James O. Freedman
Encyclopedia
James Oliver Freedman was a university president. A graduate of Harvard College
and Yale Law School
, he served briefly as Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School
; as the sixteenth president of the University of Iowa
from 1982 to 1987; and as the fifteenth president
of Dartmouth College
, from 1987 to 1998. Freedman sought to create at both Iowa and Dartmouth, as The New York Times
described it, "a haven for intellectuals," with mixed results.
President Freedman established or revitalized programs in Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies; Environmental Studies; Jewish Studies; and Linguistics and Cognitive Science. He introduced or restored the teaching of the Arabic, Hebrew, and Japanese languages, founded the Institute of Arctic Studies, and incorporated into the curriculum majors in Women's Studies and African and African-American Studies. During his administration, Dartmouth achieved gender parity in the student body. In the professorial ranks the College led the Ivy League with the highest proportion of women among tenured and tenure-track faculty.
Freedman also presided over the largest capital campaign in Dartmouth's history, the "Will to Excel" campaign, which raised $568 million, exceeding the original $425 million goal. His administration saw the addition of state-of-the-art buildings for the Computer Sciences, Chemistry, and Psychology, as well as The Roth Center for Jewish Life and the Rauner Special Collections Library.
Shortly before he stepped down in 1998, ground was broken for the Baker-Berry Library project, a pioneering model for access to books and electronic information in the 21st century.
The author of Idealism and Liberal Education, Freedman became a spokesman for the importance of the liberal arts.
President Freedman died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma on March 21, 2006.
The one event in Freedman's presidency that garnered the most press was the so-called "Hitler Quote" scandal of The Dartmouth Review
in 1990. A member of the staff of the controversial conservative weekly paper inserted a quote from Mein Kampf
into the masthead of one edition of the paper. This edition of the Review was dated on Yom Kippor, the holiest day in the Jewish year. In the same edition, the paper also printed a drawing of Freedman as Hitler. The paper's editor discovered the quote three days after the paper was distributed, pulled available copies, and issued a campus-wide apology, but the quotation was seen as the latest in a series of attention-getting stunts that were either provocative or offensive depending on the reader's point of view.
In response to the Review's activities, including its publication of the quotation, students and members of Freedman's administration organized a "Rally Against Hate." The rally became a focal point for national conservative criticism of Freedman and of what was seen as "political correctness
" generally.
Freedman's administration also engaged in the building of the "second Green" greatly expanding Dartmouth's campus and further diminishing the school's small college nature.
George Mason
law professor Todd Zywicki
, a Dartmouth alum (and trustee) later referred to Freedman as a "truly evil man . . . who basically, simply put, his agenda was to turn Dartmouth into Harvard."
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, he served briefly as Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Law School, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, it is among the oldest and most selective law schools in the nation. It is currently ranked 7th overall by U.S. News & World Report,...
; as the sixteenth 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 to 1987; and as the fifteenth president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, from 1987 to 1998. Freedman sought to create at both Iowa and Dartmouth, as The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described it, "a haven for intellectuals," with mixed results.
University of Iowa Presidency
Freedman's tenure at the University of Iowa was marked by his support for a $25 million laser research center. In his words, "The University of Iowa can grasp the opportunity for national and world leadership in laser science."http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50715F9355E0C708CDDAB0994DE484D81 Freedman argued that the laser would become a magnet for research grants from Federal and International agencies, and the Iowa legislature appropriated the $25 million necessary to build the center. The center was unable to attract significant research funding, however, after it was completed.Dartmouth Presidency
His administration was marked by numerous academic initiatives, a growth of the physical campus, and a strengthening of Dartmouth's graduate programs and professional schools. A small but vocal number of conservative alumni viewed the initiatives the "Harvardization of Dartmouth."President Freedman established or revitalized programs in Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies; Environmental Studies; Jewish Studies; and Linguistics and Cognitive Science. He introduced or restored the teaching of the Arabic, Hebrew, and Japanese languages, founded the Institute of Arctic Studies, and incorporated into the curriculum majors in Women's Studies and African and African-American Studies. During his administration, Dartmouth achieved gender parity in the student body. In the professorial ranks the College led the Ivy League with the highest proportion of women among tenured and tenure-track faculty.
Freedman also presided over the largest capital campaign in Dartmouth's history, the "Will to Excel" campaign, which raised $568 million, exceeding the original $425 million goal. His administration saw the addition of state-of-the-art buildings for the Computer Sciences, Chemistry, and Psychology, as well as The Roth Center for Jewish Life and the Rauner Special Collections Library.
Shortly before he stepped down in 1998, ground was broken for the Baker-Berry Library project, a pioneering model for access to books and electronic information in the 21st century.
The author of Idealism and Liberal Education, Freedman became a spokesman for the importance of the liberal arts.
President Freedman died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma on March 21, 2006.
Criticism
Some critics believed that Freedman was uninterested in maintaining Dartmouth as an undergraduate college first, a research and graduate university second.The one event in Freedman's presidency that garnered the most press was the so-called "Hitler Quote" scandal of The Dartmouth Review
The Dartmouth Review
The Dartmouth Review is a conservative, independent, bi-weekly newspaper at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire . It was founded in 1980 by disenchanted staffers—including Gregory Fossedal, Gordon Haff, Ben Hart, and Keeney Jones—from the college's daily newspaper, The Dartmouth. It...
in 1990. A member of the staff of the controversial conservative weekly paper inserted a quote from Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
into the masthead of one edition of the paper. This edition of the Review was dated on Yom Kippor, the holiest day in the Jewish year. In the same edition, the paper also printed a drawing of Freedman as Hitler. The paper's editor discovered the quote three days after the paper was distributed, pulled available copies, and issued a campus-wide apology, but the quotation was seen as the latest in a series of attention-getting stunts that were either provocative or offensive depending on the reader's point of view.
In response to the Review's activities, including its publication of the quotation, students and members of Freedman's administration organized a "Rally Against Hate." The rally became a focal point for national conservative criticism of Freedman and of what was seen as "political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
" generally.
Freedman's administration also engaged in the building of the "second Green" greatly expanding Dartmouth's campus and further diminishing the school's small college nature.
George Mason
George Mason University School of Law
George Mason University School of Law is the law school of George Mason University, a state university in Virginia, United States...
law professor Todd Zywicki
Todd Zywicki
Todd J. Zywicki is George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law, teaching in the areas of bankruptcy and contracts, where he has taught since 1998. He taught previously at the Mississippi College School of Law, where he held a faculty position from...
, a Dartmouth alum (and trustee) later referred to Freedman as a "truly evil man . . . who basically, simply put, his agenda was to turn Dartmouth into Harvard."
External links
- Dartmouth College
- Wheelock Succession: James O. Freedman
- "Freedman, College president emeritus, dies at 70", Kevin Garland and Tara Kyle, The DartmouthThe DartmouthThe Dartmouth is the daily student newspaper at Dartmouth College. Founded in 1799, it is America's oldest college newspaper. It is published by The Dartmouth, Inc., an independent, nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Hampshire.-History:...
, March 28, 2006. - Freedman and the Review: A History