Rutgers University Psychological Clinic

In October, 1929, university president John Martin Thomas and the Board of Trustees of Rutgers University established the Rutgers Psychological Mental Hygiene Clinic as a distinct department. It was anticipated that the Rutgers Clinic would provide facilities for psychological examination and extended case studies. It would also provide intensive study and cooperate with the psychology department to offer graduate instruction. The clinic was funded by a state grant made through the Commissioner of Institutions and Agencies, William J. Ellis.

The first director of the clinic was Henry E. Starr, chairman of the psychology department. During the Depression, clinic facilities became increasingly utilized as a laboratory for advanced courses. The state grant was eventually withdrawn due to the financial problems of the times, and the clinic became part of the the psychology department.

In 1944, Dr. Anna Starr, widow of the late Henry E. Starr, became director of the clinic. She had worked with her husband since the clinic's founding and continued to direct it until her retirement in 1956.