University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Developer of an institution: Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, Morehouse College president, 1940-1967

Rovaris, Dereck Joseph

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Description

Title
Developer of an institution: Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, Morehouse College president, 1940-1967
Author(s)
Rovaris, Dereck Joseph
Issue Date
1990
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Fley, Jo Ann
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Biography
  • Black Studies
  • Education, Administration
  • Education, Higher
Language
eng
Abstract
  • This dissertation deals with the presidential career of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays at Morehouse College. In order to present a balanced observation, an historical examination was conducted using a variety of available sources. Primary sources such as letters, papers, and reports produced during Mays' twenty-seven year tenure were consulted as were secondary sources that presented relevant information about Mays and Morehouse. Additionally, interviews were conducted with persons who knew Mays. The synthesis of these various sources into an evaluation of a collegiate presidential career provided the basis for this study.
  • The foundation established at Morehouse by John Hope and other presidential predecessors of Mays provided the college respect in a number of academic circles of black higher education. However, due to ineffective leadership in the years immediately preceding the Mays administration, much of the college's lustre was lost. Mays stepped in and rectified this situation as he directed the college into a role of distinction among black colleges. He became a leader among blacks in higher education, religion, and civil rights. Utilizing his authoritarian, yet benevolent, administrative style, the college was transformed into one of higher education's premier institutions.
  • "Mays' leadership helped develop the college and the students of Morehouse. During his administration, Morehouse produced a number of scholars, physicians, and civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mays' development of the college's finances, faculty, and physical plant were impressive. As well, his development of the ""Morehouse Man"", a unique concept that embodied the finest qualities of Morehouse students, was legendary."
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/18956
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1990 Rovaris, Dereck Joseph

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Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Education
Dissertations and Theses from the College of Education