Bechtel, Thomas F.

The Dean of the University was an office established by the Advisory and Executive Committee in December 1899 to relieve the president of routine and disciplinary work. The first dean was Winslow Upton, who resigned in 1901 for health reasons. Alexander Meiklejohn was dean from 1901 to 1912, and concerned himself with scholastic achievement, attendance, athletic activities, and social life of the students. Otis Randall, who followed Meiklejohn, was dean until 1930. He wrote a book, The Dean’s Window, about his experiences and observations as dean. After a year as acting dean in 1929-1930, Samuel T. Arnold was given the title of Dean of Undergraduates. In 1937 his title was changed to Dean of the College. There was no Dean of the University until 1946, when Arnold assumed that office. Robert W. Kenny was Dean of the College from 1947 to 1952. In 1949 Arnold was named Provost and there was no Dean of the University.

In the 1950s and 60s the deanery at Brown became known as a training ground for college presidents. The five Deans of the College who became college presidents were: James Stacy Coles, acting dean of the College for one year when he became president of Bowdoin College in 1952; Brown president Barnaby Keeney, acting dean in 1952-53 and dean from 1953 to 1955; K. Roald Bergethon, acting dean in 1955-56 and dean from 1956 to 1958, who went to Lafayette College; Charles H. Watts II, Class of 1947, dean from 1958 to 1962, who became president of Bucknell; and Robert W. Morse, dean from 1962 to 1964, who became president of Case Western Reserve University.

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