Frank D. Fackenthal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of Columbia University | |
Acting | |
| In office 1945–1948 | |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Murray Butler |
| Succeeded by | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Frank Diehl Fackenthal (1883-02-22)February 22, 1883 |
| Died | September 5, 1968(1968-09-05) (aged 85) |
| Education | Boys High School |
| Alma mater | Columbia College |
Frank Diehl Fackenthal (February 22, 1883[1] – September 5, 1968[2]) was an American academic administrator best known for his long association withColumbia University. OfPennsylvania Dutch descent, he resided for much of his life in theCrown Heights andPark Slope sections ofBrooklyn, New York.[3]
The son of the general manager of Brooklyn's Peter Cooper Glue Factory, Fackenthal graduated from the borough'sBoys High School in 1902 before earning his undergraduate degree (as a self-described "able C man") fromColumbia College in 1906.[4][5] As a student, his prodigious administrative abilities (reflected by his leadership in various campus organizations, including theVarsity Show and theColumbia Daily Spectator) were recognized by presidentNicholas Murray Butler, leading to his appointment as chief clerk (1906–1910), secretary (1910–1937), and provost (1937–1948) of the university. As secretary and provost, he was thede facto administrator of thePulitzer Prizes' non-journalistic awards from their inception until 1948; following his retirement, he received aspecial Prize in recognition of his service.[6]
Previously, Fackenthal received an honoraryLL.D. fromFranklin & Marshall College (a recipient of familial philanthropy) and an honoraryLitt.D. from Columbia in 1929. Although he never completed an earned graduate degree, he was frequently characterized in the press thereafter as "Dr. Fackenthal." He subsequently received honorary doctorates fromSyracuse University,Rutgers University,New York University andUnion College.[7]
Between the retirement of Nicholas Murray Butler in 1945 and the installation ofDwight D. Eisenhower as president in 1948, Fackenthal served as acting president while retaining his post as provost. Although several trustees considered motioning for his permanent appointment (in part due to his longstanding popularity among the undergraduate student body), this was forestalled by the ailing Butler, who considered Fackenthal to be unworthy of the position. Despite this acrimony, Fackenthal was elected to the university's board of trustees against Butler's wishes in 1946 in an unprecedented breach of longstanding tradition.[8] According to Pulitzer Prizes staff member Sean Murphy, Fackenthal developed a plan for Columbia's continued growth during this period that was "largely eschewed by his successors," presaging the tumult ofGrayson Kirk's administration and theColumbia University protests of 1968. He also oversaw the formation of theSchool of General Studies (for nontraditional undergraduates and nonmatriculated students), the graduate-levelSchool of International Affairs and theHarriman Institute.[9]
Following his retirement from the university in 1948, he served as educational consultant to theCarnegie Corporation (1948–1952) and then as president ofColumbia University Press (1953–1958). He also served as president of theBushwick Savings Bank and remained a trustee of various institutions, including Columbia,Barnard College, Franklin and Marshall College and theRiverdale Country School. His speeches as acting president were published by Columbia University Press asThe Greater Power and Other Addresses (1949).
In December 1965, he was critically injured when his car collided with a truck inWhite Township, New Jersey, 35 miles south of his country home inBuck Hill Falls, Pennsylvania. As a result of his injuries, Fackenthal (who never married and had no legitimate children) was forced to permanently relocate from Brooklyn to Buck Hill Falls. He relinquished his trusteeship of Columbia in 1967 and died at Monroe County General Hospital inEast Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on September 5, 1968.[10]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Nicholas Murray Butler as President | President of Columbia University Acting 1945–1948 | Succeeded by Dwight D. Eisenhower as President |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
