University of Rochester - Interpres Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

Page 8 text:

THE INTERPRES

Page 7 text:

Gfbts JBooI-1 ig 1RespectfullQ Eebicateb to Er. Zbavib Saygne mill, JLUL. ID., llbresibent of the University of 1Rocbeeter. 188851896

Page 9 text:

THE INTERPRES 9 DAVID JAYN E HILL. MGNG the distinguished names that adorn the records of our Uni- versity there is none more highly honored by the present generation of students or more fondly cherished by the great body of the alumni than that of our former president, David Jayne Hill. It is therefore with a peculiar sense of pride that we dedicate this volume to the man who devoted a valuable part of his life to the interests of our Alma Mater and who now holds an honored place in the front rank of American diplomat- ists. His life, still in its prime, has bee11 marked by a succession of bril- liant achievements which have conferred upon him distinction as a student, a scholar, a teacher, an administrator, an author, and a statesman, and which present to the student body of today a career both to admire and to emulate. Born in Plainnelcl, N. J., june 10, 1850, he early showed a taste for intel- lectual pursuits and after a thorough course of preparatory and collegiate study was graduated from Bucknell University in 1874. The reputation that he gained in college is evident from the fact that after serving two years as professor of rhetoric he was unanimously chosen to the presidency of his own Alma Mater, when he was himself only twenty-nine years of age-the youngest American college president. In this position he showed unusual administrative ability, reorganizing and giving new life to the institution. lt was here that he began his literary career, publishing biographies of lWash- ington Irving and l7Villiam Cullen Bryant, also a new series of text-books, including the Elements of Rhetoric and Compositionf' the 'Science of Rhet- oric, the Elements of Logic, and the Elements of Psychology -all of which were distinguished for clear analytic arrangement and careful scien- tinc treatment. His growing appreciation and grasp of social problems are seen in two books also published at this time, the Social Influence of Chris- tianity, and the Principles and Fallacies of Socialism. During the ten years that he was president of Bucknell University he gained a national reputation as a man who combined broad and accurate scholarship with administrative capacity of a high order as well as superior gifts as a writer and speaker. In 1888 he was called to the presidency of the University of Rochester, a position which he held for eight years. His administration at Rochester marked the transition from the old to the new regime. Under his supervision the curriculum was expanded to meet more fully the demands of modern life. He emphasized the liberal nature and non-sectarian character of higher edu- cation. He bent his energies to enlarging the scope and increasing the usefulness of the institution as a seat of learning. He also revealed in a striking way the power of a renned personality. By his courteous manner he