Edwin Alderman
Encyclopedia
Edwin Anderson Alderman (May 15, 1861 – April 30, 1931) served as the President of three universities. The University of Virginia's Alderman Library is named after him, as is Edwin A. Alderman Elementary School in Wilmington and Alderman dorm at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Alderman was the key leader in higher education in Virginia during the Progressive Era
as president of the University of Virginia, 1904-31. His goal was the transformation of the Southern university into a force for state service and intellectual leadership. and educational utility. Alderman successfully professionalized and modernized Virginia's system of higher education. He promoted international standards of scholarship, and a statewide network of extension services. Joined by other college presidents, he promoted the Virginia Education Commission, created in 1910. Alderman's crusade encountered some resistance from traditionalists and never challenged the Jim Crow system of segregated schooling.
in 1882. He became a schoolteacher in Goldsboro, North Carolina
, and then superintendent of the school district there.
In 1891, Alderman and Charles Duncan McIver
successfully pressed the North Carolina Legislature to establish the Normal and Industrial School for Women, now known as the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
. Alderman taught there until 1893, when he became a professor at the University of North Carolina; he was named president of that institution in 1896. He moved on to take the same position at Tulane University
in 1900, before moving again to the University of Virginia
in 1904. There he stayed for 27 years, until his death in 1931 from a stroke in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, while en route to deliver a speech in Illinois. He is buried at the University of Virginia Cemetery.
Alderman was a noted public speaker, and won fame for his memorial address for Woodrow Wilson
, delivered to a joint session of Congress on December 15, 1924.
Alderman was not the first choice for the new office. After considering other candidates, including Virginia Law
graduate Woodrow Wilson
,, the BOV had first invited its former member George W. Miles, a colonel who had served on the staff of Virginia Governor James Hoge Tyler
. The faculty opposed Miles' nomination and he was forced to withdraw. Other candidates were proposed, including Francis Preston Venable
(who had succeeded Alderman as president of the University of North Carolina
), but Alderman was unanimously chosen as the consensus candidate on June 14, 1904. He began to serve in the fall of 1904 but was not formally inaugurated until April 13, 1905 (Thomas Jefferson
's birthday, which was then as now celebrated as Founder's Day).
The University changed in several significant ways under Alderman's guidance. First, he focused new attention on matters of public concern, creating departments of geology and forestry, adding significantly to the University Hospital to support new sickbeds and public health research, created the Curry School of Education
, established the extension and summer school programs, and created the first school of finance and commerce at the school. He then restructured existing programs, separating the former “academic department” into the College of Arts and Sciences
and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, in accordance with a growing move to standardize college educations by the Association of American Universities
. The enrollment of the school greatly increased under his administration, as well, going from 500 regular session students in 1904 to 2,200 in 1929.
Alderman also laid the financial groundwork for the University's future, during the first years of his presidency establishing its first endowment fund and leading the fundraising of almost $700,000 to meet a $500,000 challenge grant from Andrew Carnegie
. By the end of his presidency the endowment would increase to $10 million.
He spent two-thirds of his long term at the University of Virginia physically disabled after a bad bout with tuberculosis
.
Progressive Era
The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of social activism and political reform that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s. One main goal of the Progressive movement was purification of government, as Progressives tried to eliminate corruption by exposing and undercutting political...
as president of the University of Virginia, 1904-31. His goal was the transformation of the Southern university into a force for state service and intellectual leadership. and educational utility. Alderman successfully professionalized and modernized Virginia's system of higher education. He promoted international standards of scholarship, and a statewide network of extension services. Joined by other college presidents, he promoted the Virginia Education Commission, created in 1910. Alderman's crusade encountered some resistance from traditionalists and never challenged the Jim Crow system of segregated schooling.
Career
Alderman graduated from the University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in 1882. He became a schoolteacher in Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...
, and then superintendent of the school district there.
In 1891, Alderman and Charles Duncan McIver
Charles Duncan McIver
Charles Duncan McIver is known as the founder and first president of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro....
successfully pressed the North Carolina Legislature to establish the Normal and Industrial School for Women, now known as the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
. Alderman taught there until 1893, when he became a professor at the University of North Carolina; he was named president of that institution in 1896. He moved on to take the same position at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in 1900, before moving again to the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1904. There he stayed for 27 years, until his death in 1931 from a stroke in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, while en route to deliver a speech in Illinois. He is buried at the University of Virginia Cemetery.
Alderman was a noted public speaker, and won fame for his memorial address for Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, delivered to a joint session of Congress on December 15, 1924.
At the University of Virginia
In 1904, the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia invited Alderman, then president of Tulane University, to become the first president of the University of Virginia. Since its founding in 1819, Mr. Jefferson's University had been governed by its Board of Visitors, but increasing discord between Visitors and the faculty, as well as the rising administrative burden of dealing with expanding academic departments and burgeoning student enrollments, led to the decision to move forward with the creation of the office of the president.Alderman was not the first choice for the new office. After considering other candidates, including Virginia Law
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...
graduate Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
,, the BOV had first invited its former member George W. Miles, a colonel who had served on the staff of Virginia Governor James Hoge Tyler
James Hoge Tyler
James Hogue Tyler was a United States political figure. He was Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1890 to 1894, and the 43rd Governor of Virginia from 1898 to 1902. He compiled The Family of Hoge, published in 1927...
. The faculty opposed Miles' nomination and he was forced to withdraw. Other candidates were proposed, including Francis Preston Venable
Francis Preston Venable
Francis Preston Venable was a chemist, educator, and president of the University of North Carolina . His father, Charles Scott Venable, was aide-de-camp to Gen. Robert E...
(who had succeeded Alderman as president of the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
), but Alderman was unanimously chosen as the consensus candidate on June 14, 1904. He began to serve in the fall of 1904 but was not formally inaugurated until April 13, 1905 (Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
's birthday, which was then as now celebrated as Founder's Day).
The University changed in several significant ways under Alderman's guidance. First, he focused new attention on matters of public concern, creating departments of geology and forestry, adding significantly to the University Hospital to support new sickbeds and public health research, created the Curry School of Education
Curry School of Education
The Curry School of Education is a public school of education in the U.S. Located on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, the Curry School offers professional programs designed to prepare individuals for a variety of careers related to the practice of education...
, established the extension and summer school programs, and created the first school of finance and commerce at the school. He then restructured existing programs, separating the former “academic department” into the College of Arts and Sciences
University of Virginia College of Arts & Sciences
The University of Virginia College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the University of Virginia's ten schools. Consisting of both a graduate and an undergraduate program, the College comprises the liberal arts and humanities section of the University...
and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, in accordance with a growing move to standardize college educations by the Association of American Universities
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education...
. The enrollment of the school greatly increased under his administration, as well, going from 500 regular session students in 1904 to 2,200 in 1929.
Alderman also laid the financial groundwork for the University's future, during the first years of his presidency establishing its first endowment fund and leading the fundraising of almost $700,000 to meet a $500,000 challenge grant from Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. By the end of his presidency the endowment would increase to $10 million.
He spent two-thirds of his long term at the University of Virginia physically disabled after a bad bout with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Academic career
- 1896-1900 – President of the University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
(Chapel Hill, North CarolinaChapel Hill, North CarolinaChapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
) - 1900-1904 – President of Tulane UniversityTulane UniversityTulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
(New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
) - 1904-1931 – President of the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
(Charlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
)