Douglas J. Bennet
Encyclopedia
Douglas Joseph “Doug” Bennet, Jr. (born June 23, 1938) is a former national political official and college president. He was the fifteenth president of Wesleyan University
, in Middletown
, Connecticut, from 1995 to 2007. Before that, he served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
in the Clinton
Administration (1993–95) and Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
in the Carter
administration (1977–79), was the President and CEO of National Public Radio (1983–93), and ran the U.S. Agency for International Development under President Carter (1979–81). In 2011, Bennet was named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
, New Jersey to Douglas Joseph Bennet, Sr. and Phoebe Benedict Bennet, Bennet grew up in Lyme
, Connecticut, and attended the local public schools. He earned a bachelor of arts
degree from Wesleyan University
in 1959, an M.A.
in history from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1960, and a doctorate in history from Harvard University
in 1968.
He was an assistant to Ambassador Chester Bowles
in the 1960s. In 1970, he announced his candidacy for the Democratic primary for Connecticut's 2nd congressional district
, which was vacated by the death of Congressman William St. Onge
.
He later served on the staffs of Missouri
Senator Thomas F. Eagleton, Minnesota
Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, and Connecticut
Senator Abraham Ribicoff. In 1977, Bennet became United States
Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
.
Bennet succeeded John J. Gilligan
as the head of the Agency for International Development
in 1979, where he served for two years. After heading a private research institute, he was named head of NPR
in 1983. In 1993, President Bill Clinton
named Bennet as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
, where he served until 1995.
In April 1995, Bennet succeeded William M. Chace, becoming the fifteenth president of Wesleyan University
. Bennet developed Wesleyan's first comprehensive strategic plan, "Strategy for Wesleyan," adopted in 1998. He renewed the institution's strategic vision, in 2005, with a new plan, "Engaged with the World." The "Strategy for Wesleyan" defined key institutional priorities: an expansion of the faculty in order to extend scholarship and teaching in new and interdisciplinary areas; a reaffirmation of the University's commitment to need-blind admission; and a program of campus renewal. "Engaged with the World" included further and continuing curricular innovations and renewed commitments to science and international studies.
A history-making $281 million fundraising campaign supported these priorities and enabled Wesleyan to create 140 new scholarships, add 20 new faculty positions and six endowed professorships, and embark on more than $200 million in renovation and construction projects on campus. Bennet also sought better and increased collaboration with the city of Middletown. Under his guidance, Wesleyan participated actively in the city's development efforts, which resulted in, among other things, a new hotel downtown and the Green Street Arts Center, "a community arts center meant to help revitalize the city's North End."
On May 4, 2006, Bennet announced that he would step down as president following the 2006-2007 academic year. The last several years of his twelve year presidency were contentious in some respects, with opposition by a minority in the student body on certain matters. Some students believed Bennet's fundraising priorities conflicted with the interests and needs of the student body, and the university's mission of education. A student movement came to a head in December 2004, when approximately 250 students (of more than 2,700 undergraduates) protested in front of the administrative building South College, where Bennet's office was located, demanding that he address student concerns. On March 26, 2007, Wesleyan's Board of Trustees announced that Michael S. Roth
would succeed Bennet as president for the 2007-2008 academic year.
.
They have three children, Michael
, James
and Halina Anne. They divorced in 1995. He married Midge Bowen Ramsey in 1996.
In 2006, his son James
was named the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Monthly
. In 2009, his son Michael was chosen by Governor of Colorado
Bill Ritter to represent Colorado
in the United States Senate
, replacing Ken Salazar
, who was appointed as Secretary of the Interior
in the Obama Administration.
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, in Middletown
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
, Connecticut, from 1995 to 2007. Before that, he served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs is the head of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs within the American Department of State that creates and executes policy in international organizations such as the United Nations...
in the Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Administration (1993–95) and Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Legislative Affairs within the United States Department of State.- List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Legislative Affairs :-External links:**...
in the Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
administration (1977–79), was the President and CEO of National Public Radio (1983–93), and ran the U.S. Agency for International Development under President Carter (1979–81). In 2011, Bennet was named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
.
Early life and education
Born in OrangeOrange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a city and township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 30,134...
, New Jersey to Douglas Joseph Bennet, Sr. and Phoebe Benedict Bennet, Bennet grew up in Lyme
Lyme, Connecticut
Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,016 at the 2000 census. Lyme and its neighboring town Old Lyme are the namesake for Lyme disease.-Geography:...
, Connecticut, and attended the local public schools. He earned a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1959, an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in history from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1960, and a doctorate in history from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1968.
Career
In 1956 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Connecticut General Assembly's House of Representatives, losing to Horace Seely-Brown, Jr.Horace Seely-Brown, Jr.
Horace Seely-Brown Jr. was a US Representative from Connecticut.Seely-Brown was born in Kensington, Maryland. He attended the public schools of Hoosick, New York and graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York in 1929. He was a student at Yale University in 1929 and 1930...
He was an assistant to Ambassador Chester Bowles
Chester Bowles
Chester Bliss Bowles was a liberal Democratic American diplomat and politician from Connecticut.-Biography:...
in the 1960s. In 1970, he announced his candidacy for the Democratic primary for Connecticut's 2nd congressional district
Connecticut's 2nd congressional district
Connecticut's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district includes the towns of New London, Norwich, Storrs, Groton, and Southwood Acres....
, which was vacated by the death of Congressman William St. Onge
William St. Onge
William Leon St. Onge was a United States Representative from Connecticut. He was born in Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut, and attended the secondary schools of Putnam...
.
He later served on the staffs of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Senator Thomas F. Eagleton, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
Senator Abraham Ribicoff. In 1977, Bennet became United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Legislative Affairs within the United States Department of State.- List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Legislative Affairs :-External links:**...
.
Bennet succeeded John J. Gilligan
John J. Gilligan
John Joyce Gilligan is a American Democratic politician from the state of Ohio who served as a U.S. Representative and the 62nd Governor of Ohio. He is the father of Kathleen Sebelius...
as the head of the Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
in 1979, where he served for two years. After heading a private research institute, he was named head of NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
in 1983. In 1993, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
named Bennet as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs is the head of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs within the American Department of State that creates and executes policy in international organizations such as the United Nations...
, where he served until 1995.
In April 1995, Bennet succeeded William M. Chace, becoming the fifteenth president of Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
. Bennet developed Wesleyan's first comprehensive strategic plan, "Strategy for Wesleyan," adopted in 1998. He renewed the institution's strategic vision, in 2005, with a new plan, "Engaged with the World." The "Strategy for Wesleyan" defined key institutional priorities: an expansion of the faculty in order to extend scholarship and teaching in new and interdisciplinary areas; a reaffirmation of the University's commitment to need-blind admission; and a program of campus renewal. "Engaged with the World" included further and continuing curricular innovations and renewed commitments to science and international studies.
A history-making $281 million fundraising campaign supported these priorities and enabled Wesleyan to create 140 new scholarships, add 20 new faculty positions and six endowed professorships, and embark on more than $200 million in renovation and construction projects on campus. Bennet also sought better and increased collaboration with the city of Middletown. Under his guidance, Wesleyan participated actively in the city's development efforts, which resulted in, among other things, a new hotel downtown and the Green Street Arts Center, "a community arts center meant to help revitalize the city's North End."
On May 4, 2006, Bennet announced that he would step down as president following the 2006-2007 academic year. The last several years of his twelve year presidency were contentious in some respects, with opposition by a minority in the student body on certain matters. Some students believed Bennet's fundraising priorities conflicted with the interests and needs of the student body, and the university's mission of education. A student movement came to a head in December 2004, when approximately 250 students (of more than 2,700 undergraduates) protested in front of the administrative building South College, where Bennet's office was located, demanding that he address student concerns. On March 26, 2007, Wesleyan's Board of Trustees announced that Michael S. Roth
Michael S. Roth
Michael S. Roth is a Jewish-American academic and university administrator. He became the 16th president of Wesleyan University in 2007. Formerly, he was the 8th president of the California College of the Arts , associate director of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, and Director of...
would succeed Bennet as president for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Awards
In 1994, Bennet received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Wesleyan; in 2008, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Trinity CollegeTrinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
.
Personal
On June 27, 1959, Bennet married Susanne Klejman of Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
They have three children, Michael
Michael Bennet
Michael Farrand Bennet is an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. He is currently the junior United States Senator from Colorado, and a member of the Democratic Party...
, James
James Bennet
James Douglas Bennet is an American journalist. Since 2006, he has been the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.-Background and family:...
and Halina Anne. They divorced in 1995. He married Midge Bowen Ramsey in 1996.
In 2006, his son James
James Bennet
James Douglas Bennet is an American journalist. Since 2006, he has been the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.-Background and family:...
was named the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
. In 2009, his son Michael was chosen by Governor of Colorado
Governor of Colorado
The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...
Bill Ritter to represent Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, replacing Ken Salazar
Ken Salazar
Kenneth Lee "Ken" Salazar is the current United States Secretary of the Interior, in the administration of President Barack Obama. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009. He and Mel Martinez were the first Hispanic U.S...
, who was appointed as Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
in the Obama Administration.