Pullias, Earl Vivon, 1907-

Biographical note

Earl Vivon Pullias was born on March 12, 1907 in Castalian Springs, Tennessee. He attended David Lipscomb College, and then transferred to Cumberland University, where he received his BA in 1928. After graduating, he taught English and served as assistant principal at Hardy Memorial School in Richard City, Tennessee, from 1928 to 1930. During this time, Pullias met his wife Pauline, who also taught at the school, and they married in 1930.

Pullias left Hardy Memorial School to attend the University of Chicago, where he received his Masters in Education in 1931. He went on to attend Duke University, where he studied for his doctorate while also teaching courses part-time at the university. Pullias received his PhD in Educational Psychology from Duke in 1936, and continued to work at the school as an instructor, as well as an Assistant Psychologist at the Duke Hospital Psychiatric Clinic.

In 1938, Earl and Pauline moved to Los Angeles, California, in order for him to begin work as a Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine College. In 1940, he also began serving as the Dean of Faculty at Pepperdine, while continuing to teach courses. Pullias also taught courses in the summers at the University of Southern California (USC) as a visiting professor beginning in 1940.

In 1957, Pullias left Pepperdine and took a permanent position as a Professor of Higher Education at USC, where he helped found the Department of Higher and Postsecondary Education. He taught there until his retirement in 1977, whereupon he became a Professor Emeritus of Higher Education. While at USC, he also established a series of colloquiums on higher education, known as the Pullias Colloquiums, which occurred annually from 1965 to 1977.

In addition to his career as a professor, Pullias was also involved in many other education organizations. He served on the Los Angeles County Board of Education from 1954 to 1977, as well as the California Commission on Higher Education from 1960 to 1966. Pullias was also a prolific author, writing numerous research articles on education, as well as several books. His most famous book, A Teacher is Many Things, was translated into nine languages, and other works include A Search for Understanding, Toward Excellence in College Teaching and A Common Sense Philosophy for Modern Man: A Search for Fundamentals .

In 1978, after Pullias's retirement, an annual lectureship series was established at USC in his name. The Pullias Lecture continues today, and is the oldest endowed lectureship series on higher education in the United States. In February of 2012, the USC Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis was renamed in Pullias's honor, and is now known as the Earl and Pauline Pullias Center for Higher Education.

Earl and Pauline Pullias had two sons: Calvin, and John, who drowned in 1957. Pullias lived in Los Angeles until his death on August 20th, 1994.

From the guide to the Earl Vivon Pullias papers, 1928-1991, 1910-2009, (Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.)