Hutchins, Robert Maynard

Hutchins, Robert Maynard
born Jan. 17, 1899, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.
died May 17, 1977, Santa Barbara, Calif.

U.S. educator and foundation president.

He attended Oberlin College and graduated from Yale University (A.B., 1921) and Yale Law School (LL.B., 1925), becoming dean of Yale Law School in 1927. At the University of Chicago as president (1929–45) and chancellor (1945–51), he encouraged liberal education based on the study of the great books of the Western tradition, deplored any tendency toward vocationalism, and dismantled the intercollegiate athletic program. Hutchins later headed various foundations, including the Ford Foundation. He served as chairman of the board of editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (1943–74) and edited the 54-volume Great Books of the Western World (1952). He expounded his views on education in Higher Learning in America (1936).

* * *

▪ American educator
born Jan. 17, 1899, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.
died May 14, 1977, Santa Barbara, Calif.
 American educator and university and foundation president, who criticized overspecialization and sought to balance the college curriculum and to maintain the Western intellectual tradition.

      After attending Oberlin College in Ohio (1915–17), he served in the ambulance service of the U.S. and Italian armies during World War I. He graduated from Yale University (A.B., 1921) and Yale Law School (LL.B., 1925), where he was named dean in 1927. Two years later, at the age of 30, he became president of the University of Chicago (Chicago, University of); he remained at Chicago until 1951, the last six years as chancellor. A controversial administrator, Hutchins reorganized the university's departments for undergraduate and graduate study into four divisions. His Chicago Plan for undergraduates encouraged liberal education at earlier ages and measured achievement by comprehensive examination rather than by classroom time served. He introduced study of the Great Books. At the same time, Hutchins argued about the purposes of higher education, deploring undue emphasis on nonacademic pursuits (Chicago abandoned intercollegiate gridiron football in 1939) and criticizing the tendency toward specialization and vocationalism. After his departure, however, the university abandoned most of his reforms and returned to the educational practices of other major American universities.

      Hutchins was active in forming the Committee to Frame a World Constitution (1943–47), led the Commission on Freedom of the Press (1946), and vigorously defended academic freedom, opposing faculty loyalty oaths in the 1950s. After serving as associate director of the Ford Foundation (from 1951), he became president of the Fund for the Republic (1954) and in 1959 founded the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions (Study of Democratic Institutions, Center for the) (Santa Barbara, California) as the fund's main activity. The Center was an attempt to approach Hutchins's ideal of “a community of scholars” discussing a wide range of issues—individual freedom, international order, ecological imperatives, the rights of minorities and of women, and the nature of the good life, among others.

      From 1943 until his retirement in 1974, Hutchins was chairman of the Board of Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica and a director for Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. He was editor in chief of the 54-volume Great Books of the Western World (1952) and coeditor, from 1961 to 1977, with Mortimer J. Adler (Adler, Mortimer J.), of an annual, The Great Ideas Today.

      Hutchins's views on education and public issues appeared in No Friendly Voice (1936), The Higher Learning in America (1936), Education for Freedom (1943), and others. Later books include The University of Utopia (1953), Some Observations on American Education (1956), and The Learning Society (1968).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hutchins,Robert Maynard — Hutch·ins (hŭchʹĭnz), Robert Maynard. 1899 1977. American educator who was president (1929 1945) and chancellor (1945 1951) of the University of Chicago. * * * …   Universalium

  • Hutchins, Robert Maynard — (17 ene. 1899, Brooklyn, N.Y., EE.UU.– 17 may. 1977, Santa Barbara, Cal.). Educador estadounidense y presidente de varias fundaciones. Estudió en Oberlin College y se graduó en la Universidad de Yale (A.B., 1921, bachiller en letras) y en la… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Robert Maynard Hutchins — (también Maynard Hutchins) (17 de enero de 1899 – 17 de mayo de 1977 ), fue un filósofo de la educación, decano de la Escuela de Leyes de Yale, presidente de la Universidad de Chicago y su canciller. Fue además esposo de la novelista Maude… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Robert Maynard Hutchins — For the Little Rascals actor, see Bobby Hutchins. Robert M. Hutchins Born January 17, 1899(1899 01 17) Brooklyn, New York Died May 17, 1977(1977 05 17) (aged 78) Santa Barbara, California Occupation …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Maynard Hutchins — (* 17. Januar 1899 in Brooklyn, New York; † 17. Mai 1977 in Santa Barbara, Kalifornien) war ein US amerikanischer Bildungstheoretiker. Werdegang Hutchins war von 1927–1929 Dekan der Yale Law School und von 1929–1945 Präsident sowie von 1945–1951… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Robert Maynard Hutchins — noun United States educator who was president of the University of Chicago (1899 1977) • Syn: ↑Hutchins • Instance Hypernyms: ↑educator, ↑pedagogue, ↑pedagog …   Useful english dictionary

  • Robert Hutchins — Infobox Person name = Robert M. Hutchins image size = 200px caption = Robert Hutchins around 1963. birth date = January 17, 1899 birth place = Brooklyn, New York death date = May 17, 1977 death place = Santa Barbara, California occupation =… …   Wikipedia

  • Maynard — /may neuhrd/, n. a male given name. * * * (as used in expressions) Blackett of Chelsea Patrick Maynard Stuart Baron Ferguson Maynard Hutchins Robert Maynard Keynes John Maynard Baron Keynes of Tilton * * * …   Universalium

  • Maynard — (as used in expressions) Blackett (de Chelsea), Patrick M(aynard) S(tuart), barón Ferguson, Maynard Hutchins, Robert Maynard Keynes, John Maynard, barón Keynes de Tilton …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Robert — /rob euhrt/, n. 1. Henry Martyn /mahr tn/, 1837 1923, U.S. engineer and authority on parliamentary procedure: author of Robert s Rules of Order (1876, revised 1915). 2. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning glory and bright. * * * (as… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”