The office of Associate Dean of Harvard College in Charge of Alumni Placement and Student Employment existed from 1935-1943. Its only office holder was George F. Plimpton. His activities included not only student and alumni job placement, but also administration of scholarships and freshman advising. Scholarships included those for refugees from Germany and its annexed lands. When the United States entered the war, Plimpton's interviewing and placement experience led to his involvement in placement of United States Army Air Corps intelligence officers. When the office dissolved, Plimpton's responsibilities were taken on by the Dean of the College, A. C. Hanford.
Alumni placement and student employment at Harvard was effected by the Depression. Alumni placement had been the province of the Harvard Alumni Placement Service, originally established and sponsored by the Harvard Alumni Employment Committee. The Harvard Alumni Placement Service and its branches at various Harvard Clubs provided alumni and graduating seniors with career advice and introductions to the business and industrial communities. In 1935, before Plimpton was appointed, the University took over the private Cambridge office of the Harvard Alumni Placement Service, replacing it with the University-controlled Alumni Placement Office. Plimpton worked closely with the Alumni Placement Office. On July 31, 1941 the Alumni Placement Office was closed due to the necessity to make cuts in the University's budget. The Student Employment Office, which was initiated in 1910 , and with which Plimpton also worked closely, continued to function.
After the Alumni Placement Office closed, Plimpton still did as much as possible for job-seeking graduates. He provided advice and career counseling to students, the resources of the Placement Office Library were still made available, and the various alumni placement committees continued to assist seniors relocating to their cities.
Plimpton's additional responsibilities were many. He was responsible for assisting in the fair administration of scholarships and other aids to undergraduates, including German refugees. He was a Freshmen Adviser. He also served as a member of numerous University committees including the Committee on the Supervision of Non-Athletic Undergraduate Organizations and the Committee on Scholarships in Harvard College. From March to September 1942, Plimpton worked as a civilian interviewer for the United States Army Air Corps' New England Personnel Procurement Division, recommending college and university faculty for positions as combat intelligence officers. He later was granted a leave of absence to enter the Army as a Major . In 1943 he resigned his position as Associate Dean in charge of Alumni Placement and Student Employment and the office was abolished.
From the guide to the Records of the Associate Dean of Harvard College in Charge of Alumni Placement and Student Employment, 1934-1942, (Harvard University Archives)
