Aspiring to greatness : West Virginia University since World War II / Ronald L. Lewis ; foreword by Charles M. Vest.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lewis, Ronald L., 1940-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

West Virginia University--History.

West Virginia University.

History.

Physical Description:

xvi, 640, A24, B24 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

[Morgantown] : West Virginia University Press, 2013.

Summary:

Aspiring to Greatness: West Virginia University since World War II chronicles the emergence of WVU as a major land-grant institution. As a continuation of the work of Doherty and Summers in West Virginia University: Symbol of Unity in a Sectionalized State, this book focuses on the modern historical developments that elevated WVU from a small regional institution to one of national prominence. West Virginia University's growth mirrors the developmental eras that have shaped American higher education since World War II. The University's history as an innovative, pioneering force within higher education is explored through its major postwar stages of expansion, diversification, and commercialization. Institutions of higher education nationwide experienced a dramatic increase in enrollments between 1945 and 1975 as millions of returning World War II and Korean War veterans took advantage of the GI Bill of Rights. Their children, the "baby boom" generation, continued to supply the growth in college enrollment and the corresponding increase in institutional complexity until the mid-1970s. During this period WVU followed the national trend by growing from a few thousand students to nearly fifteen thousand. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I The Emergent University: Expansion, 1946-1967 1

Chapter 1 The Past as Prelude: Politics of Governance before the Board of Regents 9

Chapter 2 Irvin Stewart and the Creation of a University "Both in Theory and Fact" 28

Chapter 3 Paul A. Miller and "The People's University," 1962-1967 69

Chapter 4 Student Affairs: The "Silent Generation" 101

Part II The Constrained University: Diversification, 1967-1995 135

Chapter 5 Politics of Governance under the Board of Regents 143

Chapter 6 The Administrations of James G. Harlow and Gene A. Budig 175

Chapter 7 The University at Its Nadir 197

Chapter 8 Neil S. Bucklew and Modernization 214

Chapter 9 Faculty, Research, and Economic Development 236

Chapter 10 In Pursuit of Fairness and Diversity 257

Chapter 11 Student Culture Takes a Left Turn 283

Chapter 12 The Game Changes: Intercollegiate Athletics 312

Part III The Corporate University: Commercialization, 1990 345

Chapter 13 Politics of Governance since the Board of Regents 357

Chapter 14 Self-Governance Restored 380

Chapter 15 The University as a Research Enterprise 410

Chapter 16 The Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center 446

Chapter 17 Becoming a Student-Centered University 469

Chapter 18 Intercollegiate Sports and the Marketplace 498

Chapter 19 Playing on the National Stage: Corporatism Comes to Intercollegiate Athletics 515.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781938228421

1938228421

OCLC:

848267546