Frank H.T. Rhodes
Encyclopedia
Frank Harold Trevor Rhodes (born October 29, 1926) was the ninth president of Cornell University
from 1977 to 1995.
, England
on October 29, 1926. He attended the University of Birmingham
, graduating in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He also holds three other degrees from Birmingham, including a Doctor of Philosophy.
He held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois
in 1950, which he held for a year.
Rhodes has also taught at the University of Durham (1954) and the University of Wales, Swansea (1956). In addition, he is a Professor Emeritus of Geology
at Cornell.
After serving as the Vice President for academic affairs at the University of Michigan
, he was elected President of Cornell on August 1, 1977 and served until June 30, 1995. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-serving president in the Ivy League
.
In addition to his positions in academia, Rhodes has played a part in government. He was appointed as a member of the National Science Board
under President Ronald Reagan
, and as a member of the President's Educational Policy Advisory Committee by President George H.W. Bush.
Rhodes is a naturalized citizen of the United States
, and is married to Rosa Carlson. The two still live in Ithaca
.
: Rhodes Hall. The building is used by the College of Engineering
and the Cornell Theory Center
, and it overlooks Hoy Field
.
Cornell also has a professor
ship honoring Rhodes; Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professors are appointed to three-year terms. In 2011, the University also created new postgraduate student fellow
ships named after Rhodes to further scholarship and research in areas including poverty alleviation, public health, human rights, and supporting the elderly and disadvantaged children.
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
from 1977 to 1995.
Biography
Rhodes was born in WarwickshireWarwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on October 29, 1926. He attended the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, graduating in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He also holds three other degrees from Birmingham, including a Doctor of Philosophy.
He held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
in 1950, which he held for a year.
Rhodes has also taught at the University of Durham (1954) and the University of Wales, Swansea (1956). In addition, he is a Professor Emeritus of Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
at Cornell.
After serving as the Vice President for academic affairs at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, he was elected President of Cornell on August 1, 1977 and served until June 30, 1995. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-serving president in the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
.
In addition to his positions in academia, Rhodes has played a part in government. He was appointed as a member of the National Science Board
National Science Board
The National Science Board of the United States is composed of 25 members appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate, representing the broad U.S. science and engineering community. The Board establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation within the framework...
under President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, and as a member of the President's Educational Policy Advisory Committee by President George H.W. Bush.
Rhodes is a naturalized citizen of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is married to Rosa Carlson. The two still live in Ithaca
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
.
Rhodes's impact on Cornell
Rhodes has a building named after him on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, New YorkIthaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
: Rhodes Hall. The building is used by the College of Engineering
Cornell University College of Engineering
The College of Engineering is a division of Cornell University that was founded in 1870 as the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts...
and the Cornell Theory Center
Cornell Theory Center
The Cornell University Center for Advanced Computing , housed at Franklin H.T. Rhodes Hall on the campus of Cornell University, is one of five original centers in the National Science Foundation's Supercomputer Centers Program...
, and it overlooks Hoy Field
Hoy Field
David F. Hoy Field, usually referred to simply as Hoy Field, is a baseball field at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where the Big Red's baseball team plays...
.
Cornell also has a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
ship honoring Rhodes; Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of '56 University Professors are appointed to three-year terms. In 2011, the University also created new postgraduate student fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ships named after Rhodes to further scholarship and research in areas including poverty alleviation, public health, human rights, and supporting the elderly and disadvantaged children.
External links
- Cornell Presidency: Frank H.T. Rhodes
- Cornell University LibraryCornell University LibraryThe Cornell University Library is the library system of Cornell University. In 2010 it held 8 million printed volumes in open stacks, 8.5 million microfilms and microfiches, more than of manuscripts, and close to 500,000 other materials, including motion pictures, DVDs, sound recordings, and...
Presidents Exhibition: Frank Howard Trevor Rhodes (Presidency; Inauguration)