James Douglas McComas
| James Douglas McComas | |
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| 13th President of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | |
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In office 1988–1993 |
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| Preceded by | William Edward Lavery |
| Succeeded by | Paul Torgersen |
| 12th President of University of Toledo | |
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In office 1985–1988 |
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| Preceded by | Glen R. Driscoll |
| Succeeded by | Frank E. Horton |
| 14th President of Mississippi State University | |
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In office 1975–1985 |
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| Preceded by | William L. Giles |
| Succeeded by | Donald W. Zacharias |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 23, 1928 Prichard, West Virginia |
| Died | February 10, 1994 (aged 65) Columbus, Ohio |
James Douglas McComas (December 23, 1928 – February 10, 1994) was 14th President of Mississippi State University from 1975-1985, the 12th President of the University of Toledo from 1985 to 1988, and the 13th President of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, from 1988 to 1993.
McComas was hired to guide Virginia Tech back into smooth waters after the fallout from a controversial land deal and an athletic scandal led to the resignation of William Edward Lavery. He assumed his new duties on September 1, 1988.
From the beginning of his administration, McComas placed major emphasis on undergraduate education. He kept an open-door policy for students, personally visited over 4,500 of them in the residence halls, and advised 16. He established the Center for Excellence in Teaching and the Academic Advising Center; bolstered the honors program; saw that food in the dining halls was improved; created an Office of the Dean of Students; began planning a student recreation and fitness center; established commencement ceremonies at the end of fall semester; and developed EXPO, a “road show” of information about Virginia Tech for high school students throughout the commonwealth. He also established incentives to draw more National Merit Scholars to Virginia Tech, moving the university into the nation’s top 20 in the number of merit scholars it attracted.
McComas had been in office only a year when the state learned that its projected revenues had been vastly overestimated, and Gov. L. Douglas Wilder ordered severe funding cuts to higher education to balance the budget. Cuts to Virginia Tech alone in the 1990-92 biennium totaled $37 million (general fund reductions 1990-96 totaled $46.7 million, but the university was able to offset $16 million, principally by raising tuition). As Virginia dropped to 43rd in the country in state funding for higher education, McComas publicly decried the assault on higher education, resulting in strained relations with Wilder. The cuts forced the university to hold numerous faculty positions vacant for a period of time; 49 classified staff members lost their jobs, but the university was able to reassign 25 of them to other positions.
On the positive side, the Norfolk Southern Corporation gave Hotel Roanoke to the university in 1989. McComas, who had played a leading role in forging stronger ties with the City of Roanoke, directed Virginia Tech as it worked with Roanoke leaders to raise approximately $50 million to renovate the century-old hotel, build an adjacent conference center, and make road and pedestrian-access improvements in the adjacent area.
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