Dartmouth College. Office of the President. Ernest Fox Nichols (1909-1916)
Dates
- Usage: 1909 - 1916
Biography
Ernest Fox Nichols was born June 1, 1869, in Leavenworth County, Kansas. Nichols received a BS from Kansas Agricultural College in 1888 and Doctor of Science from Cornell University in 1897. Nichols held a variety of academic positions before being hired as a professor of physics at Dartmouth College in 1898. In 1903 he left Dartmouth to become Professor of Experimental Physics at Columbia University, a position he held until he accepted the presidency of Dartmouth College in 1909.
Nichols was best known for his work with Professor Gordon Hull to experimentally demonstrate the pressure of light for which he was awarded the Rumford Prize by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Nichols's presidency was characterized by a high idealism for the scholarship of the College. Means were found for giving larger recognition to the best students. The closer association of faculty and students was urged and an organization to bring this about was set up. Productive scholarship was encouraged on the part of the faculty and notable professorial appointments were made. In addition, the business part of the administration was enlarged and separated from that of the educational executive. During Nichols tenure the number of students, the productive funds and the value of the college plant were substantially increased. To improve communications between Dartmouth and its growing body of graduates, Nichols established the Council of Alumni. In addition, Many of the College's institutions and traditions took shape during the Nichols administration, including the Dartmouth Outing Club and Winter Carnival.
In 1916, Nichols left Dartmouth to accept a professorship at Yale, a position he held until 1920. He briefly held the presidency of MIT in 1921 but was forced to leave the position due to ill health. Nichols died April 29, 1924, while addressing a scientific gathering in Washington, D.C.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Dartmouth College. Office of the President (1909-1916: Ernest Fox Nichols) records
The records of the Dartmouth College presidential administration of Ernest Fox Nichols contain correspondence, memoranda, reports, and speeches documenting major policy issues and the daily administration of the College under the Nichols administration.