An Entrepreneurial University: The Transformation of Tufts, 1976-2002

by Gittleman, Sol

• ISBN13: 9781584654162
• ISBN10: 1584654163
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-10-04
• Publisher: Tufts Univ

Summary

In 1981, Sol Gittleman was named Provost of Tufts University. He retired in 2002, after twenty-one years of service, the longest-serving Provost in the history of American higher education. In An Entrepreneurial University Gittleman leads the reader on an entertaining journey through the sometimes turbulent history of Tufts University since the 1970s, placing Tufts' growth in the context of the ever-evolving world of American higher education. These often tumultuous years were dominated by the challenges presented by the rise of multiculturalism and affirmative action, financial crisis in higher education, student activism, and the changing face of American higher education. During his tenure as Provost, Gittleman administered the typical University arts, sciences, and engineering programs, he also oversaw significant growth and change in Tufts' specialized fields--the School of Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Nutrition, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and the School of Veterinary Medicine--as well as Tufts' expanding overseas opportunities, its proliferating of Ph.D. programs, and its burgeoning academic reputation. This evolution naturally sparked academic and personal rivalries and collaborations, which are explored in An Entrepreneurial University. Gittleman served with distinction under three very stylistically different presidents, the extraordinary Jean Mayer, John DiBiaggio, and Lawrence Bacow, who arrived in May 2001. The book focuses on Tufts University and beyond its campus to American higher education in general, through the eyes of one of the most significant players, Provost Gittleman.

Author Biography

During his long tenure as Provost, SOL GITTLEMAN taught at Tufts, as he continues to do. Upon stepping down as Provost, he was named Alice and Nathan Gantcher University Professors, a coveted honor at Tufts. He is the author of books on German literature, East European Jewish literature, and the American immigrant experience. Gittleman has received two Fulbright awards, the Harbison Prize of the Danforth Foundation for Outstanding Teaching, and a citation as Professor of the Year from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Prologue	xiii
1 Tufts and the New American University	1	(11)
2 The Coming of Jean Mayer
The Accidental President	12	(33)
3 Turning the Corner
Consolidating the Mayer Presidency	45	(115)
4 The Slippery Slope
The Mayer Presidency, 1987-1992	160	(15)
5 The 1990's and the Changing World of American Higher Education	175	(22)
6 The DiBiaggio Years, 1992-2001
The Personal Touch	197	(96)
7 The Coming of Lawrence Bacow	293	(12)
8 Postscript
A Walk on the Campus	305	(14)
Selected Bibliography	319	(4)
Index	323