Paul Klapper (July 17, 1885 – March 25, 1952) was a Romanian-born Jewish-American educator from New York.

Life

Klapper was born on July 17, 1885 in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, the son of Louis Klapper and Rachel Halpern. Klapper immigrated to America in 1892. He graduated the College of the City of New York with an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1904 and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

with an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1907 and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in 1909. He also attended the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in 1908. He then began teaching at the College of the City of New York School of Education, working as a tutor from 1907 to 1909, an instructor from 1909 to 1914, an assistant professor from 1914 to 1915, an associate professor from 1915 to 1921, and a professor from 1921 to 1922 and from 1931 to 1937. He was also director of the college's summer session from 1917 to 1922. In 1922, he was appointed dean of the School of Education. He served as dean until 1937. In 1937, Klapper became the first president of

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

. The college developed rapidly under his leadership, and the library was named after him. He retired as president in 1948 and became dean of teacher education of the Board of Higher Education of New York. He was a firm opponent of formal curricula and traditional modes of disciple, and was concerned with raising teachers' economic status and giving them the dignity he felt the profession deserved. His education philosophy and pedagogy theories influenced educational practices in schools across the country. He wrote several publications regarding education. Klapper was a consultant to the Ford Fund for the Advancement of Education, a visiting professor of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

from 1949 to 1950, a trustee of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

and

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

, a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

, and a member of the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

, the New York Council of the State Commission Against Discrimination, the New York State Commission on Need for State University,

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

, and

Kappa Delta Pi Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, () is an honor society for education. It was founded in 1911 and was one of the first discipline-specific honor societies. Its membership is limited to the top 20 percent of those entering ...

. In 1911, he married Flora Eydenberg. They had one child, Joseph Thomas. Klapper died at his home in

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the ...

from a heart attack on March 25, 1952.

References

1885 births 1952 deaths 19th-century Romanian Jews 20th-century Romanian Jews American people of Romanian-Jewish descent People from Iași Romanian emigrants to the United States City College of New York alumni New York University alumni University of Wisconsin alumni City College of New York faculty Presidents of Queens College, City University of New York Education school deans Jewish American academics 20th-century American academics 19th-century American Jews 20th-century American Jews People from Flushing, Queens {{DEFAULTSORT:Klapper, Paul