List of longest-serving higher education presidents in the United States

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Eliphalet Nott, longest serving college president in US history

The longest serving president of a United States institution of higher education is Eliphalet Nott, who served at Union College in Schenectady, New York, for 62 years (1805–66).

Criteria[edit]

According to a 2007 report from the American Council on Education, only about 5% of all in-office college presidents had served longer than 20 years.[1] The table below considers candidates who can be demonstrated to have served for 30 years or longer unless another distinguishing factor warrants inclusion. Records for the longest-serving college or university presidents are usually kept by the respective institutions themselves.

List[edit]

Name Term Start Date End Date College Location Notes[note 1]
Eliphalet Nott 61 years 1805 1866 Union College Schenectady, NY Longest serving college president in U.S. history.
Paul F. Beacham 59 years 1919 1978 Holmes Theological Seminary Greenville, SC Longest serving seminary president in U.S. history.
Abbot Bernard Pennings 57 years 1898 1955 St. Norbert College De Pere, WI The first and longest serving president of the College.
B. B. Dougherty 56 years 1899 1955 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
W. Wilbert Welch 34 years 1959 1983 Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, MI Served as President until 1983, then Chancellor.
Edward W. France 52 years 1888 1940 Philadelphia University Philadelphia, PA
Richard I. Gouse 52 years[2] 1971 present New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI Only 24 at the time of assuming his position.
Bob Jones III 34 years 1971 2005 Bob Jones University Greenville, SC Served as President until 2005, then Chancellor.
Lester E Pipkin 33 years 1950 1983 Appalachian Bible College Mount Hope, WV Served as co-founder and president from 1950-1983 then as Chancellor from 1983-2001
Frederic W. Boatwright 51 years 1895 1946 University of Richmond Richmond, VA President of Richmond College 1895–1920, University of Richmond 1920–1946 and Chancellor 1946–1951
Francis H. Smith 50 years 1839 1889 Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA Longest serving military superintendent in U.S. history
James Blair 50 years 1693 1743 College of William and Mary Williamsburg, VA The first and longest serving president of the college.[3]
Lionel R. Bordeaux 50 years 1972 2022 Sinte Gleska University Mission, SD Provided leadership for the first fully accredited reservation-based institution of higher education at the bachelor's degree level. Black Hills State University named a residence hall in his honor. Died in 2022.[4]
William L. Proctor 30 years 1971 2001 Flagler College St. Augustine, FL Served as President until 2001, then Chancellor from 2001 to 2020.[5]
Jack Evans, Sr 49 years 1967 2016 Southwestern Christian College Terrell, TX Currently president emeritus.[6]
Leon Botstein 48 years 1975 present Bard College Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Norman Francis 47 years 1968 2015 Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA [7]
Albert Gardner Boyden 46 years 1860 1906 Bridgewater Normal School Bridgewater, MA Principal of Bridgewater Normal School. Succeeded by his son, Arthur Clarke Boyden, who served as principal from 1906-1932 and as president of the renamed Bridgewater State Teachers College from 1932-1933. Father and son totalled 73 years of leadership.[8]
Robert H. Spence 46 years 1974 2020 Evangel University Springfield, MO Served until May 1, 2014 as President, and Chancellor from 2014 to his death in 2020.[9]
J. Donald Monan 34 years 1972 1996 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA Served as President until 1996, then Chancellor.
Chatt G. Wright 45 years 1976 2011 Hawaii Pacific University Honolulu, Hi
William R. Harvey 44 years[10] 1978 2022 Hampton University Hampton, VA
Frederic B. Pratt 44 years 1893 1937 Pratt Institute Brooklyn, NY
Frances Shimer 43 years 1853 1896 Shimer College Chicago, IL Founded Mount Carroll Seminary, which later became Shimer College.
Clarence W. Daugette 43 years 1899 1942 Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, AL State of Alabama's longest serving university president.
Nicholas Murray Butler 43 years 1902 1945 Columbia University New York, NY Columbia's longest serving president.
Joseph N. Hankin 43 years[11] 1971 2014 Westchester Community College Valhalla, NY Longest serving community college president in the US.[12]
Luns C. Richardson 43 years 1974 2017 Morris College Sumter, SC Life Member and Golden Heritage Member of the NAACP
Charles A. Blanchard 43 years 1882 1925 Wheaton College Wheaton, IL
William Fletcher King[13] 43 years 1863 1908 Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA 1863-1865 served as Acting President
Dennis J. Murray 42 years[14] 1979 2021 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY As President (1979-2016), President Emeritus (2016-19), and President again from 2019-2021.
Pat Robertson 42 years 1978 2023 Regent University Virginia Beach, VA
V. Clyde Muse 42 years 1978 2020 Hinds Community College Raymond, MS
Janet Eisner 41 years 1979 2022 Emmanuel College Boston, MA At the time of her retirement, she was the longest-serving female president still sitting, as well as the longest-currently-serving president of a Catholic college or university .[15][16]
Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones 41 years 1936 1977 Grambling State University Grambling, LA
W. Burkette Raper 41 years 1954 1995 University of Mount Olive Mount Olive, NC Youngest and longest tenured president of University of Mount Olive
William Foster Peirce 41 years 1896 1937 Kenyon College Gambier, OH Assumed the presidency at the age of 28
Daniel L. Anderson 40 years 1983 present Appalachian Bible College Mount Hope, WV [17]
W. Sam Monroe 40 years 1974 2014 Lamar State College-Port Arthur Port Arthur, TX
Charles William Eliot 40 years 1869 1909 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
Henry N. Snyder 40 years 1902 1942 Wofford College Spartanburg, SC
Stephen B. L. Penrose 40 years 1894 1934 Whitman College Walla Walla, WA
Abbot Leo Haid 39 years 1885 1924 Belmont Abbey College Belmont, NC The first and longest serving president of the College.
David L. Eubanks 38 years 1969 2007 Johnson Bible College Knoxville, TN
James Burrill Angell 38 years 1871 1909 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI UM's longest serving president
Philip Pumerantz 38 years 1977 2015 Western University of Health Sciences Pomona, CA Longest serving president in the state of California. Founding president of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (1977), which became Western University of Health Sciences in 1996
Russell Conwell 38 years 1887 1925 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
John F. MacArthur 38 years 1985 present The Master's College Santa Clarita, CA Served until 2019, then Chancellor
William Burns Paterson 37 years 1878 1915 Alabama State University Montgomery, AL At the time of his appointment, the school was then named Lincoln Normal School and based in Marion. The school moved to Montgomery in 1887 and changed its name to the Normal School for Colored Students.
Sister Denise Roche 37 years 1979 2016 D'Youville College Buffalo, NY
Mary Emma Woolley 37 years 1900 1937 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA
William H. Black 36 years 1890 1926 Missouri Valley College Marshall, MO
Marilyn Schlack 36 years 1982 2018 Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo, MI
George A. Pruitt 36 years[18] 1982 2018 Thomas Edison State University Trenton, NJ Longest serving president in the state of New Jersey
Sharon C. Diaz 36 years 1982 2018 Samuel Merritt University Oakland, CA
Jerry Falwell 36 years 1971 2007 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
Franklin Benjamin Moore 36 years 1898 1934 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
Mark Hopkins 36 years 1836 1872 Williams College Williamstown, MA
John Wheelock 36 years 1779 1815 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH Dartmouth's longest serving president
Robert L. McLendon Jr. 36 years 1972 2008 St. Johns River State College Palatka, FL
Bevan Morris 36 years[19] 1980 2016 Maharishi University of Management Fairfield, IA
Cornelius P. Haggard 36 years 1939 1975 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
Theodore Hesburgh 35 years 1952 1987 University of Notre Dame South Bend, IN
Franklin Frazee Moore 36 years 1934 1969 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
Faith A. Takes 38 years 1985 present Mildred Elley Albany, NY
Stephen W. Paine 35 Years 1937 1972 Houghton College Houghton, NY
Charles P. Adams 35 years 1901 1936 Grambling State University Grambling, LA Founding president of the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School in 1901, which became Grambling State University in 1974.
Willard M. Aldrich 35 years 1943 1978 Multnomah University Portland, OR
Nathan Lord 35 years 1828 1863 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH
E. George Evans 35 years 1884 1919 Champlain College Burlington, VT
A. Gordon Tittemore 35 years 1920 1955 Champlain College Burlington, VT
Sister Joel Read 35 years 1968 2003 Alverno College Milwaukee, WI
William Lowe Bryan 35 years 1902 1937 Indiana University Bloomington, IN
Martin Brewer Anderson 35 years 1853 1888 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
Benjamin Rush Rhees 35 years 1900 1935 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
Jairy C. Hunter Jr. 35 years 1983 2018 Charleston Southern University Charleston, SC Longest serving president for the university
Charles Schlimpert 35 years 1983 2018 Concordia University Portland Portland, OR Longest serving President in the State of Oregon
Alvin O. Austin 21 years 1986 2007 LeTourneau University Longview, TX Served as President until 2007, then Chancellor
Charles Paul Conn 34 years 1986 present Lee University Cleveland, TN
Kenneth C.M. Sills 34 years 1918 1952 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME
Joseph W. Polisi 34 years 1984 2018 The Juilliard School New York City, NY
Mordecai Wyatt Johnson 34 years 1926 1960 Howard University Washington, D.C.
Ray Paul Authement, Sr. 34 years 1974 2008 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, La
Eugene C. Sanderson 34 years 1895 1929 Northwest Christian University Eugene, OR
James M Rosser 34 years[20] 1979 2013 California State University, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
Edgar Odell Lovett 34 years[21] 1912 1946 Rice Institute Houston, TX
Thomas Hanna McMichael 33 years[22] 1903 1936 Monmouth College Monmouth, IL
C. Hoyt Watson 33 years 1926 1959 Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA
William Parker McKee 33 years 1897 1930 Shimer College Chicago, IL
Mark W. Ellingson 33 years 1936 1969 Rochester Institute of Technology Henrietta, NY
Palmer C. Ricketts 33 years 1901 1934 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY
H. Mebane Turner 33 years[23] 1969 2002 University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD
Edwin Massey 32 years 1988 present Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL
Jerry C. Davis 32 years 1988 present College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO
Gary Cook 27 years 1988 2015 Dallas Baptist University Dallas, TX Served as President until 2015, then Chancellor
Kurt R. Schmeller [24] 32 years 1967 1999 Queensborough Community College Queens, NY
Andrew Jackson Rider 32 years 1866 1898 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ First president of the college
James Kennedy Patterson 32 years 1878 1910 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
Cloyd H. Marvin 32 years 1927 1959 George Washington University Washington, DC
Steven Van Ausdle 32 years 1984 2016 Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla, WA
Samuel Belkin 32 years 1943 1975 Yeshiva University New York, NY
Richard E. Wylie 31 years 1987 2018 Endicott College Beverley, MA
Henry Hardin Cherry 31 years 1906 1937 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
Duke Kimbrough McCall 31 years 1951 1982 Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, KY
Athens Clay Pullias 31 years 1946 1977 Lipscomb University Nashville, TN
R. M. Good 31 years 1921 1952 College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO
Felton G. Clark 31 years 1938 1969 Southern University Baton Rouge, LA
Claybrook Cottingham 31 years 1910 1941 Louisiana College Pineville, LA
John Silber 25 years 1971 1996 Boston University Boston, MA Served as President until 1996, then Chancellor. Sabbatical leave 1987–1988 and 1990
James Carnahan 31 years 1823 1854 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
John L. Lahey 31 years 1987 2018 Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT
Diana Natalicio 31 years 1988 2019 University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
Sr. Thomas Welder 31 years 1978 2009 University of Mary Bismarck, ND For her tenure and service, Sr. Thomas Welder was given the Roughrider Award by the state of North Dakota, inducting her into its hall of fame.
Jack Hawkins Jr. 31 years 1989 present Troy University Troy, AL
Jahnae H. Barnett 30 years 1990 present William Woods University Fulton, MO
Thomas Duckett Boyd 30 years 1896 1926 Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA Previously served as interim President of LSU in 1886
Lincoln Hulley 30 years 1904 1934 Stetson University DeLand, FL
Daniel R. Chamberlain 30 years 1976 2006 Houghton College Houghton, NY
Richard V. Clearwaters 30 years 1956 1986 Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis Plymouth, MN
Ernest O. Holland 30 years 1915 1945 Washington State University Pullman, WA
Jaime Benítez Rexach 22 years 1944 1966 University of Puerto Rico San Juan, PR Served as Chancellor of Río Piedras until 1966, then as President, after an administrative reorganization established a state university system.
Freeman A. Hrabowski III 30 years 1992 2022 University of Maryland Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
Carol Jean Vale 30 years 1992 2022 Chestnut Hill College Philadelphia, PA

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Notes[edit]

  1. ^ For the purposes of the list, "Chancellor" and "President" are interchangeable titles.

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://www.ctmirror.org/sites/default/files/ACP%20report_0.pdf[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Executive Compensation at Private and Public Colleges". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  3. ^ "William & Mary – 19th Century Presidents". Archived from the original on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  4. ^ Fund, College (2022-11-21). "Lionel R. Bordeaux, Wakinyan Wanbli, President of Sinte Gleska University for 50 Years, Departs for Spirit World | American Indian College Fund". Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  5. ^ "William Proctor". Florida Veterans' Hall Of Fame Society. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  6. ^ Ross, Bobby (16 May 2017). "Join in with us to save Southwestern". The Christian Chronicle. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  7. ^ Mangan, Katherine. "The Chronicle of Higher Education". America's Longest Serving President has More to Do. The Chronicle. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Leading the Journey: The Principals and Presidents of BSU". Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  9. ^ "Honoring Robert H. Spence". Evangel University. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  10. ^ "About the President". Hampton University. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  11. ^ "Page not found – Westchester Community College". Archived from the original on 2012-07-03. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  12. ^ Sarina, Trangle (2011-09-24). "President Joseph Hankin Celebrates 40 Years at WCC". Greenburgh Daily Voice. The Greenburgh Daily Voice. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  13. ^ "List of Cornell College Presidents | Cornell College". www.cornellcollege.edu. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  14. ^ "About Marist – Dennis J. Murray: Marist College".
  15. ^ "Emmanuel President Honored along with Women Presidents of the Colleges of the Fenway". Archived from the original on 2013-08-16. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  16. ^ "At The Helm-Featured Profile SP2022-Eisner". www.accunet.org. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  17. ^ "Dr. Daniel Anderson | College President | Biblical Slave Leadership".
  18. ^ "Thomas Edison State University names new president". 20 December 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  19. ^ Hallman, Andy (June 20, 2016). "Lynch addresses M.U.M. graduates". The Fairfield Ledger. Retrieved June 21, 2016.[dead link]
  20. ^ "Cal State L.A. President James M. Rosser Announces His Retirement". 18 September 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  21. ^ http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/flo34 | The Handbook of Texas | Accessed 13 April 2014
  22. ^ Davenport, F. Garvin (1953). Monmouth College : the first hundred years, 1853–1953. Iowa: Torch Press. p. 71. ASIN B007T3FF0G.
  23. ^ Bowler, Mike (29 June 2002). "The university that Meb built". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  24. ^ "Queensborough Community College".
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