David Truman
Encyclopedia
David Bicknell Truman was an American academic who served as the 15th president of Mount Holyoke College
from 1969-1978. He is also known for his role as a Columbia University
administrator during the Columbia University protests of 1968
.
. He received his B.A. from Amherst
and his doctorate from the University of Chicago
.
in 1951. There, in addition to teaching political science, he undertook a number of administrative roles, serving successively as head of the department of public law and government (1959–61), Dean of Columbia College
(1962–67), and Vice-President & Provost (1967–69). In 1969, Truman "stepped down after a tumultuous year of student unrest. During the student-lead takeover of the University, Truman was continually mentioned as a University administrator who retained the student body's respect." http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/03/09/davidTruman.html
Truman became president of Mount Holyoke College
in 1969 and stayed until 1978. Truman oversaw the decision to remain a woman's college
in 1971. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/detailed.shtml His obituary from Mount Holyoke noted, "both at Columbia and Mount Holyoke, Truman was involved in dealing with the significant student unrest of the late 1960s and 1970s. At both campuses he faced student protests and takeovers regarding such difficult issues as race and the Vietnam War. Despite these challenges, which were common on college campuses during the Vietnam Era, Truman left a lasting legacy as a warm and caring leader." http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/090503/truman.shtml
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
from 1969-1978. He is also known for his role as a Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
administrator during the Columbia University protests of 1968
Columbia University protests of 1968
The Columbia University protests of 1968 were among the many student demonstrations that occurred around the world in that year. The Columbia protests erupted over the spring of that year after students discovered links between the university and the institutional apparatus supporting the United...
.
Background
Truman was born and raised in Evanston, IllinoisEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. He received his B.A. from Amherst
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
and his doctorate from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
Political Science
Truman was a prominent political scientist and is known for his contributions to the theory of political pluralism.Administrative Roles
He taught at a number of institutions before joining Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1951. There, in addition to teaching political science, he undertook a number of administrative roles, serving successively as head of the department of public law and government (1959–61), Dean of Columbia College
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
(1962–67), and Vice-President & Provost (1967–69). In 1969, Truman "stepped down after a tumultuous year of student unrest. During the student-lead takeover of the University, Truman was continually mentioned as a University administrator who retained the student body's respect." http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/03/09/davidTruman.html
Truman became president of Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
in 1969 and stayed until 1978. Truman oversaw the decision to remain a woman's college
Women's colleges in the United States
Women's colleges in the United States are single-sex U.S. institutions of higher education that exclude or limit males from admission. They are often liberal arts colleges...
in 1971. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/detailed.shtml His obituary from Mount Holyoke noted, "both at Columbia and Mount Holyoke, Truman was involved in dealing with the significant student unrest of the late 1960s and 1970s. At both campuses he faced student protests and takeovers regarding such difficult issues as race and the Vietnam War. Despite these challenges, which were common on college campuses during the Vietnam Era, Truman left a lasting legacy as a warm and caring leader." http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/090503/truman.shtml
Scholarship
- Administrative Decentralization (1940)
- The Governmental Process: Political Interests and Public Opinion. New York: Knopf, 1951.
- The Congressional Party (1959)
See also
- Presidents of Mount Holyoke College