M. Lee Pelton
Encyclopedia
Dr. Marvin Lee Pelton is an academic administrator and college president. A native of Kansas
, he held leadership roles at Colgate University
and Dartmouth College
before becoming the first African-American president of an independent college when he became Willamette University
's president in 1998. He served at the Salem, Oregon
, school until 2011 when he became the 12th president at Emerson College
on July 1.
, where he graduated from Wichita North High School
. His father worked as a laborer and later as a manager for a city department while his mother acted as a homemaker. In 1974, Pelton graduated from Wichita State University
. There he earned a degree in English and psychology, while graduating magna cum laude with a focus in 19th century British literature. He earned a doctorate in English and American literature from Harvard University in 1984.
in Hamilton, N.Y. He served in that capacity until being named Dean of the College in 1988. Pelton left Colgate in 1991, when he was named dean of Dartmouth College
in Hanover, New Hampshire
. While at Dartmouth he was responsible for the largest administrative body of the school, and held an academic appointment in the Department of English
.
In July 1998, Pelton was appointed as the 22nd president of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon
, the first university in the western United States
. He was the first African-American president since the university's founding in 1842, and the first African-American president of an independent college. As president of the small liberal arts school, he expanded the faculty with 26 new tenured-track professorships and increased minority enrollment to 24 percent, up from 11 percent when he started. Additionally, the school built two new buildings, Ford Hall and Kaneko Commons, and purchased several others adjacent to the campus in downtown Salem, and raised $131 million in a fund-raising campaign. In September 2010, Pelton announced he was leaving the school at the end of the academic year to take the same position at Emerson College
in Massachusetts, with Stephen E. Thorsett named as his replacement at Willamette.
, the Harvard University
Board of Overseers, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
, the Oregon Symphony
, Oregon Health & Science University
Foundation, American Association for Higher Education, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and National Collegiate Athletic Association
among others. Pelton serves on the board of directors of Portland General Electric
, the local publicly traded electric utility. He was married to Kristen Wilson from 1981–2005, and to Carol (Leslie) Pelton, manager of the Oregon Cultural Trust
from 2006-2008. He has three children, Clare, Eli, and Sophia.
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...
, he held leadership roles at Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
and Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
before becoming the first African-American president of an independent college when he became Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
's president in 1998. He served at the Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, school until 2011 when he became the 12th president at Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
on July 1.
Early life
Marvin Lee Pelton was born on September 27, 1950, and grew up in Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, where he graduated from Wichita North High School
Wichita North High School
Wichita North High School, known locally as North, is a fully accredited high school located in Wichita, Kansas, USA, serving students in grades 9-12. Wichita North was founded in 1929 on the site where the United States government sent Company 'A' of the 10th Division to the forks of the Arkansas...
. His father worked as a laborer and later as a manager for a city department while his mother acted as a homemaker. In 1974, Pelton graduated from Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
. There he earned a degree in English and psychology, while graduating magna cum laude with a focus in 19th century British literature. He earned a doctorate in English and American literature from Harvard University in 1984.
Career
From 1974 to 1983, while working on his doctorate at Harvard, Pelton served as an instructor and teaching fellow in the English Department. After receiving his PhD in 1983, he became Senior Tutor of Winthrop House, one of Harvard’s undergraduate colleges. He left Harvard in 1986, to become Dean of Students at Colgate UniversityColgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
in Hamilton, N.Y. He served in that capacity until being named Dean of the College in 1988. Pelton left Colgate in 1991, when he was named dean of Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
. While at Dartmouth he was responsible for the largest administrative body of the school, and held an academic appointment in the Department of English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
.
In July 1998, Pelton was appointed as the 22nd president of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, the first university in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was the first African-American president since the university's founding in 1842, and the first African-American president of an independent college. As president of the small liberal arts school, he expanded the faculty with 26 new tenured-track professorships and increased minority enrollment to 24 percent, up from 11 percent when he started. Additionally, the school built two new buildings, Ford Hall and Kaneko Commons, and purchased several others adjacent to the campus in downtown Salem, and raised $131 million in a fund-raising campaign. In September 2010, Pelton announced he was leaving the school at the end of the academic year to take the same position at Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
in Massachusetts, with Stephen E. Thorsett named as his replacement at Willamette.
Other
Pelton also holds, or has held, positions on several educational boards and committees: the American Council on EducationAmerican Council on Education
The American Council on Education is a United States organization, established in 1918, comprising over 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education-related associations, organizations, and corporations....
, the 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...
Board of Overseers, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States. The festival annually produces eleven plays on three stages during a season that lasts from February to October...
, the Oregon Symphony
Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony is an American orchestra based in Portland, Oregon. Founded as the Portland Symphony Society in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States...
, Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University is a public university in Oregon with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland and a smaller campus in Hillsboro...
Foundation, American Association for Higher Education, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
among others. Pelton serves on the board of directors of Portland General Electric
Portland General Electric
Portland General Electric is an electrical utility based in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It distributes electricity to customers in parts of Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Washington, and Polk counties - half of the inhabitants of Oregon...
, the local publicly traded electric utility. He was married to Kristen Wilson from 1981–2005, and to Carol (Leslie) Pelton, manager of the Oregon Cultural Trust
Oregon Cultural Trust
Oregon Cultural Trust is a cultural promotion and preservation organization in the U.S. state of Oregon. It provides grants and funding to arts, humanities, and heritage organizations to stabilize and expand....
from 2006-2008. He has three children, Clare, Eli, and Sophia.