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Training University Presidents
Algo Donmyer Henderson
The Michigan Alumnus 32
The Michigan Alumnus 32
Tomorrow's Presidents
Q.: Who is training tomorrow's col lege presidents and deans?
A.: The University of Michigan's "Mr. Higher Education" — Professor Algo D. Henderson.
For the past fifteen years, in fact, Professor Henderson has been doing exactly that, and his former students today are presidents, deans, depart ment heads, and directors of various academic enterprises in more than half the states and in at least one for eign country.
In mid-March, about one hundred of Professor Henderson's former stu dents honored him at a breakfast in Chicago, held during the annual meet ing there of the Association for Higher Education. Next June, Dr. Henderson will begin retirement furlough, bring ing to a close his Michigan teaching career. His work in Ann Arbor, inci dentally, followed considerable experience as a college administrator himself, for he served as president of Antioch College in 1936-47 and as as sociate commissioner in charge of higher education in New York, 1948- 50. In 1950, he joined the faculty of The University of Michigan.
Since 1958, Professor Henderson's trail-blazing work in training college administrators has had the support of the Carnegie Corporation, which has provided two five-year grants to sup port the Center for the Study of Higher Education, which Dr. Hender son directs. Essential parts of this program are pre-doctoral and post- doctoral fellowships, provided by Car negie funds, to enable young men to study and to gain experience through administrative internships at this University and in neighboring institu tions. To date, 42 post-doctoral fellows have participated in the Center's pro gram, and there are at present about 80 doctoral candidates enrolled.
Professor Henderson believes that today's large university is more com plex than most business enterprises and more influential upon public attitudes and behavior. As colleges and universities grow in number and size, it is increasingly important that trained administrators be available to manage them. Professor Henderson, who anticipated this need and led the way in establishing a program to meet it, is one of Michigan's many distin guished teachers.