John A. Randall
Encyclopedia
John Arthur Randall was the fourth President of the Rochester Institute of Technology
, succeeding Royal B. Farnum
, from 1922–1936.
Randall was born in Durham, Maine
in 1881 and graduated from Wesleyan University
, Phi Beta Kappa.
Randall began his career in education at the Cheltenham Military School. He served as the head of the Physics
department at the Pratt Institute
from 1913 to 1917.
During World War I
, Randall served as Under Secretary of War (1918) to Secretary of War Newton D. Baker
in the administration of President Woodrow Wilson
. He also served in the War Plans Division of the United States Department of War
. He and Dr. C.R. Mann developed the Army Alpha Intelligence Test, thought to be the first attempt of its kind to measure vocational and numerical ability. In 1932, he was commissioned as Colonel in the Special Reserves, assigned to the U.S. Army General Staff.
From 1932 to 1936, he served as a special consultant to the Senate Committee investigating crime and racketeering. He also served as President of the Science Department of the National Education Association
.
Randall was instrumental in introducing the method of "case study" to RIT, in further developing the co-op program
at RIT, and in the decision that RIT would not grant degrees and would instead provide "short, intensive courses". In 1936, he left RIT to direct the Division of Educational Aids of the National Youth Administration
.
He held memberships in many professional societies during his lifetime, including:
He married the former Georgiana Waldron Hathaway in 1936. His daughter, Marcia, married his successor, Mark W. Ellingson
.
Randall died in Boonsboro, Maryland
in 1968.
Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
, succeeding Royal B. Farnum
Royal B. Farnum
Royal Bailey Farnum was an American art educator who served in administrative roles in various public and private educational institutions in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island during the first half of the 20th Century.-Early life and career:He was born in Somerville, Massachusetts to...
, from 1922–1936.
Randall was born in Durham, Maine
Durham, Maine
Durham is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,419 at the 2000 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area.-Geography:According to the United...
in 1881 and graduated 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...
, Phi Beta Kappa.
Randall began his career in education at the Cheltenham Military School. He served as the head of the Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
department at the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
from 1913 to 1917.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Randall served as Under Secretary of War (1918) to Secretary of War Newton D. Baker
Newton D. Baker
Newton Diehl Baker, Jr. was an American politician who belonged to the Democratic Party. He served as the 37th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1912 to 1915 and as U.S. Secretary of War from 1916 to 1921.-Early years:...
in the administration of President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. He also served in the War Plans Division of the United States Department of War
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
. He and Dr. C.R. Mann developed the Army Alpha Intelligence Test, thought to be the first attempt of its kind to measure vocational and numerical ability. In 1932, he was commissioned as Colonel in the Special Reserves, assigned to the U.S. Army General Staff.
From 1932 to 1936, he served as a special consultant to the Senate Committee investigating crime and racketeering. He also served as President of the Science Department of the National Education Association
National Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
.
Randall was instrumental in introducing the method of "case study" to RIT, in further developing the co-op program
Cooperative education
Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience...
at RIT, and in the decision that RIT would not grant degrees and would instead provide "short, intensive courses". In 1936, he left RIT to direct the Division of Educational Aids of the National Youth Administration
National Youth Administration
The National Youth Administration was a New Deal agency in the United States that focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 24. It operated from 1935 to 1939 as part of the Works Progress Administration . Following the passage of the Reorganization Act of...
.
He held memberships in many professional societies during his lifetime, including:
- the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education
- the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
- the American Society of Mechanical EngineersAmerican Society of Mechanical EngineersThe American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
- the American Management AssociationAmerican Management AssociationThe American Management Association , based in New York City, is a corporate training and consulting group that provides a variety of educational and management development services to businesses, government agencies and individuals. The non-profit membership organization offers business courses in...
He married the former Georgiana Waldron Hathaway in 1936. His daughter, Marcia, married his successor, Mark W. Ellingson
Mark W. Ellingson
Mark W. Ellingson was the 5th president of the Rochester Institute of Technology, succeeding John A. Randall, from 1936–1969. He rose from a teacher at the institute to the presidency, which he held for longer than anyone before or since, and in many ways he brought the institute into its modern...
.
Randall died in Boonsboro, Maryland
Boonsboro, Maryland
Boonsboro is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States, located at the foot of South Mountain. It nearly borders Frederick County and is proximate to the Antietam National Battlefield...
in 1968.