John S. Allen
Encyclopedia
John Stuart Allen was an American astronomer, university professor and university president. He was a native of Indiana
, and pursued a career as a professor of astronomy
after receiving his bachelor's
, master's
and doctorate degrees. Allen was the interim president of the University of Florida
located in Gainesville, Florida
, and subsequently became the founding president of the University of South Florida
in Tampa, Florida
.
in 1907. His parents were Quakers, and his father was a high school
teacher and principal. His father imparted to him a love of education and a fascination with astronomy
derived from their shared backyard observations of the night sky. Allen graduated with a bachelor of arts
degree in mathematics
from Quaker-affiliated Earlham College
in Richmond, Indiana
in 1928, a master's degree
in astronomy
from the University of Minnesota
in Minneapolis
in 1929, and a doctor of philosophy
degree from New York University
in New York City
in 1936. While he was a graduate student at Minnesota, in 1933, he met and married the former Grace Carlton, an education student.
in Hamilton, New York
, where he taught for twelve years. Allen also worked for the New York State Department of Education from 1940 to 1948, where he eventually became director of the Division of Higher Education. One of his major accomplishments as higher education director, he oversaw the implementation of New York's so-called "emergency colleges"—state supported colleges created to accommodate the influx of returning World War II
veterans. Over the course of his teaching and administrative career, Allen authored three textbook
s and more than seventy journal
articles on such topics as astronomy, higher education
and veterans' education.
In 1948, president J. Hillis Miller
of the University of Florida tapped Allen to be the university's new vice president
; Miller had previously worked with Allen in the New York Department of Education. When Miller died unexpectedly in 1953, Allen became the interim president of the university. After his permanent successor, J. Wayne Reitz
, assumed office in 1955, Allen continued to work as the executive vice president of the University of Florida until 1957. During his time at Florida, he was intimately involved in the planning of the university's new state medical school
, teaching hospital
and health science center complex.
In 1956, the Florida Legislature
authorized the creation of a new state university
to be located in Hillsborough County, Florida
, and the Florida Board of Control
appointed Allen as the first president of what would become the new University of South Florida
(USF) on June 27, 1957. Allen was the only candidate considered for the position, and would lead the new university as its president from its inception in 1957 until his retirement
in 1970.
On August 1, 1957, the newly-minted university president and his secretary Ann Strickland moved into a borrowed office in the Hillsborough County Courthouse and went to work. According to The Tampa Tribune
, Allen brought with him a note pad, a box of pencils, an ashtray for visitors and "great hope." When Allen arrived in Tampa
in 1957, the fledgling university did not have a name, physical plant, faculty
or students. He and his newly assembled administrative team began to build a modern state university from scratch. With a grant from the Ford Foundation
, Allen toured American universities, scouting modern academic facilities and curriculums for ideas to build a better university, and he began to recruit administrative staff and future faculty members. Allen's plans were ambitious; to open a completely new university in three years with 1,500 students and to expand to 10,000 within ten years thereafter. The Florida Legislature
appropriated $1.2 million in 1957 and another $5 million in 1959, and construction of the first three buildings began in earnest on 1694 acres (6.9 km²) of largely empty sandy brush land located nine miles (14 km) north of Tampa. Thereafter, the university expanded rapidly, the first undergraduate classes were held in the fall of 1960, and the first master's degree program began in 1964, and the first doctoral program in 1967. In 1965, USF expanded to a second campus on the bayfront in St. Petersburg
, located on the site of the old Bayboro Maritime Base. In September 1960, there were 1,997 undergraduates enrolled at USF. Ten years later, when Allen retired, USF had over 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Notably, the Florida Legislature authorized the Allen administration's proposal to establish a new medical school in 1965—the second publicly-supported medical school in the state—and the first USF medical students began their studies in 1971.
Under Allen's leadership, South Florida heralded itself as the "Harvard
of the South
," and emphasized academics to the exclusion of major college sports
. Allen became known for his opposition to major college sports programs in favor of a more academically centered university environment. He received national media attention for his insistence that USF would not start a football
team or other major intercollegiate sports programs, and would instead spend the funds saved on academic needs.
After his retirement from USF, Allen actively contributed to the planning for the state's next public university, the University of North Florida
in Jacksonville, Florida
.
, Sarasota and Lakeland
. During the 2008–2009 academic year, USF graduated over 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional student
s in 228 degree
programs. The university that Allen built "from the sandspurs up," as Governor LeRoy Collins
had said, is now one of the ten largest single-campus universities in the United States and one of only three first-tier public research universities in Florida. In recognition of the fundamental role Allen played in the founding, expansion and ultimate success of USF, the Florida Board of Regents
named the university's main administration complex the "John and Grace Allen Center" in honor of President Allen and university first lady
Grace Allen, his wife. Allen's ultimate legacy was to be the first person to build a modern state university from scratch: "As a completely new and separate institution, the University of South Florida became the first new institution of its kind to be conceived, planned and built in the United States in the 20th Century."
Allen died at his home in Tampa on December 27, 1982; he was 75. He was survived by his wife of forty-nine years, Grace Allen; she died on December 16, 2007.
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and pursued a career as a professor of astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
after receiving his bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and doctorate degrees. Allen was the interim president of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
located in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, and subsequently became the founding president of the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
Early life and education
John Allen was born in Pendleton, IndianaPendleton, Indiana
Pendleton is a town in Fall Creek Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1907. His parents were Quakers, and his father was a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
teacher and principal. His father imparted to him a love of education and a fascination with astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
derived from their shared backyard observations of the night sky. Allen graduated with a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from Quaker-affiliated Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
in Richmond, Indiana
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
in 1928, a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
in 1929, and a doctor of philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1936. While he was a graduate student at Minnesota, in 1933, he met and married the former Grace Carlton, an education student.
Astronomer, professor, university founder
Allen began his teaching career as an instructor at the University of Minnesota, and later received an appointment as an assistant professor of astronomy at Colgate UniversityColgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
in Hamilton, New York
Hamilton (village), New York
The Village of Hamilton is a village located within the town of Hamilton in Madison County, New York, USA.-Geography and climate:The village, located at , lies in the Chenango Valley, just south of the headwaters of the Chenango River. The village is approximately southeast of Syracuse and ...
, where he taught for twelve years. Allen also worked for the New York State Department of Education from 1940 to 1948, where he eventually became director of the Division of Higher Education. One of his major accomplishments as higher education director, he oversaw the implementation of New York's so-called "emergency colleges"—state supported colleges created to accommodate the influx of returning World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veterans. Over the course of his teaching and administrative career, Allen authored three textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
s and more than seventy journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
articles on such topics as astronomy, higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
and veterans' education.
In 1948, president J. Hillis Miller
J. Hillis Miller, Sr.
Joseph Hillis Miller, Sr. was an American university professor, education administrator and university president. Miller was a native of Virginia, and earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees before embarking on an academic career...
of the University of Florida tapped Allen to be the university's new vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
; Miller had previously worked with Allen in the New York Department of Education. When Miller died unexpectedly in 1953, Allen became the interim president of the university. After his permanent successor, J. Wayne Reitz
J. Wayne Reitz
Julius Wayne Reitz was an American agricultural economist, professor and university president. Reitz was a native of Kansas, and earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in his chosen field. After working as an agricultural economist, university professor and U.S...
, assumed office in 1955, Allen continued to work as the executive vice president of the University of Florida until 1957. During his time at Florida, he was intimately involved in the planning of the university's new state medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
, teaching hospital
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
and health science center complex.
In 1956, the Florida Legislature
Florida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
authorized the creation of a new state university
State university
In the United States, a state college or state university is one of the public colleges or universities funded by or associated with the state government. In some cases, these institutions of higher learning are part of a state university system, while in other cases they are not. Several U.S....
to be located in Hillsborough County, Florida
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
, and the Florida Board of Control
Florida Board of Control
The Florida Board of Control was the statewide governing body for the State University System of Florida, which included all public universities in the state of Florida. It was replaced by the Florida Board of Regents in 1965.- History :...
appointed Allen as the first president of what would become the new University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
(USF) on June 27, 1957. Allen was the only candidate considered for the position, and would lead the new university as its president from its inception in 1957 until his retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
in 1970.
On August 1, 1957, the newly-minted university president and his secretary Ann Strickland moved into a borrowed office in the Hillsborough County Courthouse and went to work. According to The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune, published in Tampa, Florida, is one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area, second in circulation and readership to the St. Petersburg Times. The paper's tagline is "Life...
, Allen brought with him a note pad, a box of pencils, an ashtray for visitors and "great hope." When Allen arrived in Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
in 1957, the fledgling university did not have a name, physical plant, faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
or students. He and his newly assembled administrative team began to build a modern state university from scratch. With a grant from the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, Allen toured American universities, scouting modern academic facilities and curriculums for ideas to build a better university, and he began to recruit administrative staff and future faculty members. Allen's plans were ambitious; to open a completely new university in three years with 1,500 students and to expand to 10,000 within ten years thereafter. The Florida Legislature
Florida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
appropriated $1.2 million in 1957 and another $5 million in 1959, and construction of the first three buildings began in earnest on 1694 acres (6.9 km²) of largely empty sandy brush land located nine miles (14 km) north of Tampa. Thereafter, the university expanded rapidly, the first undergraduate classes were held in the fall of 1960, and the first master's degree program began in 1964, and the first doctoral program in 1967. In 1965, USF expanded to a second campus on the bayfront in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, located on the site of the old Bayboro Maritime Base. In September 1960, there were 1,997 undergraduates enrolled at USF. Ten years later, when Allen retired, USF had over 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Notably, the Florida Legislature authorized the Allen administration's proposal to establish a new medical school in 1965—the second publicly-supported medical school in the state—and the first USF medical students began their studies in 1971.
Under Allen's leadership, South Florida heralded itself as the "Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
of the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
," and emphasized academics to the exclusion of major college sports
College athletics
College athletics refers primarily to sports and athletic competition organized and funded by institutions of tertiary education . In the United States, college athletics is a two-tiered system. The first tier includes the sports that are sanctioned by one of the collegiate sport governing bodies...
. Allen became known for his opposition to major college sports programs in favor of a more academically centered university environment. He received national media attention for his insistence that USF would not start a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team or other major intercollegiate sports programs, and would instead spend the funds saved on academic needs.
After his retirement from USF, Allen actively contributed to the planning for the state's next public university, the University of North Florida
University of North Florida
The University of North Florida is a public university located in Jacksonville, Florida. A member institution of the State University System of Florida, the university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master’s...
in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
Legacy
When John Allen assumed his duties as the first president of the then-unnamed University of South Florida on August 1, 1957, the university had no students. By the beginning of the 2009–2010 academic year, over 47,000 undergraduate and graduate students were enrolled on the university's four campuses in Tampa, St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, Sarasota and Lakeland
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
. During the 2008–2009 academic year, USF graduated over 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional student
Professional student
The term Professional student has two uses in the university setting:*In the United States and Canada, if not elsewhere, a professional student is a student majoring in what are considered the professional degrees. These include Veterinary Medicine , Law , Medicine , Engineering, Business...
s in 228 degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
programs. The university that Allen built "from the sandspurs up," as Governor LeRoy Collins
LeRoy Collins
Thomas LeRoy Collins was the 33rd Governor of Florida.-Early life:Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman Business College in New York and then went on to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to...
had said, is now one of the ten largest single-campus universities in the United States and one of only three first-tier public research universities in Florida. In recognition of the fundamental role Allen played in the founding, expansion and ultimate success of USF, the Florida Board of Regents
Florida Board of Regents
The Florida Board of Regents was from 1965 to 2001 the governing body for the State University System of Florida, which includes all public universities in the state of Florida, United States. It was created to replace a predecessor body called the Florida Board of Control, which had existed from...
named the university's main administration complex the "John and Grace Allen Center" in honor of President Allen and university first lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Grace Allen, his wife. Allen's ultimate legacy was to be the first person to build a modern state university from scratch: "As a completely new and separate institution, the University of South Florida became the first new institution of its kind to be conceived, planned and built in the United States in the 20th Century."
Allen died at his home in Tampa on December 27, 1982; he was 75. He was survived by his wife of forty-nine years, Grace Allen; she died on December 16, 2007.
See also
- History of FloridaHistory of FloridaThe history of Florida can be traced back to when the first Native Americans began to inhabit the peninsula as early as 14,000 years ago. Recorded history begins with the arrival of Europeans to Florida, beginning with the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who explored the area in 1513...
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- List of Earlham College alumni
- List of New York University alumni
- List of Presidents of the University of Florida
- List of Presidents of the University of South Florida
- List of University of Florida faculty and administrators
- List of University of Minnesota people
- State University System of FloridaState University System of FloridaThe State University System of Florida is a system of eleven public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2011, over 320,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities...
External links
- University of Florida – Official website of the University of Florida.
- University of South Florida – Official website of the University of South Florida.