Royce S. "Tim" Pitkin
| Royce S. Pitkin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 7, 1901 Marshfield, Vermont |
| Died | May 3, 1986 (aged 84) Medical Center Hospital, Burlington, Vermont |
| Alma mater |
Goddard Seminary BS, University of Vermont, 1923 MA, Columbia University Teachers College, 1928 PhD, Columbia University Teachers College, 1933 |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Known for | President of Goddard College, 1938–1969 |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Kathleen McKelvey |
| Children | 3 |
Royce Stanley “Tim” Pitkin (June 7, 1901– May 3, 1986) was an American educator. He was President of Goddard College from 1938–1969.
Royce Pitkin received his early education in the Marshfield public schools and at Goddard Seminary in Barre, Vermont. In 1923 he was awarded the Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Vermont where he majored in agriculture. He received the M.A. and Ph. D. from the Columbia University Teachers College in 1928 and 1933.
Pitkin held a number of teaching positions and headmasterships at various places in New England before being invited to become the Director of Goddard Junior College (an outgrowth of the earlier Seminary) in 1935. In 1936 Pitkin became the President of Goddard Seminary and Junior College.
The Seminary was struggling to compete with public schools and on the verge of closing. In the fall of 1936, under Pitkin’s leadership, the Seminary faculty began a careful and prolonged study of the requirements of modern education in an attempt to determine what changes were needed in their own educational program. From these studies it became evident to the trustees and faculty that in order for Goddard to survive, an entirely new institution would need to be created. As a result, a conference was held in New York City under the chairmanship of Dr. William Heard Kilpatrick to design a radically different approach to education for this new college.
On March 13, 1938, the Goddard College Charter was recorded with the Secretary of State’s Office in Montpelier, Vermont. The campus was moved from Barre to Greatwood Farm in Plainfield, Vermont, that year and Pitkin remained as president of the College until his retirement in 1969.
During his tenure at Goddard, “Tim,” as he was almost universally known, had an immense influence on the development of American education. At Columbia University’s Teachers College Pitkin had studied with Dr. William Heard Kilpatrick, who followed John Dewey’s progressive education philosophy. So Pitkin adopted a Deweyan model for Goddard, seeking to mend the rift between daily life and learning.
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