James O. Freedman
| James O. Freedman | |
|---|---|
| President of the University of Iowa |
|
|
In office 1982–1987 |
|
| Preceded by | Willard L. Boyd |
| Succeeded by | Hunter R. Rawlings III |
| President of Dartmouth College | |
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In office 1987–1998 |
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| Preceded by | David T. McLaughlin |
| Succeeded by | James E. Wright |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 21, 1935 Manchester, New Hampshire |
| Died | March 21, 2006 (aged 70) Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater |
Harvard College Yale Law School |
James Oliver Freedman (September 21, 1935 – March 21, 2006) was an American educator and academic administrator. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, he served briefly as Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School before becoming the sixteenth president of the University of Iowa from 1982 to 1987, and then the fifteenth president of Dartmouth College, from 1987 to 1998. At both Iowa and Dartmouth, Freedman sought to create as The New York Times described it, "a haven for intellectuals," with mixed results.
Freedman's tenure at the University of Iowa was marked by his support for a $25 million laser research center. In his words, "The University of Iowa can grasp the opportunity for national and world leadership in laser science." Freedman argued that the laser would become a magnet for research grants from Federal and International agencies, and the Iowa legislature appropriated the $25 million necessary to build the center. The center was unable to attract significant research funding, however, after it was completed.
His administration was marked by numerous academic initiatives, a growth of the physical campus, and a strengthening of Dartmouth's graduate programs and professional schools. A small but vocal number of alumni viewed the initiatives the "Harvardization of Dartmouth."
President Freedman established or revitalized programs in Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies; Environmental Studies; Jewish Studies; and Linguistics and Cognitive Science. He introduced or restored the teaching of the Arabic, Hebrew, and Japanese languages, founded the Institute of Arctic Studies, and incorporated into the curriculum majors in Women's Studies and African and African-American Studies. During his administration, Dartmouth achieved gender parity in the student body. In the professorial ranks the College led the Ivy League with the highest proportion of women among tenured and tenure-track faculty.
Freedman also presided over the largest capital campaign in Dartmouth's history, the "Will to Excel" campaign, which raised $568 million, exceeding the original $425 million goal. His administration saw the addition of state-of-the-art buildings for the Computer Sciences, Chemistry, and Psychology, as well as The Roth Center for Jewish Life and the Rauner Special Collections Library.
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