Academic president as moral leader: James T. Laney at Emory University, 1977-1993

Reading the numerous biographies of college and university presidents since the founding of Harvard is one of the methods researchers use to understand the history of higher education in the United States. This dissertation seeks to add to our understanding of higher education by focusing on the leadership of Dr. James T. Laney as president of Emory University from 1977 until 1993.; During Laney's tenure, Emory grew from a solid regional institution into a major research university. By most salient measures---endowment, student enrollment, faculty size, and square footage---Emory's growth was enormous. Both prior to and soon after his departure, Laney's efforts were rewarded by Emory's being named repeatedly as a top twenty-five research university by U.S. News and World Report, its Carnegie classification being changed from Research II to Research I, and its admission to the elite Association of American Universities.; This dissertation examines how Laney accomplished the transformation of Emory. Particular attention is given to Laney's commitment to Emory being a moral community concerned with advancing the common good. Thus, this dissertation focuses on Laney's background prior to his election as president, the institutional and environmental challenges he faced while in office, his unprecedented achievements as a fund raiser, and his numerous speeches given while in office. This detailed analysis provides insight into Emory's maturation as a leading research university, into the moral leadership given by Laney, and into the development of higher education in this country.; The sources for this study include archival materials from Laney's presidency, oral interviews with trustees, faculty, administrators, and Laney himself, and secondary literature, including presidential biographies, theories of presidential leadership, and scholarly works on the development of higher education in the late 1900s.