Church, Samuel Harden--Correspondence, Western University of Pennsylvania--Board of Trustees, Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919--Correspondence, Money, Philanthropists--United States, Endowments, Carnegie Institute, Carnegie Institute. Technical Schools, Allegheny Observatory, Degrees, Academic, Rockefeller, John D. (John Davison), 1839-1937, University of Chicago--Endowments, Oakland (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Western University of Pennsylvania--Endowments, Carnegie Museum--Endowments, Carnegie Institute. Dept. of Fine Arts--Endowments, Carnegie Institute. Technical Schools--Endowments, Universities and colleges--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh--Endowments, Natural history museums--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh--Endowments, Art museums--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh--Endowments, Technical Institutes--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh--Endowments, Scholarships--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh, Scholarships--Pennsylvania, McCormick, Samuel B., Holland, W. J. (William Jacob), 1848-1932, Reed, J. H., Schenley Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Phipps Conservatory, Arboretums--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh, Clapp, George H.--Correspondence
A handwritten letter from George H. Clapp, president of the Western University of Pennsylvania's Board of Trustees, to Samuel Harden Church in regards to Church's letter, presumably dated January 20, 1908, to Andrew Carnegie in response to a letter dated January 14, 1908 in which Carnegie asks Church what he would do with five or ten million dollars. In the letter dated January 20, 1908 Church extols Carnegie's various philanthropic ventures and outlines how he thinks the 5-10 million dollars should be spent. He proposes that Carnegie ""take in charge"" and that there be a ""marriage"" of the Carnegie Institute, Carnegie Institute Technical Schools and the Western University of Pennsylvania. He outlines the different colleges within the Western University of Pennsylvania that he calls the ""seven sisters"" with an eighth department, the Allegheny Observatory. The assets of the Western University of Pennsylvania are also laid out. He notes that the Western University of Pennsylvania would bring to the union their charter that gives the right to confer degrees. The Carnegie Institute and the Carnegie Institute, Technical Schools did not have the legal right to confer degrees at that time. Church makes reference to John D. Rockefellers endowment of the Chicago University. He then outlines the programs that would be offered by the merger. The recently purchased land for the site of the new ""Pittsburgh University"" in Oakland a neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pa. is mentioned in relation to its close proximity to the Carnegie Institute and the Carnegie Institute Technical Schools. Church lists four conditions that should be presented by Carnegie. He then provides a list of where the money should be spent and how much money is to be spent on the University (Western University of Pennsylvania), Carnegie Museum, Carnegie Art Department and the Carnegie Technical Schools. Clapp acknowledges his reading of the letter dated January 20, 1908 and hopes that Andrew Carnegie gives Church's letter careful consideration. He remarks that Church ""neglected"" to mention in his letter to Andrew Carnegie the need for Carnegie to provide a provision for scholarships for Technical School graduates. He also proposes the idea of scholarships for honor students of local high schools in Allegheny County and preferably in western Pennsylvania. Clapp would like to see Andrew Carnegie get together with Dr. Samuel B. McCormick, chancellor of the Western University of Pennsylvania, to discuss the plan Church suggests for the union of the Carnegie Institute, Carnegie Institute, Technical Schools and the Western University of Pennsylvania. Clapp also suggests that Church, W. J. Holland and J. H. Reed join in on the discussion. He then mentions Dr. McCormick's reluctance to purchase land on the hill (presumably in Oakland) for the Western University of Pennsylvania. Clapp believes that the tract of land (for the university) could be increased to 60 or 70 acres that would then bring the whole ""scheme"" to over 100 acres and Schenley Park would be the ""playground"". He believes that Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Laboratory is overlooked and it would be great if they could ""get the use of enough park land for an arboretum"" that ""could be established on the University grounds"". Clapp then makes corrections to Church's letter of January 20, 1908.