Wernette, John Philip, 1900-....

When President James F. Zimmerman died of a heart attack in October 1944, the University was left without a president. A Board made up of the University Deans was then appointed to run the University until a new president was hired in 1946.

John Philip Wernette was hired as the University of New Mexicos 8th president and began work in August 1946.

Wernette was born in Imlay City, Michigan on October 29, 1903. He received his A.B. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1924 and his A.M. degree from the University of Southern California in 1926. He also completed a masters degree at Harvard and also earned a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1932.

Wernette served on the Harvard School of Business faculty from 1927-45 at which time Wernettes presidency coincided with the end of WWII and the influx of students nationwide into universities and colleges on the G.I. Bill. Like most universities in the country, UNM was not prepared for the surge in student enrollment. There was a lack of professors, classrooms, and housing after the war.

Despite the shortages, UNM managed to create several professional programs during this time. The College of Pharmacy opened in 1945 and the Colleges of Business Administration and Law were created in 1947. The Department of Journalism was also created in 1947.

Although the University was succeeding after the war, trouble was brewing for Wernette and in 1948 the Board of Regents decided not to renew his contract, which ended in June of that year.

From the guide to the John Philip Wernette Presidential Papers, 1944-1949, (University of New Mexico. Center for Southwest Research.)