J. Wayne Reitz
Encyclopedia
Julius Wayne Reitz was an American agricultural economist, professor
and university president. Reitz was a native of Kansas
, and earned bachelor's
, master's
and doctorate degrees in his chosen field. After working as an agricultural economist, university professor and U.S. government agricultural administrator, Reitz was selected to be the fifth president of the University of Florida
, serving from 1955 until 1967.
, 1908, in Olathe, Kansas
. His parents later moved his family to Canon City, Colorado
, where he graduated from high school
in 1926, and was admitted to Colorado State University
in Fort Collins, Colorado
. While he was a university student, he was a member of Sigma Chi
Fraternity
(Beta Tau Chapter), the editor
of the Silver Spruce yearbook
, freshmen class president, student body president
, and the winner of the Rocky Mountain Oratory Award. Reitz received his bachelor's degree
in 1930.
After graduating with a bachelor of science
degree, Reitz started work as an agricultural extension
economist
, first at Colorado State, and then at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his master of science
degree in 1935. That same year, after accepting an assistant professorship in agricultural economics at the University of Florida
in Gainesville
, Reitz married Frances Huston Millikan. After being promoted to full professor, Reitz returned to his formal studies at the University of Wisconsin
in Madison
where he earned his doctor of philosophy
degree in 1941.
Reitz left academic life in 1944 to work as an economic consultant for the United Growers and Shippers Association. Four years later, he became Chief of the Citrus Fruits Section in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In 1949, President J. Hillis Miller
prompted Reitz to return to the University of Florida by appointing him the university's provost
for agriculture. During his time as provost, he was also appointed to the administrative boards of the Escuela Agrícola Panamericana in Tegucigalpa
, Honduras
, and the Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias Agrícolas de la OEA in Turrialba, Costa Rica
.
's sudden and unexpected death in November 1953 started a lengthy search for his successor. In 1954, the Florida Board of Control
named Philip G. Davidson, then president of the University of Louisville
, as the university's new chief executive. Davidson, however, withdrew his name when controversial Acting Florida Governor Charley Johns refused to sign his payroll warrant. A new search was initiated and, two and a half months after Acting Governor Johns was replaced by the newly-elected LeRoy Collins
, the Board of Control settled on Reitz as its choice to be the university's fifth president on March 22, 1955. He was the first University of Florida faculty
member to be elevated to the position.
, an educational television station, and a married-student housing complex. Along with the new buildings, Reitz tightened admissions standards and placed greater emphasis on academic achievement in matters ranging from the awarding of financial aid to the development of advanced placement procedures. Reitz expanded the graduate school
through the addition of new programs and centers (especially the Latin American Language and Area Center) and created the Division of Sponsored Research to increase funding opportunities for research. His wife, a gracious hostess to countless dignitaries and students, also took an active role in advancing the university's music program. All of this expansion came alongside a doubling of the student population, from 9,000 to 18,000.
to Marshall Jones, a psychiatrist
active in radical
causes, led to censure
by the American Association of University Professors
. The campus did not witness significant integration era disruption. The University of Florida was the first state university to integrate
, and racial integration
was achieved at Florida with far less turmoil than most Southern
universities and colleges. The first African-American student was enrolled in the College of Law in September 1958. Reitz's close relationship with the student body was instrumental in curbing attempts to resist the court order to integrate.
Reitz, however, had more trouble with state governors. He opposed LeRoy Collins
' 1957 attempt to create a chancellor
system, and he had to fend off attempts by subsequent governors to assume control of the university's day-to-day operations. A 1965 showdown with Governor Haydon Burns over budgetary matters almost ended in Reitz's resignation
. After a year of relative calm, Reitz announced he would resign in January 1967, citing "presidential fatigue," but remained in office until Florida Supreme Court
Justice Stephen C. O'Connell
was sworn in as the university's new president.
's Board of Agricultural Consultants and, in 1964, he accepted an appointment to the Public Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations. These responsibilities carried him to several nations as a teacher and adviser. His most extensive overseas assignment was to Mahidol University
in Bangkok
, Thailand
, where he served as a consultant to the university rector
.
In a fitting tribute to the university's fifth president who led one of the largest expansions of the campus physical plant, the new J. Wayne Reitz Union
was renamed for Reitz after his retirement in 1967. In retirement, Reitz became an important fundraiser for local charities as well as the University of Florida. He continued to work for the University of Florida Foundation's development office until his death on Christmas Eve
1993. Four years after his death, in 1997, the university established the merit-based Reitz Scholars Program
to recognize and encourage academic achievement, leadership and service among its undergraduate students.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and university president. Reitz was a native of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, and earned bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and doctorate degrees in his chosen field. After working as an agricultural economist, university professor and U.S. government agricultural administrator, Reitz was selected to be the fifth president of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, serving from 1955 until 1967.
Early life and education
Wayne Reitz was born on New Year's EveNew Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
, 1908, in Olathe, Kansas
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
. His parents later moved his family to Canon City, Colorado
Cañon City, Colorado
The City of Cañon City is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Fremont County, State of Colorado. The United States Census Bureau estimated that the city population was 16,000 in 2005. Cañon City is noted for being the location of nine state and four ...
, where he graduated from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in 1926, and was admitted to Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
in Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
. While he was a university student, he was a member of Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
Fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
(Beta Tau Chapter), the editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
of the Silver Spruce yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
, freshmen class president, student body president
Student body president
The President of the Student Government is the highest ranking officer of a student government or student union association on the high school, college, or university level...
, and the winner of the Rocky Mountain Oratory Award. Reitz received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1930.
After graduating with a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree, Reitz started work as an agricultural extension
Agricultural extension
Agricultural extension was once known as the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, first at Colorado State, and then at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his master of science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in 1935. That same year, after accepting an assistant professorship in agricultural economics at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, Reitz married Frances Huston Millikan. After being promoted to full professor, Reitz returned to his formal studies at the University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
where he earned his doctor of philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in 1941.
Reitz left academic life in 1944 to work as an economic consultant for the United Growers and Shippers Association. Four years later, he became Chief of the Citrus Fruits Section in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In 1949, President J. Hillis Miller
J. Hillis Miller
Joseph Hillis Miller, Jr. is an American literary critic who has been heavily influenced by—and who has heavily influenced—deconstruction.- Early life and education :...
prompted Reitz to return to the University of Florida by appointing him the university's provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
for agriculture. During his time as provost, he was also appointed to the administrative boards of the Escuela Agrícola Panamericana in Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, and the Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias Agrícolas de la OEA in Turrialba, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
Selection as president
University of Florida president J. Hillis MillerJ. Hillis Miller
Joseph Hillis Miller, Jr. is an American literary critic who has been heavily influenced by—and who has heavily influenced—deconstruction.- Early life and education :...
's sudden and unexpected death in November 1953 started a lengthy search for his successor. In 1954, the Florida Board of Control
Florida Board of Control
The Florida Board of Control was the statewide governing body for the State University System of Florida, which included all public universities in the state of Florida. It was replaced by the Florida Board of Regents in 1965.- History :...
named Philip G. Davidson, then president of the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
, as the university's new chief executive. Davidson, however, withdrew his name when controversial Acting Florida Governor Charley Johns refused to sign his payroll warrant. A new search was initiated and, two and a half months after Acting Governor Johns was replaced by the newly-elected LeRoy Collins
LeRoy Collins
Thomas LeRoy Collins was the 33rd Governor of Florida.-Early life:Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman Business College in New York and then went on to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to...
, the Board of Control settled on Reitz as its choice to be the university's fifth president on March 22, 1955. He was the first University of Florida faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
member to be elevated to the position.
Growth and expansion
During Reitz's term, more than 300 new campus buildings were erected at an approximate cost of $50 million. The buildings constructed and expanded during his term included a new health center, a nuclear training reactorNuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
, an educational television station, and a married-student housing complex. Along with the new buildings, Reitz tightened admissions standards and placed greater emphasis on academic achievement in matters ranging from the awarding of financial aid to the development of advanced placement procedures. Reitz expanded the graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
through the addition of new programs and centers (especially the Latin American Language and Area Center) and created the Division of Sponsored Research to increase funding opportunities for research. His wife, a gracious hostess to countless dignitaries and students, also took an active role in advancing the university's music program. All of this expansion came alongside a doubling of the student population, from 9,000 to 18,000.
Controversy and integration
The Reitz years were not without controversy. Strict behavior guidelines, dress codes, and a faculty disciplinary committee to enforce these rules all received Reitz's strong endorsement. In the early 1960s, the Florida Legislative Investigating Committee, led by state senator Charley Johns, accused twenty-two university employees and several students of homosexual conduct. All were summarily discharged or expelled. The denial of tenureTenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
to Marshall Jones, a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
active in radical
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
causes, led to censure
Censure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spiritual penalty imposed by a church, and a negative judgment pronounced on a theological proposition.-Politics:...
by the American Association of University Professors
American Association of University Professors
The American Association of University Professors is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership is about 47,000, with over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations...
. The campus did not witness significant integration era disruption. The University of Florida was the first state university to integrate
Social integration
Social integration, in sociology and other social sciences, is the movement of minority groups such as ethnic minorities, refugees and underprivileged sections of a society into the mainstream of societies...
, and racial integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
was achieved at Florida with far less turmoil than most Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
universities and colleges. The first African-American student was enrolled in the College of Law in September 1958. Reitz's close relationship with the student body was instrumental in curbing attempts to resist the court order to integrate.
Reitz, however, had more trouble with state governors. He opposed LeRoy Collins
LeRoy Collins
Thomas LeRoy Collins was the 33rd Governor of Florida.-Early life:Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman Business College in New York and then went on to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to...
' 1957 attempt to create a chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
system, and he had to fend off attempts by subsequent governors to assume control of the university's day-to-day operations. A 1965 showdown with Governor Haydon Burns over budgetary matters almost ended in Reitz's resignation
Resignation
A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...
. After a year of relative calm, Reitz announced he would resign in January 1967, citing "presidential fatigue," but remained in office until Florida Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...
Justice Stephen C. O'Connell
Stephen C. O'Connell
Stephen Cornelius O'Connell was an American attorney, appellate judge and university president. O'Connell was a native of Florida, and earned bachelor's and law degrees before becoming a practicing attorney...
was sworn in as the university's new president.
Post-presidency
After resigning as university president, Reitz served as the director of graduate programs in the U.S. Office of Education, and eventually returned to his international activities. In addition to his Latin American work, Reitz was named to the Rockefeller FoundationRockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
's Board of Agricultural Consultants and, in 1964, he accepted an appointment to the Public Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations. These responsibilities carried him to several nations as a teacher and adviser. His most extensive overseas assignment was to Mahidol University
Mahidol University
Mahidol University is a public research university in Bangkok, Thailand. Established back in 1888 as School of Medical Practitioners, Siriraj Hospital and reorganized in 1943 as University of Medical Sciences . The university originally focused on Health Sciences but also expanded to other...
in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, where he served as a consultant to the university rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
.
In a fitting tribute to the university's fifth president who led one of the largest expansions of the campus physical plant, the new J. Wayne Reitz Union
J. Wayne Reitz Union
The J. Wayne Reitz Union is the student union of the University of Florida, located on Museum Road on the university campus in Gainesville, Florida...
was renamed for Reitz after his retirement in 1967. In retirement, Reitz became an important fundraiser for local charities as well as the University of Florida. He continued to work for the University of Florida Foundation's development office until his death on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
1993. Four years after his death, in 1997, the university established the merit-based Reitz Scholars Program
Reitz Scholars Program
The J. Wayne Reitz Scholars Program is leadership and merit-based scholarship for students at the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The scholarship offers a yearly $2,500 stipend that may be renewed for up to three years....
to recognize and encourage academic achievement, leadership and service among its undergraduate students.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- History of FloridaHistory of FloridaThe history of Florida can be traced back to when the first Native Americans began to inhabit the peninsula as early as 14,000 years ago. Recorded history begins with the arrival of Europeans to Florida, beginning with the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who explored the area in 1513...
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- Land-grant universityLand-grant universityLand-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
- List of Colorado State University alumni
- List of Presidents of the University of Florida
- List of Sigma Chi members
- List of University of Florida faculty and administrators
- List of University of Florida honorary degree recipients
- List of University of Illinois alumni
- List of University of Wisconsin alumni
- State University System of FloridaState University System of FloridaThe State University System of Florida is a system of eleven public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2011, over 320,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities...
External links
- John V. Lombardi on J. Wayne Reitz.
- Photos of J. Wayne Reitz and J. Wayne Reitz Union from the University of Florida Digital CollectionsUniversity of Florida Digital CollectionsThe University of Florida Digital Collections are supported by the University of Florida Digital Library Center in the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida. The University of Florida Digital Collections comprise a constantly growing collection of digital resources from the...
. - University of Florida – Official website of the University of Florida.