Fall 2020 EditionAlumni & Friends Magazine
Remembering President Alden
When he was inaugurated as Ohio University’s 15th president on May 11, 1962, Vernon Roger Alden called for creating “a climate in which the best minds are stretched and in which superior students aspire to even greater accomplishment.”
Staff report | September 20, 2020
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Over the next seven years, the University, under his leadership, did just that, expanding and creating research, academic programs and enrichment opportunities that still exist today. The youngest president to lead the University since 1872, Alden brought youthful energy, passion and innovation to the institution and presided over a period of remarkable growth and change.
His tenure saw the expansion of the University’s graduate degree programs and international connections and the creation of the Honors College, the Cutler Program of Individualized Study, the Black Studies Institute, the Ohio Fellows program and the Ohio University Press—just to name a few. The University’s enrollment grew from 13,600 to 22,000-plus, 75 percent of the faculty was recruited, and the Faculty Senate was established.
During the Alden era, the footprint of the University also rapidly evolved. Construction on the West Green dormitories was completed, and the development of South Green began. Alden delivered on a promise to build a new library, dedicated in his honor upon his retirement, and pushed forward the expansion of OHIO’s regional campuses.
His impact extended far beyond the University. Alden was instrumental in the development of the Appalachian Highway Network and other efforts to revitalize the region’s economy. And, in the final months of his presidency, he broke ground on the re-routing of the Hocking River, preventing future flooding of town and gown.
President Emeritus Alden passed away on June 22, 2020, at the age of 97, but the legacy of his nearly 60 years of service to Ohio University lives on in the generations of alumni, students, faculty and staff who continue to benefit from and be inspired by his vision.
The Ohio University community, including the University’s current and past presidents, joined the Alden family virtually on Aug. 13 for a memorial service to celebrate the life and impact of President Emeritus Alden. To watch a recording of that service, click here.
Feature image: President Alden chats with students on a balcony overlooking East Green in this photo taken in 1967. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections
