The Making of University of Michigan History
Ruthven assumes UM presidency...
Just weeks before the stock market crash of 1929, Alexander Grant Ruthven was named the university's seventh president. He had received his Ph.D. in Zoology from Michigan in 1906 and immediately became an instructor in the department and curator, later director, of the University Museum. Ruthven guided the university through the Great Depression, World War II and the beginning of post-war expansion. He restructured the university's administration in a more corporate style and allowed for a greater role in governance by deans and faculty. Ruthven retired as president in 1951.
Additional Resources
- Finding aid for the Alexander Grant Ruthven papers
- Online exhibit: The Presidents of the University of Michigan
Photo Source: Alexander Grant Ruthven, UM President; Alexander Grant Ruthven Papers, Box 64, Portrait