Transforming a College: The Story of a Little-Known College's Strategic Climb to National Distinction

136 Pages·2004·0.77 MB·English

by  George Keller

T R A N S F O R M I N G A C O L L E G E
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The Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore and London
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© 2004 The Johns Hopkins University Press
All rights reserved. Published 2004
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
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The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363
www.press.jhu.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Keller, George, 1928–
Transforming a college : the story of a little-known college’s
strategic climb to national distinction / George Keller.
p. cm.
Includes index.
isbn 0-8018-7989-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Elon College—History. 2. Elon University—History. I. Title.
LD1741.E762K45 2004
378.756′58—dc22 2004000141
A catalog record for this book is available from the
British Library.
For Jane
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All the pleasure in life is in general ideas. But all
the use of life is in speci>c solutions, which can-
not be reached through generalities any more than
a picture can be painted by knowing some rules
of method. They are reached by insight, tact, and
speci>c knowledge.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Letter to Elmer Gertz
March 1, 1899
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C O N T E N T S
Preface xi
one : Up from the Ashes 1
two : New Leader, New Initiatives 29
three : Student Life and Pleasures 41
four : Elevating the Academics 57
five : Financing the Rise 76
six : The Fruits and Ironies of Success 88
seven : Analysis of an Ascent 98
Acknowledgments 109
Index 111