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By Myles Brand, President, Indiana University
Picking the most outstanding or influential person of the 20th century in any field will usually provoke controversy. But here at Indiana University, the choice is made by acclamation‹Herman B Wells.
Of course, there are only two legitimate candidates. William Lowe Bryan and Chancellor Wells are the two men who guided this university through much of the first two-thirds of this century, and their strong leadership was instrumental in the evolution and growth of Indiana University into the institution we know today.
When William Lowe Bryan was selected as president of Indiana University just after the turn of the century, the Bloomington campus was situated on 51 acres, valued by the university at $26,000. The library, located in Maxwell Hall, contained 43,000 volumes, valued at $43,000. Enrollment was 1,285 students in the 1901-02 academic year. They were taught by 61 faculty members, who received salaries ranging from $700 to $2,500.
Those numbers tell us of the growth of IU. But mere growth is not the real accomplishment. Chancellor Wells' prominent place in the history of this institution does not rest primarily on the university's steady expansion during his presidency or even on his remarkable longevity. It rests instead on the excellence of the programs he nurtured and the policies he supported, which helped create the academic and international reputation of IU.
That reputation was built on the outstanding faculty members Chancellor Wells brought to IU. It was built on the excellence of our School of Music, which began under his leadership. It was built on the wide-ranging international programs he advanced, programs that have attracted scholars from around the globe and have sent IU students and faculty members worldwide. And the strong stands that Chancellor Wells took in support of civil rights, equal opportunity and academic freedom remain guideposts for our university today.
It is our great good fortune as an institution‹and mine as its president‹that Chancellor Wells is not just a figure in the history books. He is ubiquitous on our campus, available to share his wisdom with those who now guide the institution that he led so well for so many years.
He is a link to our illustrious past, who retains a strong vision of IU's future. In short, the man of the 20th century remains an impressive symbol of our university as it enters the 21st.
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