NB: Many details were culled from the respective linked web pages and assembled here to create an overview.

The history of higher education in the United States is older than the Republic itself. Colonists established our early colleges initially to train clergy and then to prepare lawyers and teachers. It was very much a vocational enterprise.

There are nine institutions typically referred to as the Colonial Colleges. They include seven of the eight “Ivies” (The eighth Ivy, Cornell, was founded in 1865). Rutgers and William and Mary round out the Colonial Colleges and are now public institutions.

Ten other U.S. colleges and universities were also founded before the American Revolution, but chartered after independence. Some were established as colleges and others as academies that later became colleges.

Name (* denotes Colonial Colleges)	Founding	Historic Affiliation	Original Name
Harvard University*	1636	Puritan	New College
College of William and Mary*	1693	Church of England	same
St. John’s College	1696	Church of England	King William’s School
Yale University*	1701	Puritan	Collegiate School
Washington College	1723	non-sectarian	Kent County Free School
Moravian College	1742	Moravian Church	Bethlehem Female Seminary
University of Delaware	1743	Presbyterian	Newark Academy
Princeton University*	1746	Presbyterian	College of New Jersey
Washington and Lee University	1749	non-sectarian	Augusta Academy
Columbia University*	1754	Church of England	King’s College
University of Pennsylvania*	1755	non-sectarian	College of Philadelphia
Brown University*	1764	Baptist	College of Rhode Island
Rutgers University*	1766	Dutch Reformed	Queen’s College
Dartmouth College*	1769	Puritan	same
College of Charleston	1770	Church of England	same
University of Pittsburgh	1770	non-sectarian	Pittsburgh Academy
Salem College	1772	Moravian Church	Little Girls’ School
Dickinson College	1773	Presbyterian	same
Hampden-Sydney College	1775	Presbyterian	same

Early curricula embraced the classical trivium and quadrivium of European models along with heavy doses of Greek, Latin, history, ethics, and sometimes Hebrew. There were no organized athletics, but there were numerous literary societies in which students engaged in debate and discussion, activities that were scarce in early collegiate classrooms. One such society was Phi Beta Kappa, which was established at the College of William and Mary on 5 December 1776. It has become America’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society.

John Harvard was a British clergyman who immigrated to New England in 1637 and died the following year of tuberculosis. On his deathbed, he bequeathed half of his estate (~$170,000 today) and his considerable library to the newly founded college, which was renamed to honor its first significant benefactor. From these humble beginnings, our oldest college has become one of the world’s leading research universities. Among Harvard’s faculty and alumni are 161 Nobel Laureates; 48 Pulitzer Prize and 18 Fields Medal winners; 375 Rhodes Scholars; 255 Marshall Scholars; and 8 U.S. Presidents. John Winthrop who joined their faculty in 1738 was the first to teach legitimate science laboratories.

William and Mary, the alma mater of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler (George Washington also received his surveyor’s certification there), established graduate programs in Law and Medicine in 1779. The law school is the oldest in the nation. The campus also boasts the oldest building in American higher education, which was designed by the preëminent British architect, Christopher Wren, and constructed in 1695. Due to financial hardships following the Civil War, William and Mary closed in 1882. In one of higher education’s greatest second acts, it reopened in 1888 with support from the Commonwealth of Virginia and became wholly public in 1906.

Yale was founded to train Congregational ministers, and its original curriculum was restricted to ancient languages and theology. Jeremiah Dummer was a leading proponent and supporter of the fledgling Collegiate School. Accounts differ as to whether he or Cotton Mather contacted Elihu Yale, president of the East India Company requesting support. Yale contributed 417 books along with goods that sold for £562. The University adopted Yale’s name in recognition of the gift. In an American Heritage article, John Steele Gordon claims that Dummer was the more deserving of recognition, but that the trustees could not bring themselves to name the institution Dummer College. Yale’s faculty and alumni comprise 65 Nobel laureates, 78 MacArthur fellows, 252 Rhodes Scholars, 123 Marshall Scholars, and 5 U.S. presidents.

Princeton University was initially founded by “New Light” Presbyterians who had been expelled by the Synod of Philadelphia as part of a schism resulting from the Great Awakening. It was tied to disputes over the Westminster Confession, the authority of itinerant ministers, and the training of clergy. Although there was no formal connection, many early supporters of Princeton were affiliated with William Tennant’s Log College, the first theological seminary for Presbyterians in North America. John Witherspoon, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was president of Princeton from 1768 to 1794. He led the university to play an important role in the American Revolution, including hosting the Continental Congress in 1783. Alumni include 2 U.S. presidents and three current members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Columbia University was established by George II of Great Britain as an Anglican response to the founding of Presbyterian Princeton. It was renamed following the American Revolution, and two of its early trustees were alumni, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. Columbia’s alumni and faculty include 7 founding fathers, 125 Pulitzer Prize winners (elevated by the Journalism School), 122 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 4 U.S. Presidents.

Benjamin Franklin founded the College of Philadelphia (later known as the University of Pennsylvania) in 1749, with a purpose and plan he outlined in Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania:

The Idea of what is true Merit, should also be often presented to Youth, explain’d and impress’d on their Minds, as consisting in an Inclination join’d with an Ability to serve Mankind, one’s Country, Friends and Family; which Ability is (with the Blessing of God) to be acquir’d or greatly encreas’d by true Learning; and should indeed be the great Aim and End of all Learning (p. 30).

In 1755, William Smith became the first academic to hold the title of Provost in the U.S. At Penn, Smith introduced the first modern systematic course of study and degree requirements. He later became the first president of Washington College. Penn’s alumni and trustees have included 8 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 7 signers of the U.S. Constitution, 80 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (co-founded by Franklin and John Bartram), and 2 U.S. presidents.

Although historically connected to the Baptist Church, Brown University was the first North American institution to accept students independent of religious affiliation. One of the three petitioners proposing the establishment of Brown was William Ellery who would later become a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The university is named for the Brown family, major philanthropic supporters, who included slave traders and abolitionists. It is a complex history with which the university continues to wrestle. Brown alumni and faculty include 8 Nobel laureates, 57 Rhodes Scholars, 52 Gates Cambridge Scholars, and 15 MacArthur Fellows.

Rutgers University was founded as Queen’s College in honor of Queen Charlotte of Great Britain. In 1825, it was renamed in honor of Colonel Henry Rutgers, a Revolutionary War hero and significant benefactor of the college. In 1864, Rutgers was made the land-grant college of New Jersey. It became a public institution in 1945. In addition to its original home in New Brunswick, Rutgers has campuses in Newark and Camden.

Dartmouth College was founded by Congregational minister, Eleazar Wheelock, Wheelock had tutored Samson Occom, a Presbyterian minister who became the first Native American to publish in English. This success led Wheelock to establish a school in Connecticut for native students. He secured a charter, with significant help from Occom, to establish Dartmouth to educate Native Americans. The college is named for Lord Dartmouth, head of the College’s original British Board of Trustees who initially opposed the enrollment of non-native students; even so, most of Dartmouth’s students were the sons of colonists. In 1970, Dartmouth established a program dedicated to native recruitment. Since then, over 700 indigenous students have graduated from the college.

In the years immediately following the Revolution, many Founding Fathers played critical roles in the leadership and development of America’s colleges and universities. The creation of the Republic was one of the great experiments of the Enlightenment, and our founders knew that higher education would would be essential in preparing the next generation of leaders to sustain and develop the new nation.

In his essay, The American Scholar (1837), Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The office of the scholar is to cheer, to raise, and to guide men by showing them facts amidst appearances,” and that “Free should the scholar be—free and brave. Free even to the definition of freedom, without any hindrance that does not arise out of his own constitution.”

Emerson stated that the role of scholars is to support the common good through research, observation, and reflection. He also recognized that their findings could be unpopular or at odds with those in power, but that the common good was dependent upon the scholar’s courage to speak and publish the truth. This is why tenure is a central tenet of American higher education.

Well into the 20^th century, many university faculty risked termination if their research ran counter to the interests of influential financial and political figures. Tenure protects professors to “profess” the truth of their findings in service of society.

Often those outside of academic believe that tenure gives employees permission to do and say whatever they want, which is a misinterpretation of the principles of tenure. Tenure is the means of protecting academic freedom.

The American Association of University Professors in its “1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure,” provides these foundations of academic freedom:

1. Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties; but research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the institution.
2. Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject. Limitations of academic freedom because of religious or other aims of the institution should be clearly stated in writing at the time of the appointment.
3. College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence, they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.

Some faculty appointments at large institutions are entirely or primarily dedicated to research, but for the vast majority of tenure-track position in higher education, effective teaching is a fundamental criterion for achieving tenure. Most institutions also include rigorous evaluation of teaching effectiveness as part of the review process for contract renewals leading to the tenure review.

Certain high profile and senior positions may be made with tenure at the time of appointment, in most cases that individual achieved tenure traditionally at another institution, and, in rare cases ,tenure upon hire may be extended to individuals of truly exceptional professional accomplishment.

To be granted tenure at most institutions, faculty typically serve a probationary period of six years with regular evaluations culminating in the tenure review conducted by a committee of their peers. This includes summaries of teaching observations, student course evaluations, and external reviews of their research or creative work.

To be granted tenure, at liberal arts institutions, faculty must demonstrate proficiency in teaching, scholarly or creative work, and service, in that order.

Tenure committees often comprise faculty members from across the institution, while larger institutions may have committees within individual schools. At many institutions the committee may also conduct a mid-term review to provide candidates guidance about what they must accomplish during the second half of their probationary periods to be tenured and promoted.

Once a tenure committee has rendered its recommendation, depending upon the internal governance procedures of the institution, this is either conveyed to the Provost/Dean who may have an independent evaluation of the candidate to be added to that of the committee, or sent directly to the president.

The president may 1) communicate concurrence with the recommendation, 2) split a tie if the Provost/Dean has a direct role and differs from the committee, or in rare instances, 3) render a decision contrary to that of the committee. In that last option, there is an expectation that a written justification for rejecting the committee’s recommendation be sent to the committee by the president.

Once approved by the president, recommendations of tenure and promotion are ultimately approved by a vote of the board of trustees.

In the scores of tenure cases with which I have played a role as administrator, the president has universally upheld the committee’s recommendation, and the board has approved it. This is a testament to rigor of the process and the quality of shared governance at those institutions.

When faculty members receive tenure, they have permanent contracts at the institution that should only be ended by resignation, retirement, cause, or institutional financial exigency. If tenure is denied, faculty members traditionally are given one additional year of employment to seek new opportunities.

Tenure is a great privilege that is achieved through an extensive and rigorous review. It is also a protection, not only of the academic freedom of those who hold it, but our nation as a whole by securing the free exchange of ideas that are at the core of an open and evolving society.

The following are my remarks to our students from the class of 2020 who returned to campus last weekend to celebrate their graduation the previous spring in person:

Class of 2020, for 442 days, I have been waiting to say this: Welcome home!

When Spring Break began on March 7^th 2020, few, if any, of us imagined we wouldn’t be back together nine days later, but fate had different plans for all of us, and as I indicated a few minutes ago, I have been counting the days until you could return and enjoy a moment of closure together and an opportunity to celebrate each other and your collective and individual achievements.

Through emails and home movies, I asked you to persevere and encouraged you to learn all you could from the experience. Many of you shared your own stories of fear, frustration, and fatigue; of hardship, struggle, and exasperation; and ultimately of resilience, hope, and triumph. You beat so many odds. I hope you are proud, because we are all so very proud of you.

We all learned so many lessons last Spring

• We learned how adaptive, creative, and ingenious you and our faculty and staff truly are
  • Moving all teaching and learning online in a week
  • Sustaining engagement through remote programming from student life
  • Keeping WQSU on the air from bedrooms across the country
• We learned how compassionate and caring this community truly is
  • Sending scores of computers, internet connections, and hotspots to students in need across the country
  • Bringing over a hundred GO students back from literally all over the world
  • Increasing the use of the Center for Academic Success six-fold to help bridge the gaps
  • Implementing generous and flexible pass/fail options
• We learned how much our board and alumni are committed to our success
  • Encouraging us at every turn and conveying their confidence when we needed it most
  • Generously supporting the student care fund and the caring colleagues fund to help students and employees in need
• We learned how selfless and generous my colleagues are
  • There are thousands of individual stories of faculty and staff going above and beyond for individual students and each other

Two lessons stand above the others for me:

•  The first is how much we value being together as a community.
  • Being part of a living-learning community is an incredible privilege, and we all recognized what it means to grow and adapt in each other’s company. We also found innumerable ways to maintain community with each other while being perpetually reminded how much better it is to be here together.
  • Truly being in community is about the people. For the two months when there were only a few of us on campus, our connections persisted, our community was sustained.
  • Before the governor approved gathering guidelines that made today’s celebration possible, some of you, and you know who you are, contacted me monthly, and in one case, weekly for nearly a year to be sure today would happen.
  • Just after we announced your in-person commencement, I received a sweet note from one of your grandmothers thanking us for not forgetting you.
  • Trust me, we have been thinking of today every day for the past 14 months.
• The second lesson is the regret of loose ends and things undone or unsaid.
  • So many of you shared with me that the toughest part of last spring was not being able to say goodbye or to savor one last “fill in the blank.”
  • That is an invaluable lesson. Every time you end a conversation or leave a place, think about the thing you would regret not saying if you didn’t get a chance for the next conversation. What would you regret not doing if you couldn’t return to a place.
  • Say it or do it at that moment.
  • Opportunities are fleeting. Seize the moment. Have no regrets.
  • Never miss a moment to commit an act of kindness and never leave something unsaid.
  • Never miss an opportunity to say I love you.

Class of 2020. You are brilliant, strong, resilient, filled with grace, and poised to make our world better.

You are proof that Susquehanna University truly educates students for productive, creative, and reflective lives of achievement, leadership, and service in a diverse, dynamic, and interdependent world.

In the year since you officially graduated from Susquehanna, you have continued to make a growing impact on your communities and our world, and this is just the beginning.

You entered a world of unprecedented complexity and challenge, but I am hopeful because I know what you can do. I am so proud of you, of what you have accomplished, and even prouder of what you will achieve.

Congratulations, and please remember, I love you!