# List of presidents of Ohio Wesleyan University

    This article lists the current and past presidents of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.
The president of Ohio Wesleyan University is the institution's chief administrator and ex officio chair of the Board of Trustees. He is appointed by and is responsible to the other members of the Board, who delegate to him the day-to-day running of the university. Since Wesleyan's beginning, just 15 men have held the title of Ohio Wesleyan University president, while a few have served as interim president. Those who have held the office include lawyers, literary scholars, politicians, businessmen and clergymen.
Mark Huddleston was named university president following a meeting of the Ohio Wesleyan Board of Trustees on Saturday morning, June 12, 2004. He succeeded Thomas Courtice, who held office for 10 years before retiring that year. Huddleston's academic specialty is public administration, a field in which he has published widely, focusing on the senior federal career service and a variety of international issues.

## History

The service of Ohio Wesleyan's presidents to the college spans nearly 170 years now. About a quarter of them, in the beginning of the college's history, were appointed by the Methodist church. Early in the beginning of the 20th century that link was severed and the appointment of Arthur Flemming marked the beginning of independent appointment to the position of presidency of the college.

### The Thomson Era

The first president Edward Thomson, one of the two founders of the university in 1842. His father, a druggist, influenced Edward toward the study of medicine, which he pursued at the University of Pennsylvania. He retained the post of the presidency until 1860. Thomson was a vocal clergyman and a defender of the rights of women to co-education, on equal terms with men, and engaged in antislavery activity at that time, including many acts of civil disobedience.
On August 5, 1846, Thomson delivered his inaugural address. He maintained that the college was a product of the liberality of the people of Delaware and that it was fortunate that Ohio Wesleyan was founded in a community divided in religious and political opinions because the friction of a mixed society prevented dogmatism and developed energy and pointed out that the spirit of the college is the spirit of liberty.
Accounts of Thomson focus on his scholarly work and his firm anti-slavery social stance. By the end of the presidency, Thomson had written three books on 18th century Europe and Asia. He helped to give the campus a certain abolitionist tinge of reform, as was the case with Oberlin College, along these lines by stating that the school would not obey the fugitive slave law and would be willing to suffer the extreme penalty in case of need.

### Merrick through Welch

Under Frederick Merrick's presidency (1860–1873), the school focused as much on curriculum expansion as it did on fundraising. Less teacher than some of the others, Merrick's zeal significantly increased the school's coffers, but disappointment followed at the failure of his attempt to abolish fraternities in 1870-1872 and anxiety during the years of the construction of Merrick Hall. Charles Payne's presidency lasted between 1876 and 1888. He was an 1856 Wesleyan University alumnus graduate and during his presidency, enrollment in the college increased three times and music education experienced a decided renaissance. While no major buildings were built during his administration, Paynes' fame was strongly related to his reputation of being a disciplinarian.
The Payne age of transition, was followed by Bashford's era of transformation during 1889-1904. The need of new departments and the value of specialized instruction were recognized. Bashford's aim was to improve the plant and offerings of the college; to make the school's curriculum and buildings on par with its new academic position. The building history during that period included Monnett extensions, University Hall and Slocum Library. Athletics and physical education facilities were established and a start was made for a new gymnasium. Development during the Bashford years meant establishments of departments for natural science (physics, zoology, geology), and new departments of speech, history, French, English and economics. The new ideal of specialization brought an emphasis on professional preparation on the Doctor of Philosophy degree and on travel and study in Europe. Three professional schools were established during his presidency (of Law, of Medicine and of Theology) and the Doric Front was demolished.
During the 1920s, under Herbert George Welch's and John W. Hoffman's presidencies chapel service was dropped, sororities came in. Edgar Hall came into use and Selby Stadium was built; Austin Manor and Perkins Observatory was constructed and Stuyvesant Hall was planned.

### Wenzlau's presidency controversies

The presidency of Thomas Wenzlau span three decades between 1969-1984. The first challenge for Wenzlau was campus unrest: Wesleyan students took over the ROTC building, demanded its shut-down and eventually eliminated its presence in 1970. Students demanded participation in departmental meetings and faculty committees. The period saw a furthering of the democratic process in the governance of Wesleyan. His presidency witnessed decline in students' test scores, an unusually high attrition rate, lack of adequate research to identify potential major donors and a growing "party school" image, leading to a rocky relationship between him and the student body. In 1979-1982, the campus newspaper The Transcript severely criticized Wenzlau's presidency blaming it for "severely affecting the reputation of the college". The exchange between the president and The Transcript led to a Washington Post report on the school that eventually led to the end of Wenzlau's presidency.

### Wesleyan's reputation on the rebound with Warren

The leadership of David Liles Warren increased admission standards for students, engaged students in a "live-in" presidency, expanded media exposure and established a National Colloquium, whose objective was to focus on the liberal arts. Warren engaged in forty-one interviews on the ABC and NBC networks.

### Mark Huddleston to the present

Mark Huddleston, was elected after a Board meeting on June 12, 2004. He succeeded Thomas Courtice, who held office for 10 years. Huddleston's specializes in public administration, a field in which he has published widely, focusing on the senior federal career service and a variety of international issues. Before coming to Ohio Wesleyan, Huddleston served in the faculty of the University of Delaware for 24 years, ultimately as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Huddleston has been an active consultant for both the U.S. government and international organizations in the past. He worked previously in the Balkans, southern Africa, and central and southeast Asia. He gained international development experience in Bosnia as an advisor on rebuilding financial and administrative infrastructures following the Dayton Accords. He has authored the following books: The Public Administration Workbook, Profiles in Excellence: Conversations with the Best of America's Career Executive Service, The Higher Civil Service in the United States, and The Government's Managers.
Under Huddleston, Wesleyan continued to undertake construction projects. The Memorial Union Building was renovated in 2001 to accommodate the Economics Department, the Academic Resource Center, the Information Systems department, and the Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship. The Conrades-Wetherell Science Center opened in 2004 to provide 52,000 square feet (4,800 m$^2$) of additional space for the science departments.
An athletic fundraising campaign began in 2005. The campaign is named after Branch Rickey, class of 1904, who broke the racial barrier in professional baseball. It is directed at renovating the facilities used by the 22 varsity teams by adding a new turf facility, new field house and a pool, and a gateway connecting all sports facilities on campus.
In April 2007, Huddleston accepted a position as president of the University of New Hampshire and left Wesleyan on June 30, 2007, giving him the second shortest presidential reign in Wesleyan's history, behind David Lockmiller, 1959–1961. On 29 May 2007, the appointment of current university provost Dr. David O. Robbins as interim president was unanimously endorsed by OWU's Board of Trustees. Dr. Robbins' term as Interim President began on 1 July 2007.

## List of presidents

| # | President | Wesleyan Class | Tenure | Life | Events |
| 1 | Edward Thomson | -- | 1842–1860 | 1810–1870 | -- |
| 2 | Frederick Merrick | -- | 1860–1873 | 1810–1894 | -- |
| – | Lorenzo Dow McCabe | -- | 1873–1876 | 1817–1897 | Acting/Interim |
| 3 | Charles H. Payne | -- | 1876–1888 | 1830–1899 | Wesleyan Female College merged with Ohio Wesleyan University |
| – | Lorenzo Dow McCabe | -- | 1888–1889 | 1817–1897 | Acting/Interim |
| 4 | James Whitford Bashford | -- | 1889–1904 | 1849–1919 | -- |
| – | William F. Whitlock | -- | 1904–1905 | 1833–1909 | Acting/Interim |
| 5 | Herbert George Welch | -- | 1905–1916 | 1862–1969 | -- |
| 6 | John W. Hoffman | -- | 1916–1928 | 1871–1953 | -- |
| 7 | Edmund D. Soper | -- | 1928–1938 | 1876–1961 | Stuyvesant Hall built |
| – | Edward Loranus Rice | -- | 1938–1939 | 1871–1960 | Acting/Interim |
| 8 | Herbert John Burgstahler | -- | 1939–1947 | 1886–1976 | Last of long line of Methodist-appointed Presidents |
| – | Clarence E. Ficken | -- | 1947–1948 | 1894–1975 | Acting/Interim |
| 9 | Arthur Sherwood Flemming | 1927 | 1948–1953 | 1905–1996 | -- |
| – | Clarence E. Ficken | -- | 1953–1955 | 1894–1975 | Acting/Interim |
| – | Frank J. Prout | 1906 | 1955–1957 | 1883–1967 | Acting/Interim |
| 9 | Arthur Sherwood Flemming | 1927 | 1957–1958 | 1905–1996 | -- |
| – | George W. Burns | -- | 1958–1959 | 1913–1994 | Acting/Interim |
| 10 | David Lockmiller | -- | 1959–1961 | 1907–2005 | -- |
| 11 | Elden T. Smith | 1932 | 1962–1968 | 1910–2006 | Residential Buildings significantly expanded - Smith, Welch and Lucy Hayes Dormitories built |
| – | Robert P. Lisensky | -- | 1968–1969 | 1928–2019 | Acting/Interim |
| 12 | Thomas E. Wenzlau | 1950 | 1969–1984 | 1927–2018 | Branch Rickey Arena Built; Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students adopted Built |
| 13 | David L. Warren | -- | 1984–1993 | -- | Hamilton-Williams Campus Center Built |
| – | William C. Louthan | -- | 1993–1994 | -- | Acting/Interim |
| 14 | Thomas Courtice | -- | 1994–2004 | born 1943 | Science Center Built; Establishment of Five Colleges of Ohio, Fine Arts Center |
| 15 | Mark Huddleston | -- | 2004–2007 | born 1950 | Major $250 Million Campaign |
| – | David O. Robbins | -- | 2007–2008 | -- | Acting/Interim |
| 16 | Rock Jones | -- | 2008–2023 | born 1958 | Theory to Practice Grant Program; Renovation of Merrick Hall; Renovation of Slocum Hall |
| 17 | Matthew vandenBerg | -- | 2023–present | -- | Closure of Beeghly Library for rebuild/remodel |

### Female College presidents

Ohio Wesleyan Female College had three presidents before merging with Ohio Wesleyan University.
* Oran Faville, 1853–1855
* Nathaniel Clark Burt, 1868–1870
* William Richardson, 1873–1877