taba (PhD 1932), architect; curriculum theorist; curriculum reformer and teacher educator
Alma Thomas (M.A. 1934), expressionist painter and art educator
Lynd Ward (1926), illustrator and artist known for his series of wordless novels using wood engraving

Academia

President

Michael Apple (Ed.D. 1970), professor of educational policy studies
Louis T. Benezet (PhD 1942), former president of Claremont Graduate University
Zhang Boling (1917), founder and president of National Nankai University
Paul G. Bulger (Ed.D. 1951), president of Buffalo State College
Betty Castor (1963), President of the University of South Florida, member of the Florida Senate, and Florida Education Commissioner
Margaret Mordecai Jones Cruikshank (1911), president of St. Mary's Junior College
Bidhu Bhusan Das (M.A. 1947), university president/Vice Chancellor and ranking government official from India
Marjorie Housepian Dobkin (M.A.), Barnard College professor and dean
Edward C. Elliott (M.A.), educational researcher and president of Purdue University
Claire Fagin (M.A.), the first woman to serve as president of an Ivy League university
Abraham S. Fischler (Ed.D. 1959), academic; second president of Nova Southeastern University
Edward Fitzpatrick (B.S. 1906; M.A. 1907; PhD 1911), president of Mount Mary College
William Trufant Foster (PhD 1911), economist; first president of Reed College
Susan Fuhrman (Ph.D. 1977), first female president of TC; former UPenn dean
Mildred García (Ed.D. 1987), president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)
Gordon Gee (Ed.D. 1972), president of Ohio State University
Andy Holt (PhD 1937), president of University of Tennessee
George Ivany (M.A. 1962), president of the University of Saskatchewan
Dock J. Jordan (A.B., 1925; M.A. 1928), president of Edward Waters University and Kittrell College
J. Paul Leonard (1901–1995), university president, educator
Morris Meister (PhD 1921), first president of Bronx Community College and first principal of Bronx High School of Science
Jiang Menglin (PhD), president of Peking University; minister of education for the Republic of China
Mary Eileen O'Brien (M.A. 1983), president of Dominican University New York
Regina Peruggi (Ed.D. 1984), President of Kingsborough Community College
Thomas Granville Pullen Jr. (Ed.M.; Ed.D. 1926), president University of Baltimore; Maryland State Superintendent of Education
William Schuman (B.S. 1935; M.A. 1937), former president of the Juilliard School of Music and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Floyd Wilcox (M.A. 1920), third president of Shimer College
John Davis Williams (Ed.D. 1940), chancellor of the University of Mississippi

Faculty

Randy E. Bennett (M.A. 1977; Ed.M., 1978; Ed.D. 1979), educational researcher
Josephine Thorndike Berry (B.S. 1904, A.M. 1910), college professor and home economist
John Seiler Brubacher (M.A.; PhD), educational philosopher; professor at Yale
Edith Buchanan (Ed.D. 1953), nursing educator, professor, and principal of the College of Nursing, (now Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College of Nursing) New Delhi, India
Arthur W. Chickering (PhD 1958), educational researcher in student development theory
Satis N. Coleman (Ph.D. 1931), music educator and professor at Teachers College, Columbia University
Erick Gordon (Ed.M. 1992), founding director of the Student Press Initiative at Teachers College, Columbia University
Joan Dye Gussow (Ed.D. 1975), professor emerita and former chair of the Nutrition Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University
Margaret H'Doubler (1916), dance instructor who created the first dance major at the University of Wisconsin
Martin Haberman (Ed.D. 1962), dean and distinguished professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Martha Hill (B.S. 1929), first director of dance at the Juilliard School
Percy Hughes (M.A.; Ph.D.), leading fia gure in the Philosophy, Education, and Psychology Department at Lehigh University
Seymour Itzkoff (Ph.D. 1965), professor emeritus of education and child study at Smith College
Yoshi Kasuya (M.A. 1930, Ph.D. 1933), educator at Tsuda College in Kodaira, Tokyo
William Heard Kilpatrick (PhD 1912), philosopher of education; professor of Teachers College, Columbia University
Herbert Kliebard (Ed.D. 1963), historian of education and professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Julius B. Maller (PhD 1929), professor and research sociologist
John C. McAdams (M.A.), associate professor of political science at Marquette University
Jane Ellen McAllister (PhD 1929), college professor and first African American woman to earn a PhD in education in the United States
Lin Mosei (PhD 1929), Dean of Arts at the National Taiwan University and the first Taiwanese to receive a PhD degree
Jerome T. Murphy (M.A.), dean emeritus at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Kuo Ping-Wen (M.A. 1912; Ph.D. 1914), chancellor of the Shanghai College of Commerce
Thomas S. Popkewitz (M.A. 1964), professor of curriculum theory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Louise M. Powell (B.S. 1922), nurse and educator who led the University of Minnesota School of Nursing during its formative years.
Robert Bruce Raup (PhD 1926), philosophy of education professor emeritus and critic of the American education system
Betty Reardon (Ed.D. 1985), founder and director of the Peace Education Center at Teachers College, Columbia University
Agnes L. Rogers (PhD 1917), educational psychologist; professor of education
Juanita Jane Saddler (M.A. 1935), dean of women at Fisk University
Irma Salas Silva (Ph.D. 1930), head of the Department of Education of the University of Chile's Faculty of Philosophy and Education
Rawley Silver (Ed.D. 1936), art therapist
Lucy Diggs Slowe (M.A. 1915), first Blacthe k woman to serve as Dean of Women at an American University; one of the founders and first president of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Samuel Totten (Ed.D. 1985), genocide scholar and professor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
William E. Warner (Ph.D. 1928), industrial arts professor at Ohio State University and founder of Epsilon Pi Tau honor society
Joel Westheimer, professor of citizenship education at the University of Ottawa
Marion Thompson Wright (Ph.D. 1940), professor at Howard University and first African-American woman in the United States to earn Ph.D. in Ha istory

Activism

Thelma C. Davidson Adair (M.A. 1945; Ed.D. 1959), advocate for human rights; peace; and justice
Mary Antin (1902), immigration rights activist; author of The Promised Land
Belle Moskowitz (attended in 1894), social activist
Esther Peterson (M.A. 1930), consumer rights activist; 1981 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
Anita Pollitzer (1913), suffragette and national chairman of the NWP
Henrietta Rodman (1904), teacher; feminist activist
Jill Sheffield (M.A. 1963), women's reproductive rights advocate
Leon Sullivan (M.A. 1947), civil rights leader and social activist; 1991 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
Ruth C. Sullivan (M.A. 1953), autism activist

Business

William Vincent Campbell Jr. (Ed.M. 1974), board director for Apple Inc.; CEO for Claris; Intuit Inc. and GO Corporation
Richard Robinson (attended, 1963), former CEO of Scholastic Corporation
Carmen Rita Wong (M.A. 2000), personal finance expert

Education

Millie Almy (M.A. 1945, Ph.D. 1948), psychologist and "Grandame of early childhood education"
Florence E. Bamberger (PhD 1922), pedagogue; school supervisor; progressive education advocate
Sarah Bavly (M.S. 1929; PhD 1947), Dutch-Israeli nutrition education pioneer in Israel
Katherine M. Cook (M.A. 1912), Chief, Division of Rural Education, Bureau of Education; Chief, Division of Special Problems, Office of Education, HEW
Frank W. Cyr (PhD 1930), educator and author known for his contribution to school busing
Sarah Louise Delany (B.A. 1920; Ed.M. 1925), the first African-American permitted to teach high school science in New York
Florence Dunlop (Ph.D. 1935), a pioneer in education for special needs children
Blanche General Ely (M.A. 1923), principal and founder of multiple schools in Broward County, Florida
John D. Kendall (M.A.), promulgated the Suzuki Method in the United States
Deborah Kenny (PhD 1994), CEO of Harlem Village Academies
H. S. S. Lawrence (M.A.; Ed.D. 1950), Indian educationist
Caroline Pratt (B.A. 1894), progressive educator; founder of City and Country School in the Greenwich Village
Tao Xingzhi (1917), Chinese educator and author of children's literature

Entertainment

Sara Benincasa (M.A.), comedian and author
Donald Byrd (Ph.D. 1982), jazz and fusion trumpet player; music educator
Ennis Cosby (Ed.M. 1995), murder victim and son of comedian Bill Cosby
Arthur Cunningham (M.A. 1957), composer
Patricia DiMango (M.A.), judge; star of CBS' Hot Bench
William Patrick Foster (Ed.D. 1955), bandmaster, composer, and author
Agnes Moore Fryberger, educational director of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Art Garfunkel (M.A. 1967), singer (Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductee); poet; and actor
Samuel E. Goldfarb, composer
Ellie Krieger (M.S. 1994), nutritionist; host of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger and Ellie's Real Good Food
Eda LeShan (B.S. 1944), writer; television host; counselor; educator; playwright
Mort Lindsey (M.A. 1948; Ed.D. 1974), orchestrator; composer; pianist; conductor; musical director
Margaret McFarland (PhD 1938), child psychologist, chief consultant to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Annie-B Parson (M.A. 1983), dancer, choreographer, founder of Big Dance Theater
Soon-Yi Previn (Ed.M.), wife of filmmaker Woody Allen
David Randolph (M.A. 1942), conductor; music educator; radio host
Helen Reichert (M.A. 1931), talk show personality; professor
Marvin Rosen (Ed.M.; Ed.D.), pianist; educator; musicologist; Classical Discoveries radio host
Angela Santomero (M.A.), television executive producer and creator
Morton Schindel (M.A. 1947), educator and film producer
Robert Sherman (M.A. 1953), radio broadcaster; author; educator
Karl Struss (B.A. 1912), photographer and cinematographer; pioneer in 3D films
Bobby Susser (M.A. 1987), children's songwriter; record producer; performer
Ellen R. Thompson (M.A.) composer and music educator
Marion Verhaalen, (Ed.D., 1971) composer and musicologist
Ruth Westheimer (Ed.D. 1970), sex therapist known as "Dr. Ruth", talk show host, author, professor

Literature and journalism

Pam Allyn (M.A. 1988), literacy expert
Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (1896), author of Miss Hickory winner of the 1947 Newbery Medal
Norman Cousins (B.A.), editor; peace activist
Ella Cara Deloria (B.S. 1915), novelist and Yankton Sioux ethnologist
Rudolf Flesch (PhD 1955), author who inspired Dr. Seuss to write The Cat in the Hat
Neil Postman (M.A. 1955; Ed.D. 1958), author and cultural critic
Miriam Roth (Ed.M.), Israeli writer and scholar of children's books; educator
Grace Steele Woodward, writer and historian
Tao Xingzhi (1917), Chinese educator and author of children's literature
Anzia Yezierska (1905), novelist

Medicine and psychology

Louie Croft Boyd (1909), nurse and hospital superintendent of nurses
Augusta Fox Bronner (B.S. 1906; M.A. 1909; Ph.D. 1914), psychologist and co-director of the first child guidance clinic
May Edward Chinn (B.S. 1921), the first black woman to graduate from Bellevue Hospital Medical College
Peter T. Coleman (PhD), psychologist; executive director of the Morton Deutsch ICCCR and the AC4
Diane DiResta (M.S. 1977), media trainer; speech coach; certified speech pathologist
Patricia Lynne Duffy (M.A. 1981), synesthesia expert
Albert Ellis (M.A. 1943; PhD 1947), cognitive behavioral therapist
Haim Ginott, child psychologist and psychotherapist, and parent educator
Edmund W. Gordon (Ed.D.), psychologist
Tsuruko Haraguchi (PhD 1912), psychologist
Virginia Henderson (B.S. 1932; M.A. 1934), nurse; researcher; theorist; the "first lady of nursing"
Lois Holzman (Ph.D. 1977), psychologist, director, and co-founder of the East Side Institute
David W. Johnson (Ed.D. 1966), social psychologist
Imogene King (Ed.D.), pioneer of nursing theory development
Eleanor C. Lambertsen (B.S. 1949; M.A. 1950; Ed.D. 1957), revolutionized nursing and health care organization and delivery
Harriet Lerner (M.A.), clinical psychologist
Ruth Lubic (B.S. 1959; M.A. 1961; Ed.D. 1979), leader of the nurse-midwifery movement in the US
Rollo May (PhD 1949), existential psychologist
Margaret McFarland (PhD 1938), child psychologist, chief consultant to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Hildegard Peplau (M.A.; Ph.D.), nurse and nurse theorist who led the way toward the humane treatment of patients with behavior and personality disorders
June Reinisch (M.A. 1970; PhD 1976), psychologist and director of the Kinsey Institute
Carl Rogers (M.A. 1928; PhD 1931), psychologist
Martha E. Rogers (M.A. 1945), nursing theorist; creator of the Science of Unitary Human Beings
Celestine Smith (Ed.D. 1952), the first Black woman to become certified as a Jungian psychoanalyst, in 1964
Ian K. Smith (M.A. 1993), physician and author
Edward Thorndike (PhD 1898), psychologist
Robert L. Thorndike (M.A. 1932; PhD 1935), psychologist
Darlene Yee-Melichar (M.S. 1984; Ed.D. 1985), gerontologist
Shirley Zussman (1937), sex therapist

Military

Anna Mae Hays (B.S. 1958), the first woman in the U.S. Armed Forces to be promoted to a general officer rank
Olivia Hooker (M.A. 1947), first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard
Hazel Johnson-Brown (M.A. 1963), the first female African-American general in the United States Army

Politics and government

Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali (M.A. 1930; PhD 1934), Prime Minister of Iraq
Hafizullah Amin (M.A.), president of Afghanistan
Nahas Gideon Angula (M.A. 1978; Ed.M. 1979), Prime Minister of Namibia
William Ayers (Ed.M.; Ed.D. 1987), founder of Weather Underground; professor of education
C. Louise Boehringer (B.S. 1911), the first female to be elected to office in Arizona
Peter L. Buttenwieser (Ph.D.), Democratic donor and fundraiser
Betty Castor (1963), Florida Senate, Florida Education Commissioner, and President of the University of South Florida
P. C. Chang (PhD), philosopher and diplomat
Shirley Chisholm (M.A. 1952), first African American woman elected to Congress and former US presidential candidate
Betsy Gotbaum (M.A. 1967), Public Advocate for New York City
Lee Huan (M.A.), premier of the Republic of China
Kevin Jennings (M.A. 1994), former assistant deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Education
Thomas Kean (M.A. 1963), former governor of New Jersey
John King Jr. (Ed.M.; Ed.D. 2008), 10th United States secretary of education
Guillermo Linares (Ed.D.), the first Dominican elected to public office in the US
Olga A. Mendez (M.A. 1960), the first Puerto Rican woman elected to a US state legislature
Jiang Menglin (PhD), president of Peking University; minister of education for the Republic of China
Chester Earl Merrow (1937), educator; U.S. Representative from New Hampshire
Yvonne B. Miller (M.A. 1962), the first African-American woman to be elected to the Virginia state house
Richard P. Mills (Ed.D. 1977), former commissioner of education for Vermont and New York
Diane Ravitch (PhD 1975), historian of education; former U.S. Assistant secretary of education
Tian-Ming Sheu (Ed.D. 1993), president of the National Academy for Educational Research in Taiwan
Hu Shih (PhD 1917), Chinese diplomat
Merryl Tisch (Ed.D.), chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, presiding over University of the State of New York and the New York State Education Department
Deborah Wolfe (M.S. 1938; Ed.D. 1945), education chief of the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor

Religion

Barnett R. Brickner (M.A.), rabbi
Carl Henry Clerk (PGDip. 1926), fourth synod clerk of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast
Minnie Vautrin (M.A. 1919), educator and missionary
Moshe Weinberger, rabbi and author

Science

George Albert Llano (M.A. 1939), polar explorer and lichenologist with the National Academy of Sciences

Sports

Clarence Gaines (M.A. 1950), hall of fame basketball coach of Winston-Salem State University
Maya Lawrence (M.A. 2010), Olympic fencer
Sid Luckman, quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Adolph Rupp (M.A.), hall of fame basketball coach of the University of Kentucky
Henry Wittenberg (M.A.), Olympic wrestling champion

References

Trenton, Patricia; D'Emilio, Sandra (1995). Independent Spirits: Women Painters of the American West, 1890–1945. University of California Press. pp. 126–130. ISBN 978-0520202030.
"J. Paul Leonard, TC Educator, India Expert, Is Dead at Age 93". Columbia University Record. Vol. 20, no. 22. March 31, 1995. ISSN 0747-4504. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
"Mary Eileen O'Brien to Retire From Presidency of Dominican University in Orangetown, New York". Women In Academia Report. 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Lurie, Maxine N., 1940–, Mappen, Marc. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. 2004. ISBN 0813533252. OCLC 57590112.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

Categories: