Hunter R. Rawlings III
Encyclopedia
Hunter Ripley Rawlings III (born December 14, 1944) is an American
classics
scholar and academic administrator. He is best known for serving as the 17th President of the University of Iowa
from 1982 until 1995 and as the 10th President of Cornell University
from 1995 until 2003. He also served as Cornell's interim president in 2005-2006, and was succeeded by David J. Skorton
on July 1, 2006.
Originally from Norfolk
, Virginia
, Rawlings received his B.A.
with honors in classics from Haverford College
in 1966. From there he moved to Princeton University
, where he received a Ph.D.
in classics in 1970. After graduating from Princeton, he joined the faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder
, rising to full professor in 1980. Rawlings began his career in academic administration at Colorado
, serving as chairman of the classics department and later as associate vice chancellor for instruction. In 1988, Rawlings was named President of the University of Iowa
, a position he held until 1995.
Rawlings then came to Cornell University
, becoming its 10th president, serving from 1995 until 2003. At Cornell, he was an effective fundraiser
, presiding over several large capital campaigns. Rawlings created several new positions and programs to support undergraduate education, began the construction of several new dormitories, centralized the location of freshmen on campus (initially protested by Al Sharpton
and others due to alleged racial implications), and promoted stronger undergraduate admissions standards. Rawlings began initiatives in certain areas of science and engineering that he considered especially important to the future (such as bioinformatics
, computational biology
, computer
and information science
s, genomics
, and materials science
), and began plans for Weill Hall, a large new life sciences
building which houses the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology
. He encouraged interdisciplinary exchanges in the humanities
and social sciences
. He also presided over an agreement to establish a branch of Cornell's medical school in Qatar
, the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.
While President of Cornell, Rawlings also held the rank of professor of classics, and continued to hold this position after he left the presidency. Notably, during the last two years of his presidency, he taught an undergraduate course in classics. At the same time, Rawlings faced criticism from many students and alumni leaders for his hands-off approach toward the student body and his focus on the business operations of Cornell.
After the sudden resignation of his successor as president, Jeffrey Lehman, effective June 30, 2005, Rawlings agreed to reassume the presidency on an interim basis until a permanent replacement could be found. On January 21, 2006, David J. Skorton
was announced as the next president of Cornell. Skorton took office on July 1. (Like Rawlings, Skorton was previously President of the University of Iowa.)
Currently, he serves a professor of classical history in Cornell's Department of History
and Department of Classics.
Rawlings is a member of many prominent organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and served as chair of the Association of American Universities
. Beginning on June 1, 2011, he will be President of the Association of American Universities.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
scholar and academic administrator. He is best known for serving as the 17th President of the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
from 1982 until 1995 and as the 10th President of Cornell University
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 1995 until 2003. He also served as Cornell's interim president in 2005-2006, and was succeeded by David J. Skorton
David J. Skorton
David Jan Skorton is an American professor of medicine and an academic administrator. He is currently serving as the president of Cornell University.- Education :...
on July 1, 2006.
Originally from Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, 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...
, Rawlings received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
with honors in classics from Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
in 1966. From there he moved to Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where he received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in classics in 1970. After graduating from Princeton, he joined the faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, rising to full professor in 1980. Rawlings began his career in academic administration at Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, serving as chairman of the classics department and later as associate vice chancellor for instruction. In 1988, Rawlings was named President of the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, a position he held until 1995.
Rawlings then came to Cornell University
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...
, becoming its 10th president, serving from 1995 until 2003. At Cornell, he was an effective fundraiser
Fundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...
, presiding over several large capital campaigns. Rawlings created several new positions and programs to support undergraduate education, began the construction of several new dormitories, centralized the location of freshmen on campus (initially protested by Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
and others due to alleged racial implications), and promoted stronger undergraduate admissions standards. Rawlings began initiatives in certain areas of science and engineering that he considered especially important to the future (such as bioinformatics
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
, computational biology
Computational biology
Computational biology involves the development and application of data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modeling and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological, behavioral, and social systems...
, computer
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and information science
Information science
-Introduction:Information science is an interdisciplinary science primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information...
s, genomics
Genomics
Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
, and materials science
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
), and began plans for Weill Hall, a large new life sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
building which houses the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology
Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology
Founded in 2007, the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology is a collaborative, non-profit research institution located on Cornell University's campus in Ithaca, New York. The Weill Institute eventually will consist of twelve faculty-led teams, appointed in several life...
. He encouraged interdisciplinary exchanges in the humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
and social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
. He also presided over an agreement to establish a branch of Cornell's medical school in Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.
While President of Cornell, Rawlings also held the rank of professor of classics, and continued to hold this position after he left the presidency. Notably, during the last two years of his presidency, he taught an undergraduate course in classics. At the same time, Rawlings faced criticism from many students and alumni leaders for his hands-off approach toward the student body and his focus on the business operations of Cornell.
After the sudden resignation of his successor as president, Jeffrey Lehman, effective June 30, 2005, Rawlings agreed to reassume the presidency on an interim basis until a permanent replacement could be found. On January 21, 2006, David J. Skorton
David J. Skorton
David Jan Skorton is an American professor of medicine and an academic administrator. He is currently serving as the president of Cornell University.- Education :...
was announced as the next president of Cornell. Skorton took office on July 1. (Like Rawlings, Skorton was previously President of the University of Iowa.)
Currently, he serves a professor of classical history in Cornell's Department of History
Cornell University Department of History
|- valign="top" ! style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | College | style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | Arts and Sciences |- valign="top" ! style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | Department Chair | style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | Barry Strauss...
and Department of Classics.
Rawlings is a member of many prominent organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and served as chair of 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...
. Beginning on June 1, 2011, he will be President of the Association of American Universities.
External links
- Cornell Presidency: Hunter R. Rawlings III
- 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: Hunter Ripley Rawlings III (Presidency; Inauguration) - Hunter Rawlings Interview