Dr. Harold Milton Proschansky

https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/14/obituaries/harold-m-proshansky-d...

Harold M. Proshansky Dies at 70; Head of CUNY's Graduate School

By ALFONSO A. NARVAEZ

Harold M. Proshansky, an environmental psychologist and the president of the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York, died yesterday at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. He was 70 years old and lived in Manhattan.

He died of lymphoma, a CUNY spokeswoman said.

Dr. Proshansky presided over the Graduate School and University Center for 18 years, beginning in 1972 as acting president. Last year he submitted his resignation, effective next July. The resignation followed a power struggle with the CUNY Chancellor at the time, Joseph S. Murphy, who had announced that he was seeking new, more vigorous leadership for the six colleges in the system whose presidents were over 60 and had held their posts for more than a decade.

W. Ann Reynolds, the successor to Dr. Murphy, who retired in August, yesterday praised Dr. Proshansky.

"He built an outstanding faculty, attracting scholars of international renown from universities throughout the country," Dr. Reynolds said. "Under his leadership, a number of the Graduate School's doctoral programs achieved great prominence in the country." Attracting Scholars

As head of the Graduate School, Dr. Proshansky was one of the most powerful members of the univerity's council of presidents, controlling admission to the system's doctoral programs, graduate teaching positions and high-level research opportunities.

During his tenure, he helped the Graduate School build a national reputation, attracting scholars like Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Herbert A. Parmet in history, Alfred Kazin and Morris Dickstein in English, Dennis Sullivan in mathematics and Linda Nochlin in art history. In the most recent nationwide survey by the Conference Board of Associated Research Councils, a third of the school's 32 doctoral programs were rated among the 15 best in the United States.

A native of New York City, Dr. Proshansky attended public schools in the Bronx. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from City College in 1941 and a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University the following year.

After serving as a sergeant in the Army during World War II, he joined the Haskin's Laboratory as a research psychologist. In 1952, he earned a Ph.D. in social psychology at New York University and joined the faculty at Brooklyn College as a lecturer in psychology. He moved to the Graduate School faculty in 1963 and in 1966 became executive officer of the psychology department. He was named dean of graduate studies in 1968, provost in 1970 and acting president in 1972. The Daily 'Crisis'

Dr. Proshansky remained a scholar and helped create the doctoral specialty that examines issues like urban transportation systems and problems relating to urban crowding and privacy. He was particularly concerned about the urban environment and its effect on people and lectured and wrote widely on the subject. For many years, he rode the subway to and from work, a daily experience he once called "the crisis in human dignity."

He belonged to many professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the New York Academy of Sciences. He was a past president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues and served on advisory boards of several scholarly and professional journals.

He is survived by his wife, Etta; a son, Eric, of Manhattan; a daughter, Ellen Nielsen of Brooklyn, and two grandchildren.

Harold Proshinsky

• 1930 United States Federal Census
• Birth: Circa 1920 - New York, United States
• Residence: 1930 - Bronx (Districts 251-500), Bronx, New York, USA
• Parents: Rose Proshinsky, Samuel Proshinsky
• Siblings: Ada Proshinsky, Gertrude Proshinsky

Harold Proshansky

• 1940 United States Federal Census
• Birth: Circa 1920 - New York, USA
• Residence: 1940 - 1536 Minford Place, A D 5, Bronx, New York, USA
• Parents: Sam Proshansky, Rose Proshansky
• Sister: Goldie Proshansky

Harold M Proshansky

• U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI)
• Birth: Sep 16 1920
• Death: Dec 13 1990
• Last residence: New York, New York 10023, USA