David Corcos Levy served as dean of Parsons School of Design from 1970 until 1989. The bulk of these records were generated between 1970 and 1984, after the merger of Parsons and the New School for Social Research, and consist of memos, correspondence, reports, and subject files related to Levy's administrative tenure. Correspondents include a range of New School and Parsons administrators, including New School president John R. Everett. Categories and subjects represented herein include developing and implementing new degree programs; the process of merging academic institutions, including the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles; faculty relations and unionization; accreditation; program and department establishment and design; and fundraising activities. Also found here are materials created by the Parsons Board of Trustees and, after the merger, the New School Board of Overseers.

This collection encompasses material related to the overall administration of The New School from 1928-2008. It includes reports, financial papers, board of trustees meeting agendas and minutes, and documents prepared for accrediting by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The bulk of the files date from the late 1940s-early 1960s and the 1990s-2000s. Of note is "The New School Study" of 1952, also known as the "Swift Report."