Presidents of the Pennsylvania State University
Encyclopedia
- Evan Pugh (1859-1864)- In the Shadow of the civil war Evan Pugh became the first president of the then Farmers' High School. He was a member of the London Chemical SocietyChemical SocietyThe Chemical Society was formed in 1841 as a result of increased interest in scientific matters....
and a professor at Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He was burdened with meeting the objectives of the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862 and the necessary completion of Old MainOld Main (Pennsylvania State University)Old Main, originally called "Main Building" is The Pennsylvania State University’s first building of major significance. It was completed in 1863 after a six-year period of construction. Hugh McAllister designed the structure to contain classrooms, laboratories, offices, a chapel, and residential...
. On May 2, 1862 Pugh had the name Farmers' High School changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania. After his five years as president, Pugh died in office on April 29, 1864. Pugh Street in State College, PennsylvaniaState College, PennsylvaniaState College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
is named in his honor.
- William Henry Allen (1864-1866)- Before becoming the President of the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania Allen was the President of Girard CollegeGirard CollegeGirard College is an independent boarding school on a 43-acre campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States.Girard is for academically capable students, grades one through 12, and awards a full scholarship with a yearly value of approximately $42,000 to every child admitted to the...
for 12 years. He also served 10 years at Dickinson CollegeDickinson CollegeDickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
as professor and a year as president. He arrived at Penn State with the burden of a $50,000 debt the infant institution had amassed to that point. In 1866 the Board of Trustees borrowed $80,000 in Mortgage bonds to pay off the debt with excess used to set up a working fund. He also major restructured and implemented Evan Pugh’s original curricula, as well as brought in instruction on military tactics. After his two year stay at Penn State, he was re-elected to the Girard College Presidency, and then to be the president of the American Bible SocietyAmerican Bible SocietyThe American Bible Society is an interconfessional, non-denominational, nonprofit organization, founded in 1816 in New York City, which publishes, distributes and translates the Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with the Bible.It is probably best known for its...
. Allen Street in State College, Pennsylvania and Allen Road on the Penn State University Park campus are named in his honor.
- John Fraser (1866-1868); 2 years
- Thomas Henry Burrowes (1868-1871); 3 years
- James Calder (1871-1880); 9 years
- Joseph Shortlidge (1880-1881); 1 year
- James Y. McKee (Interregnum, 1881-1882); 1 year
- George W. AthertonGeorge W. AthertonGeorge Washington Atherton was president of the Pennsylvania State University from 1882 until his death in 1906. He earned a degree from Yale in 1863 and taught at universities such as the University of Illinois and Rutgers before accepting the position of president at Penn State...
(1882-1906)- Atherton inherited a university that struggled to find its identity between agricultural education and traditional studies. He transformed Penn State from a struggling university with low enrollment to a respected land-grant university, by strengthening the liberal arts program while creating one of the premiere engineering programs in the country. He is often called the "second founder" of the university. - James A. BeaverJames A. BeaverJames Addams Beaver was an American politician who served as the 20th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1887 to 1891...
(Interregnum, 1906-1908); 2 years - Edwin Erle Sparks (1908-1920); 12 years
- John Martin Thomas (1921-1925); 4 years
- Ralph Dorn HetzelRalph Dorn HetzelRalph Dorn Hetzel was the tenth president of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from 1927 until 1947...
(1927-1947); 20 years - James Milholland (Interregnum, 1947-1950); 3 years
- Milton Stover Eisenhower (1950-1956); 6 years
- Eric A. WalkerEric A. WalkerEric Arthur Walker born April 29, 1910 in Long Eaton, England, died February 17, 1995 was president of Penn State University from 1956 to 1970 and founding member of the National Academy of Engineering.Dr...
(1956-1970); 14 years - John W. Oswald (1970-1983); 13 years
- Bryce Jordan (1983-1990); 7 years
- Joab ThomasJoab ThomasJoab Langston Thomas was born on February 14, 1933 in Holt, Alabama. Thomas grew up in Russellville, Alabama. His father was the town's superintendent of education, his mother was a music teacher...
(1990-1995); 5 years - Graham SpanierGraham SpanierGraham B. Spanier is an American academic, who served as the 16th president of the Pennsylvania State University from September 1, 1995, until he was forced to resign on November 9, 2011, in the aftermath of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal...
(1995-2011); 16 years - Rodney Erickson (Interregnum, 2011-present)