Hurst Robins Anderson

Hurst Robins Anderson (September 16, 1904 – April 19, 1989) was an American educator and academic administrator. He was president of Centenary Junior College (now Centenary University), Hamline University, and American University, for various periods between 1943 to 1968.

Hurst Robins Anderson was born on September 16, 1904, in Cleveland, Ohio.^[3] He was named for John Fletcher Hurst.^[4] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) in 1926.^[3][4] There, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.^[5] After leaving OWU, he began studies at the University of Michigan Law School, but he did not complete his degree due to lack of funds. After leaving Michigan, he enrolled at Northwestern University and graduated with a Master of Arts degree in speech in 1928.^[3]

Anderson's career in academia began in 1929,^[6] when he took a position as a professor at Allegheny College, in Meadville, Pennsylvania, teaching debate and English.^[3] He was also the college registrar during part of his time at Allegheny.^[7] In May 1932, he was the commencement speaker at Plumville High School in Pennsylvania.^[6] He accepted the presidency of Centenary Junior College (now Centenary University) in Hackettstown, New Jersey, on June 29, 1943, and he assumed office on August 15 of that year.^[8] Early into his term, he appointed Margaret Hight to be the school's new dean; she had previously been assistant dean.^[9] On October 24, 1945, Anderson participated in the inauguration ceremony for his brother, Paul R. Anderson, as the new president of the Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham University).^[10] Anderson's administration announced an $800,000 fundraiser in April 1946, with funds primarily to be used in improving existing campus facilities and constructing several new buildings, including a gym and dormitory.^[11] Of the amount sought by the fundraiser, the school aimed to raise $300,000 by July 1947;^[11] Anderson announced that this mark had been exceeded in late December 1946.^[12] Earlier that year, he had been elected president of the New Jersey Association of Colleges for a two-year term.^[13]

Anderson accepted the presidency of Hamline University, in St. Paul, Minnesota, in May 1948, effective July 1, 1948.^[14] His successor at Centenary was Edward W. Seay, elected by the trustees late that July.^[15][16] Anderson's formal inauguration at Hamline was held October 23, 1948.^[17] At Ohio Wesleyan's 1949 commencement ceremonies, Anderson and his brother, also an alumnus of the school, were awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degrees.^[18] Several months earlier, Anderson announced plans to spend $2 million to renovate multiple buildings on Hamline's campus and built numerous others, including science, arts, and recreational facilities, and a women's dormitory. The plans were timed to coincide with the university's 100th anniversary.^[19] The school received a $515,000 donation in December 1949 (equivalent to $6.8 million in 2024) from a fund organized by a Minneapolis attorney; Anderson announced the money would go towards new classroom and laboratory spaces.^[20]

Anderson was announced as the incoming president of American University, in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 1952. He took office on September 1, 1952, and was the school's first lay president. Before taking office, he remarked that changes to the undergraduate curriculum and administrative reform would be priorities of his administration; his predecessor, Paul Douglass, resigned after the school received criticism from an accreditation agency regarding its administrative practices.^[4] He also reaffirmed his opposition to the university reestablishing its football program, which had been disbanded following the 1941 season.^[4][21] He was inaugurated as American's president in February 1953; during his inaugural address, he announced a proposal for a $10 million development plan to be completed over a 10-year period; the proposal called for half of the funds to be put towards new campus buildings—for law, social science, and public affairs, among others—and half to be put towards the school's endowment.^[22] That month, his administration also announced a reformation to the curriculum for new students starting with the 1953–1954 academic year.^[23] During the latter half of that year, American was approved for membership in the American Association of University Women^[24] and received a $100,000 gift (equivalent to $1.2 million in 2024) from the estate of benefactor Mary Graydon.^[25]

After his decision to fire a law professor who had admitted to having been a Communist Party member, Anderson received criticism from congressman Gordon H. Scherer of the House Un-American Activities Committee but denied that he had received any pressure to make this decision, particularly from the Methodist bishop Garfield Bromley Oxnam, a trustee of American.^[26] Later that year, Anderson was named chairman of the Advisory Corrections Council by U.S. attorney general Herbert Brownell Jr.^[27] American broke ground on a school of international service at the conclusion of the 1956–1957 academic year; the groundbreaking ceremony was held after the commencement exercises and both were attended by U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower. Anderson presented an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Eisenhower, who addressed the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony.^[28] Anderson attended the White House Conference on Children and Youth in 1960.^[29] His administration announced another campus improvement project in December 1960, at a cost of $36 million (equivalent to $383 million in 2024), with funds to be put towards new academic buildings for the sciences, business administration, arts, and law programs, in addition to a chapel and dormitories.^[30] The same semester, AU announced a record enrollment of 8,519 students.^[31]

In March 1963, Anderson was elected president of the Association of American Colleges after having been the association's vice president the year prior.^[29] A new dormitory scheduled to open at the beginning of the 1966–1967 academic year was named Anderson Hall in his honor.^[32] On April 29, 1967, Anderson announced that he would resign as American's president effective in June 1968.^[33] Over the course of his 16 years in office at AU, the school's enrollment grew from 300 to over 5,000 full-time students.^[34]

Anderson married Marian Powell, a teacher from Norwalk, Ohio,^[35] on August 24, 1932.^[5] The wedding ceremony was held in Ashland, Ohio.^[5] He died of bone cancer^[36] in St. Petersburg, Florida,^[3] on April 19, 1989.^[37][b]