page_title: Glenn Frank
section_title: Madison
hierarchical_section_title: Glenn Frank / Madison
caption_attribution_description: English: From the archives: "Glenn Frank seated at his desk. He served as the president of the University of Wisconsin--Madison from 1925 - 1937." Local identifier: UW.UWArchives.031103as02.bib
context_page_description: Glenn Frank was a president of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and The Century Magazine's editor-in-chief. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1912 and became Edward Filene's personal assistant, where he wrote two books on the side. He joined The Century Magazine as an associate editor and became its editor-in-chief in three years, which gave his views on education a wide audience. He was tapped to the University of Wisconsin's presidency in 1925, where he introduced the Experimental College before being ousted in 1937. Frank became involved in Wisconsin politics and ran for the state's United States Senate seat, but died with his son in a car accident two days before the Republican Party primary.
context_section_description: Zona Gale, a Regent, was familiar with Frank through her fiction published in Century and asked him in April 1925 about filling the University of Wisconsin–Madison's presidency. Although opposed by the La Follette family, his nomination moved swiftly and on May 20, 1925 he accepted the position to begin in September. He was the youngest president of the university at the time, and unique for not holding an advanced degree.
  Frank started the brief Experimental College and expanded the agriculture program. He did not enjoy faculty support despite his support of academic freedom and tenure, and his public criticism of Franklin D. Roosevelt put him at odds with the La Follettes in public office. The Board of Regents, mostly appointed by La Follette, requested Frank's resignation in March 1936. Frank declined to resign and the Board held public hearings on his presidential competency before narrowly voting to remove him from office on January 7, 1937.
  Upon leaving UW–Madison, Frank joined Wisconsin political causes and began a bid for the Republican nomination for Robert M. La Follette, Jr.'s United States Senate seat.
  Frank and his son died in a car accident on September 15, 1940 outside Greenleaf, Wisconsin two days before his Senate primary.
caption: Frank at his desk, c. 1925
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