William Rainey Harpers Influence on the University of Chicago - Research Paper Example

? William Rainey Harper’s Influence on the of Chicago Table of Contents Overview William Rainey Harper is considered one of the greatest America’s pioneers in education, mostly due to the help he provided to establish the University of Chicago. Being the first president of this college, Harper was a leading figure in the development of the modern university in the United States. He was considered an academic prodigy, since he was only fourteen when he enrolled at Yale and it took him only three years to earn a Ph.D. Image 1.- William Rainey Harper Image 2.- Logo of the University of Chicago William Rainey Harper became a full professor of divinity in 1880, after accepting an instructorship in Hebrew Theology at the original University of Chicago, and soon after, in 1886, which was also the university’s final year, he was named president. When the university closed, he went back to Yale, started teaching Semitic languages (Hebrew, Assyrian, Arabic, Aramaic, and Syrian) to graduates, and became an instructor in the divinity school. Harper was the first one to recruit a woman, Alice Palmer Freeman for a dean at the University of Chicago. “Chicago in its early years was renowned for the opportunities it offered to women as students, faculty and staff. This commitment, however, was exceptional.” (Thelin, 2004. p.143) As a genius when it comes to organization and an innovative leader, Harper brought American higher education to a higher level, in cooperation with civic leaders and donors in Chicago. William Rainey Harper- An Introduction Harper was born on July 26, 1865 and he died on January 10, 1906. He lived a short life, only 41 year, but he accomplished more that many people do in a much longer life. Always ahead of other people, even in his early life, he was considered a prodigy. He was so advanced that he began with his college preparations at the age of eight. When he was ten, he enrolled in Muskingum College, in New Concord, Ohio. There he studied languages and music. Four years later, after graduating from this college, Harper enrolled in Yale University and completed his postgraduate studies in 1876; it took him only three years to earn his Ph.D. in philology. He worked at various positions at Yale University and Denison University. He became the first president of the University of Chicago and a great contributor to the development of the modern university in the United States. A most interesting and inspiring personality, Harper wrote various textbooks and advocated lifelong learning. According to Thelin (2004. p.120), “Understanding his biography is essential for understanding the modern American university.” William Rainey Harper married Ella Paul Harper in 1875, and soon became a parent of four, three sons and one daughter. The president of the University of Chicago Shortly after being selected to help with the organization in the University of Chicago, at the age of thirty-five (in 1891), Harper was selected as the university’s first president. He took this job very seriously and set standards quite high. Elevating the salaries of the faculty members and, Harper attracted the best scholars to the university. As he was an expert in every area of education, he expected high level of education of his employees. “Chicago’s William Rainey Harper stands out even in an era of heroic leaders. He became a local hero of sorts, dubbed Chicago’s “young man in a hurry”” (Thelin, 2004. p.120) Harper was so well known, locally and nationally, and his influence was so great that the University of Chicago became known as “Harper’s Bazaar”. William Rainey Harper and the University of Chicago William Rainey Harper was also giving public courses on the Bible, besides lecturing and overseeing journals, a corresponding school, and the printing office. His reputation as a prodigy attracted the attention of John D. Rockefeller who wanted to found a university and was ready to donate generous amounts of money for the cause. Rockefeller, whose aim was to create and endow a “Harvard” of the Midwest, invited Harper to be the first president of the new University of Chicago, and in 1891 Harper accepted the invitation. Image 3 The University of Chicago Rockefeller wanted Harper “to help organize and run this new private, nondenominational, coeducational university which by the fall of 1891 would be located on a swampy piece of prairie near the shore of Lake Michigan on what is now called the "gray city". On October 1, 1892 classes began at the University of Chicago. Its enrollment consisted of 594 students and 103 faculty members. So great was its promise that the first faculty included eight former college and university presidents who resigned their posts in order to teach here.”(Muskingum.com) Harper wanted this institution to be a modern research university, combining two styles- English style undergraduate college and German style graduate research institute. He used money persuasion and promises of institutional power to attract promising scholars to the so called “wild” West. Harper wanted his university to be the best among all other universities, and even though the Chicago University was situated on an urban frontier, it competed for prestige with the intellectually more advanced East. “Harper encouraged early administrators to seek new disciplines and ambitious faculty. The University put the undergraduate college solidly in the center of a major graduate research institution and the faculty in charge of its educational mission.”(Muskingum.edu) Soon, the University of Chicago became a national leader when it comes to higher education, thus fulfilling the dreams of both John D. Rockefeller and William Rainey Harper. According to Frederick Rudolph, history professor at the Williams College, “No episode was more important in shaping the outlook and expectations of American higher education ... than the founding of the University of Chicago, one of those events in American history that brought into focus the spirit of an age” (Rudolph, 1990. p.349) Image 4 John D. Rockefeller and William Rainey Harper Harper believed that sectarianism was an enemy of education, and it was that belief which made him decide to form the Chicago’s program as it was. In his attempts to improve the status and quality of the University of Chicago, Harper was aggressive and ruthless. He recruited two-thirds of the Clark University’s faculty, leaving it weak and devastating, which caused outraged the Clark University’s president, G. Stanley Hall, who never forgave Harper considering his actions unethical. “By the end of its first century, the University had an enrollment of more than 10,700, a faculty of 1,200, and more than 60 Nobel Prize-winners. The University included the undergraduate College, four graduate Divisions, six graduate professional schools, the Office of Continuing Education, the University of Chicago Press, and the "Chicago Research Schools" of Economics, of Sociology, and of Literary Criticism.”(Muskingum.edu) Harper remained the president of this university for fourteen years, until his death in 1906 at age of forty-nine. Harper was very ambitious when it came to his plans for the University of Chicago, and only the most talented and hardworking students, faculty and administrator could be taken into consideration. “He gained the envy and scorn of college presidents across the nation when he "raided" the faculty of Clark University in order to enhance the behavioral sciences and psychology departments at Chicago. In concert with Professor Albion Small of the sociology department, whom Harper named dean, the University of Chicago pioneered such innovations as an elaborate bureaucracy of academic departments and ranks.”(StateUniversity.com) From the start Harper insisted that academic excellence and academic freedom should characterize the school. The University of Chicago became the nation’s leading center for the educational psychology and philosophy. Harper built up the university library, and started a university press. Furthermore, he passionately defended the university against sectarian attacks and made efforts toward extending the university and dividing the year into quarters. Moreover, Harper separated the two upper years of the college into a senior college, and introduced faculty control of athletics. He invested himself into the university and even with his extremely busy schedule he insisted on retaining the position of the fulltime professor, while serving as chairman of his department. However, despite the strength of his mind and will, this heavy schedule proved to be too heavy for him and it drained his vitality. He died in Chicago at the age of forty-nine. Harper’s Contribution to Academia William Rainey Harper encouraged the establishment for the first department of Egyptology and Sociology in the United States, and instituted the first extension service in America which was primarily aimed at those who weren’t able to come to the classes due to their work related or other obligations. Furthermore, he was one of the leaders to the creation of the system of community colleges in the United States. Even though he was the president of the University of Chicago, Harper didn’t want to injure smaller schools with the vast resources of the university attracting all the good students. He, therefore, created an affiliation program which included several regional colleges, namely Des Moines College, Kalamazoo College, Butler College, and Stetson University. Under the terms of affiliation, the schools were required to have courses that were similar to those in the University of Chicago, and to notify the University early if there were any contemplated faculty appointments or dismissals. Furthermore, they weren’t allowed to make any faculty appointments without the University’s approval, and they were obliged to send copies of examinations for suggestions. In return, the University agreed to confer a degree on any graduating senior with a grade A for all four years, and also on any other graduate who applied for the additional study at the University of Chicago that lasted twelve weeks. Every student or a faculty member of an affiliated school had a right to a free tuition at the University of Chicago, and on the same terms the students of Chicago could attend an affiliated school and receive credit for their work. The University of Chicago provided the affiliated schools with copies of every book published at the University at no cost, and provided special instructors and lecturers with the only cost being travel expenses. The books and scientific apparatus and supplies were provided to the affiliated schools with cost. By this agreement, any party could terminate the affiliation on proper notice. Not everyone supported and like this program. There were several University of Chicago professors who disliked it, as it involved additional work on their part and they also believed that this affiliation cheapened the academic reputation of the University of Chicago. Not long after William Rainey Harper died, the program was terminated. Harper was diagnosed with cancer a year before his death. He used his final months productively and published a book about education, and a biblical text. Furthermore, he revised two scriptural articles and finished the piece known to be his greatest scholarly work, his Commentary on Amos and Hosea. Harper was the kind of man who, even on his deathbed, never stopped making plans for the future, this time for his elaborate funeral procession, “including detailed instructions for Chicago faculty to march wearing full academic regalia.”(StateUniversity.com) Harper brought a great change to the world in 1892 when he gave equal education and teaching opportunities to women, and initiated the four quarter system by creating extension programs for adults and greatly increasing the top salary scale. He was thought to be crazy, irrational, and he was laughed at by many, but there was John D. Rockefeller who supported his ideas and saw potential in him. He thought of Harper as his best investment, and he was right. There is no doubt about the amount of changes that Harper’s actions brought to the world of education, even though some of those actions were not always ethical. He saw the opportunity for success and took it. But he certainly worked his way up, and never stopped trying. Harper cared for the success of his students and even made personal loan to some of them who could not pay their tuition. Even when he was already suffering the pains cancer had caused him, he continued working every day, but what made him satisfied and fulfilled his dream was the University of Chicago becoming “an institution of scholars unafraid to cross boundaries, share ideas, and ask difficult questions.”(The University of Chicago) His death was grieved by the entire city. Conclusion Although the University of Chicago was established by Baptists, it was non-denominational from the start. It was one of not so many universities that welcomed women and minority students. It is obvious that William Rainey Harper was completely committed to this university, however his commitment went to such extremes that the only written data about his personal life is when and who he married and the number of children he and his wife had. Besides, of course, the data about his parents and birth. This shows that ne completely neglected himself and his personal life in order to bring and keep the University at a high level. His efforts made great changes when it comes to education, made his name immortal, and made him respected and appreciated in the educational circles. This child prodigy grew up to be an impressive figure. After William Rainey Harper died, one of many educators he wanted to bring to work at the University of Chicago, Harry Pratt Judson succeeded him and immediately started acting as president. As Harper extensively used the donations of the Rockefeller family who were already beginning to feel concerned about the annual deficits of the University, Judson’s conservative fiscal policies came as a relief. “Judson brought the University's budget into balance, and he maintained it in the black for the remainder of his administration.” (The University of Chicago) Harper left many publications behind and improved the quality of higher education with his strong work ethic, motivation and great mind. Without fear of taking risks, he brought many improvements to education during his life and knowing how great he and people around him could be, he never settled for less. Outline I William Rainey Harper as one of the greatest pioneers in education and an academic prodigy A) He helped establish the University of Chicago and develop the modern university in the United States B) At the age of fourteen he enrolled at Yale, and in 3 years he earned his Ph.D. II He lived a short life but accomplished much A) He died at the age of 41 B) He gave public courses on the Bible, gave lectures and took care of journals, a corresponding school and the printing office. III Harper was the first president of the University of Chicago A) The financial help and guidance of John D. Rockefeller B) He was an expert in every area of education, took this job very seriously and set standards high 1. He attracted the best students to enroll at this university, offered higher paychecks than other universities. 2. His influence was so great that the University of Chicago became known as “Harper’s Bazaar”. IV Harper wanted this institution to be a modern research university and the best among all other universities. A) He combined two styles- English style undergraduate college and German style graduate research institute B) He used money persuasion and promises of institutional power to attract promising scholars to the so called “wild” West C) even though the Chicago University was situated on an urban frontier, it competed for prestige with the intellectually more advanced East. 1. Soon, the University of Chicago became a national leader when it comes to higher education, thus fulfilling the dreams of both John D. Rockefeller and William Rainey Harper. V In his attempts to improve the status and quality of the University of Chicago, Harper was aggressive and ruthless A) He recruited two-thirds of the Clark University’s faculty, leaving it weak and devastating (which caused outraged the Clark University’s president, G. Stanley Hall, who never forgave Harper considering his actions unethical) 1. By the end of its first century, the University had an enrollment of more than 10,700, a faculty of 1,200, and more than 60 Nobel Prize-winners 2. The University included the undergraduate College, four graduate Divisions, six graduate professional schools, the Office of Continuing Education, the University of Chicago Press, and the "Chicago Research Schools" of Economics, of Sociology, and of Literary Criticism VI He invested himself into the University and even with his extremely busy schedule he insisted on retaining the position of the fulltime professor, while serving as chairman of his department. A) He worked every day, even when he was terminally ill B) This heavy schedule had weakened him VII Even though he was the president of the University of Chicago, Harper didn’t want to injure smaller schools with the vast resources of the University attracting all the good students. A) He created an affiliation program which included several regional colleges, namely Des Moines College, Kalamazoo College, Butler College, and Stetson University. 1. Under the terms of affiliation, the schools were required to have courses that were similar to those in the University of Chicago, and to notify the University early if there were any contemplated faculty appointments or dismissals 2. The University agreed to confer a degree on any graduating senior with a grade A for all four years, and also on any other graduate who applied for the additional study at the University of Chicago that lasted twelve weeks 3. Every student or a faculty member of an affiliated school had a right to a free tuition at the University of Chicago, and on the same terms the students of Chicago could attend an affiliated school and receive credit for their work. B) Not everyone supported and like this program 1. . There were several University of Chicago professors who disliked it, as it involved additional work on their part and they also believed that this affiliation cheapened the academic reputation of the University of Chicago. 2. Not long after William Rainey Harper died, the program was terminated. VIII Harper brought a great change to the world in 1892 when he gave equal education and teaching opportunities to women, and initiated the four quarter system by creating extension programs for adults and greatly increasing the top salary scale. A) Laughed at by many B) Supported by Rockefeller Sources Primary Sources Goodchild, L. F., Wechsler, H. S., & Association for the Study of Higher Education. (1997). The History of Higher Education. Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster Custom Publ. Harper, William Rainey. 1900. The Prospects of the Small College. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Rudolph, F. (1990). The American College and University: A History. Athens: University of Georgia Thelin, J. R. (2004). A history of American Higher Education. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Secondary Sources Office of the Presidents: William Rainey Harper. The University of Chicago. Retrieved on March 15, 2013 from http://president.uchicago.edu/directory/william-rainey-harper William Rainey Harper (1856–1906)-The University of Chicago, Contribution to Academia - President, Press, College, and School. StateUniversity.com. Retrieved on March 14, 2013 from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2029/Harper-William-Rainey-1856-1906.html William Rainey Harper. Muskingum.edu. Retrieved on March 15, 2013 from http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/harper.htm Read More