Winton U. Solberg
In 1904, Edmund J. James inherited the leadership of an educational institution in search of an identity. His sixteen-year tenure transformed the University of Illinois from an industrial college to a major state university that fulfilled his vision of a center for scientific investigation.
Winton U. Solberg and J. David Hoeveler provide an authoritative account of a pivotal time in the university’s evolution. A gifted intellectual and dedicated academic reformer, James began his tenure facing budget battles and antagonists on the Board of Trustees. But he successfully pushed for a state tax to provide a fund for university needs while engaging alumni to join their political influences in support of his various causes. James’ growing popularity gained the support of voters while increased support from the board aided his successful campaigns to address the problems faced by women students, expand graduate programs, create a university press, reshape the library and faculty, and unify the colleges of liberal arts and sciences. James also urged his model of scientific inquiry as the foundation of all academic disciplines and followed one of his scholarly passions into forming a top school for classical learning. Throughout, the authors explore the political milieu and the personalities around James to draw a vivid portrait of his life and times.
The authoritative conclusion to a four-part history, Edmund J. James and the Making of the Modern University of Illinois, 1904–1920 tells the story of one man’s mission to create a university worthy of the state of Illinois.