Being Lucky: Reminiscences & Reflections

Being Lucky: Reminiscences & Reflections

by Herman B Wells
Being Lucky: Reminiscences & Reflections

Being Lucky: Reminiscences & Reflections

by Herman B Wells

eBook

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Overview

The autobiography of the legendary Indiana University president, as he originally intended.

Painstakingly restored from original archival materials and featuring over a dozen fascinating vignettes and talks that were cut from the original edition, Being Lucky: Reminiscences and Reflections, The Complete Edition is a must read for Hoosiers everywhere.

In this absorbing autobiography, Herman B. Wells recalls his small-town childhood, the strong influence of his parents, and his pioneering work with Indiana banks during the Great Depression. His first contact with Indiana University was as an undergraduate in 1921, when the still provincial school had fewer than three thousand students. At the end of his twenty-five-year tenure as president in 1962, IU had gained an international reputation and a student body that would soon exceed 30,000. Wells’ reflections on his years as university president are both lighthearted and illuminating. They describe in candied detail how he approached the job, his observations on effective administration, his thoughts on academic freedom and tenure, his approach to student and alumni relations, and his views on the role of the university as a cultural center. Also included are his fifty maxims for young college presidents. Finally Wells discusses the national and international service that helped shape his presidency and the university.

Being Lucky is a nourishing brew of the memories, advice, wit, and wisdom of a remarkable man.

“Much more than the title might suggest [this is] a heart-warming account of a young boy and his parents determined that a son should have a college education, a classic and detailed account of his widening involvement with every aspect of higher education, and a stirring story of a wise administrator. [Wells’s] life is an astonishing success story. . . . He was not just lucky, he was careful and courageous.” —Journal of Higher Education

Being Lucky is as entertaining as it is informative. Wells’ biographer, James H. Capshew, called it “a manual of higher education management.” . . . Reading Wells’ fascinating autobiography shows why it is no wonder that Indiana University is so proud of the great man and honors his accomplishments.” —Louisville Courier Journal

“An honest report by a most successful educator [and] a tribute to a great university and to a man with foresight who also had the courage to act on his convictions.” —The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette

“Wells’s humor, wit, and humanity pervade every chapter.” —Indiana Magazine of History

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780253006165
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Publication date: 12/22/2021
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 544
File size: 4 MB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Herman B Wells (1902–2000) served Indiana University in a variety of capacities, most notably as its 11th president and as chancellor, and was pivotal in IU's development into a world-class institution of higher learning.

Table of Contents

To Begin...
Preparation for the Presidency
1. Growing Up in Jamestown and the County Seat
2. Widening Horizons
3. What It Was Really Like
4. Country Bank Failures
5. Reopening, Reconstruction, and Reform
6. Apprenticeship in Academic Administration
7. The Fate of a Noncandidate
The Presidency
8. A Few Observations on Collegial Administration
9. How to Succeed without Really Trying
10. Money, Money, But Never Enough
11. The Private Sector: Indiana University Foundation
12. Academic Freedom and Tenure
13. To Make Room for the Future
14. Student and Alumni Relationships
15. Culture to the Crossroads
16. The University Looks Abroad
17. Academic Ferment
National And International Service
18. A Trip and a New Awareness
19. A Glorious Experience in the Springtime of My Career
20. With Clay in Occupied Germany
21. One World or None
22. An Unusual Mission to the U.S.S.R.
23. Education and World Affairs
24. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
25. The American Council on Education and an Introduction to International Associations
26. The Educational Policies Commission
27. The Roots of PBS
28. Trying to Do One's Share
29. With My Hat on the Back of My Head
Beyond the Presidency
30. The Summing Up
31. The University Chancellor
32. Epilogue
Appendix
A. Chronology
B. Traditional Rite at Freshman Convocation
C. Time on Wells
D. Taking the Arts to the People
E. Telegrams from General Lucius Clay
F. Current Directors, Indiana University Foundation
G. Indiana University 150th Birthday Fund Subscriptions
H. Message to the University Community, November 1, 1968
I. Indiana University Technical-Assistance Projects
J. Special Commissions and Committees
K. "All's Wells That Ends Well"
Index

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