The wait is over

Welcome No. 17.\nAdam Herbert is joining the 16 other men who have had the honor of being the president of IU. His company includes Herman B Wells, William Lowe Bryan, Joseph Swain, David Starr Jordan and Andrew Wylie, all men who have various buildings on campus named after them.\nHerbert, 59, is certainly not the youngest person to become president. Jordan took the office at 33, and Wells became president at 35, the youngest state university president in the nation at the time.\nNor is he the oldest. John Hiram Lathrop was 60 when he became president of IU back in 1859 -- two years before the Civil War started. He only lasted a year, though. \nThat was still six months longer than the man who owns the distinction of being president for the shortest amount of time. Alfred Ryors left the presidency after six months in 1853 to become the president of Centre College in Danville, Ky. \nThe longest lasting presidents were Wells and Bryan. Wells was president for a total of 26 years, including his time as interim president. Bryan did even better, remaining president for 35 years before retiring at 77, the oldest man ever to be president.\nAdam Herbert wasn't born in Indiana. He's from Muskogee, Okla. However, of the 16 presidents before him, only three were born in Indiana -- Swain, Bryan and Wells. Bryan was born closest to IU.\nMyles Brand, who left IU in January to head the NCAA, holds the distinction of leading IU to be the "College of the Year" among research universities, named September 2001 in Time magazine.\nBefore Brand came Thomas Ehrlich (1987-1994) and his infamous bowtie he constantly wore and John William Ryan (1971-1987), who oversaw the establishment of IU campuses in New Albany and Richmond and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the School of Continuing Studies. Brand, Ehrlich and Ryan are the only past presidents still alive.\nThe most venerated president in IU's history is Wells (1937-1962, 1968). His presidency saw the physical size of the University quadruple and enrollment grow five times larger. He also refused to dismiss Alfred Kinsey when his studies on human sexual behavior began a national controversy. \nBefore Wells came Bryan (1902-1937) and Swain (1893-1902). Bryan was responsible for IU's transformation from a small, liberal arts college to a major university and Swain continued on the improvements that Jordan (1884-1891) instituted at the University. Jordan was able to get $30,000 from the Indiana legislature to help rebuild IU after a fire destroyed the library, museum and labs. He also oversaw the moving of the main campus to where it is now by Dunn Woods. He resigned in 1891 to become president of Stanford University.\nThe first IU president was Wylie (1829-1851). He is also the only president to have died in office.\nSources: www.indiana.edu/~libweb/info/history/, www.indiana.edu/~nextpres/pastpres.shtml