Charles Mercer Snelling (November 3, 1862 – September 19, 1939) was the Chancellor of the University of Georgia

University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

 (UGA) in Athens

Athens, Georgia

Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...

, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 from 1925 to 1932 and the first Chancellor of the University System of Georgia

University System of Georgia

The University System of Georgia is the organizational body that includes 35 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The System is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates general policy to educational institutions as well as administering...

 (1932–1933). All UGA leaders after Snelling have been referred to as President (the previous title before the 1860 University reorganization that created the UGA Chancellor position).

Biography

Snelling was born in Richmond

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 and graduated from the Virginia Military Institute

Virginia Military Institute

The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...

 in 1884. He taught mathematics there when he graduated, then at the Georgia Military Institute

Georgia Military Institute

The Georgia Military Institute was established on in Marietta, Georgia, on July 1, 1851. It burned during the Civil War and was never rebuilt. The current GMI is a reactivation of the name for a Georgia National Guard Officer Candidate School curriculum.-Mission:In January 2010, the Georgia Army...

 in 1885-86, as well as a 2-year stint teaching at South Georgia College

South Georgia College

South Georgia College is a two-year, state-supported, residential junior college located in Douglas, Georgia, United States.-Affiliation/Accreditation:...

 in Thomasville

Thomasville, Georgia

Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The city is the second largest in Southwest Georgia after Albany.The city deems itself the City of Roses and holds an annual Rose Festival. The town features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large...

. Snelling came to the University in 1888 as an Adjunct Professor of Mathematics and Commandant of Cadets. He became a Professor in 1897, and Dean

Dean (education)

In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

 of the University in 1909.

Accomplishments

Accomplishments of Snelling as the UGA Chancellor include:

• Forming the Bureau of Business Research in 1929
• Established the Institute of Public Affairs (1927)
• Reorganized the Lumpkin Law School
• Hired Ms. J.H. Bryan as the first female faculty member (Journalism, 1928)
• The Department of Music and Fine Arts was organized in 1926 under Hugh Hodgson
• Formed the division of General Extension to oversee adult education
• Oversaw completion of various buildings [Women's P.E. Building (1928); Brooks Hall (1928); Sanford Stadium (1929); Military Science Building (1931); Hirsch Hall (Law School, 1932)]

After Snelling's tenure as the University System Chancellor, he became director of adult education for the state, a post he held until his death on September 19, 1939 in Athens. The Snelling Dining Commons is a south campus facility named in his honor.

External links

• History of the University of Georgia by Thomas Walter Reed; Frontmatter and Chapter I: The Beginnings of the University, Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949
• From Ahmedunggar to Lavonia Presidents at the University of Georgia 1785-1997, University of Georgia Libraries, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library
• Charles M. Snelling Hargrett library, past exhibits, UGA presidents
• Finding Aid for The Charles Mercer Snelling Papers 1904 - 1950 (UGA 97 - 096) Hargrett library, university archives, guide to print collections
• Milestones, Feb. 22, 1932 Time magazine