The Institute of Jazz Studies and Rutgers University

Abstract

This institutional history of the Institute of Jazz Studies traces its development from 1952 to 1990. It traces the institute from its non-profit private corporation status through its acquisition by Rutgers University and its subsequent evolution to a nationally recognized scholarly resource. Special attention is given the individuals who fostered the idea and then worked actively to nurture it in the university setting. This paper relies upon primary sources consisting of tape recorded interviews with ten of the individuals intimately involved in the struggles of the institute and a number of internal documents. The author hopes that telling the tale will give these individuals their due and, at the same time, give hope to others with similar enterprises in mind.