Book description
In 1917, fifty-two years after its founding, the University of Kentucky
faced stagnation, financial troubles, and disturbing reports of
nepotism, resulting in a leadership crisis. A special committee
investigated the institution and issued a report calling for a massive
transformation of the university, including the hiring of a new
president who could execute the report's suggested initiatives. The
Board of Trustees hired Frank L. McVey. McVey labored tirelessly for
more than two decades to establish Kentucky as one of the nation's most
respected institutions of higher learning, which brought him recognition
as one of the leading progressive educators in the South. In Frank L.
McVey and the University of Kentucky, Eric A. Moyen chronicles McVey's
triumphs and challenges as the president sought to transform the
university from a small state college into the state's flagship
institution. McVey recruited an exceptional faculty, expanded graduate
programs, promoted research, oversaw booming enrollments and campus
construction, and defended academic freedom during the nation's first
major antievolution controversy. Yet he faced challenges related to the
development of modern collegiate athletics, a populace suspicious of his
remarkable new conception of a state university, and the Great
Depression. This authoritative biography not only details an important
period in the history of the university and the commonwealth, but also
tells the story of the advancement of education reform in
early-twentieth-century America. Eric A. Moyen serves as an associate
professor of education and director of first-year programs at Lee
University. He lives in Cleveland, Tennessee.
