George A. Works

George Alan Works (1877–1957)[1] was an American academic administrator who served as the fifth president of the University of Connecticut (1929–1930), then Connecticut Agricultural College.[2] Prior to assuming the presidency on July 1, 1929, Works had served as dean of the Graduate Library School at the University of Chicago (1927–1929), professor of rural education in the Cornell University College of Agriculture (1914–1927), instructor and professor of rural education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1911–1914), and Wisconsin school superintendent prior to 1911.[3] He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1904 and a doctorate in education from Harvard University in 1925.[4] Works was a member of the National Society for Vocational Education, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of University Professors, and Phi Beta Kappa.[3]

George A. Works
5th President of the University of Connecticut
In office 1929–1930
Preceded by	Charles L. Beach
Succeeded by	Charles C. McCracken
Personal details
Born	1877
Died	1957 (aged 79–80)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Madison (B.A.) Harvard University (Ph.D.)
Profession	Academic administration

Historian Bruce M. Stave characterized Works as "a mover and a shaker, a person of very high standards with academic experience at quality institutions."[4] Works immediately shook up the traditional culture at Storrs, advocating for greater emphasis on the liberal arts, demanding improvements to credentialing and professional development among the faculty, standardizing procedures, and seeking to unify the college, the agricultural experiment station, and the extension service, which had traditionally functioned independently.[5] Works also increased investment in library resources and laboratory facilities to support an unsuccessful bid for accreditation from the Association of American Universities.[4]

Works abruptly resigned effective July 1, 1930 and returned to the University of Chicago to chair its department of higher education.[4] He blamed political barriers for impeding his vision for growth, with the State Board of Finance and Control resisting the move toward a more comprehensive curriculum.[6] Works' resignation letter declared that "the trustees of the college should have a greater measure of autonomy in determining fiscal policies, which in turn influence educational policies, than the present financial organization of the state government gives them."[5] Works was succeeded as president by Charles C. McCracken, who moved toward Works' vision for a comprehensive college.[4]

Works' papers are held at UConn's Archives and Special Collections in the Dodd Research Center.[7]

References

1. OCLC. "Works, George A. (George Alan) 1877-1957". WorldCat.org. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
2. Ballestrini, Christine (2019-05-24). "University of Connecticut Office of the President | History". Retrieved 2020-07-02.
3. "Dr. George A. Works, Former Cornell Professor, Appointed Connecticut Agricultural President". Cornell Alumni News. 31 (29). Cornell University. 1929-04-25. hdl:1813/26921.
4. Stave, Bruce M. (2006). Red brick in the land of steady habits: creating the University of Connecticut, 1881-2006. Hanover: University of Connecticut. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-1-58465-569-5. OCLC 917293142.
5. Stemmons, Walter; Schenker, André (1931). Connecticut Agricultural College, a history. Storrs, Conn.: University of Connecticut. OCLC 926142.
6. "Connecticut College Head Resigns in Clash with State". New York Herald Tribune. 1930-06-13. ProQuest 1113703200.
7. University of Connecticut, Archives & Special Collections (2001). "Collection: University of Connecticut, President's Office Records [George A. Works, 1929-1930]". archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-03.