Since the 1920s, various counseling services had been offered by the University in cooperation with organizations such as the "Y" and the Southern Women's Educational Alliance. The Bureau of Testing and Guidance was created in 1944 to provide educational and vocational testing services to the University and on occasion to the Durham community. The first staff members were James M. Slay, an Assistant Dean of Trinity College, assistant director Jay Ostwalt, and administrative assistant Mrs. R.E. Lee. The office offered pre-college testing of applicants, placement testing, career counseling, and aptitude testing. It underwent major reorganization in the fall of 1950.
In the 1950s, Henry Weitz became director of the Bureau, the staff was enlarged, and the program's focus was changed to emphasize counseling, with testing placed in a supporting role. In 1964, the name of the organization was changed from the Bureau of Testing and Guidance to the University Counseling Center, further accentuating the role that counseling had come to play in operations.
As its primary mission, the Counseling Center offered general psychological counseling to students, faculty, staff, and the Durham community, particularly in the areas of career planning and education, as well as personal and social development. It also provided students with information concerning jobs, graduate school, financial aid, foreign study, and employment. In 1977, the Counseling Center merged with Student Mental Health Services to form Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS.
From the guide to the Counseling Center records, 1950-1970, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)
