Alvin Christian Eurich (June 14, 1902 – May 27, 1987) was a 20th-century American educator who is most notable for having served as the first president of the State University of New York from 1949–1951.

Early life and education

Eurich was born in

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city and county seat of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and it is the principal city of the Bay City Metrop ...

and pursued degrees in Psychology at

North Central College North Central College is a private college in Naperville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and has nearly 70 areas of study in undergraduate majors, minors, and programs through 19 academic departments organized in thre ...

and the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...

. He supported himself by working as a speech instructor while in Maine. He earned a Ph.D. in

Educational Psychology Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. The study of learning processes, from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives, allows researchers to understand individual differences in ...

at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

in 1929, where he worked as a professor and assistant dean of the College of Education from 1927 to 1936.

Career

In 1937 he left for

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and a year after that, he left for Stanford University. During World War II, he served in the Navy, returning to take a Vice Presidency at Stanford University. He helped organize the

Stanford Research Institute SRI International (SRI) is an American nonprofit scientific research institute and organization headquartered in Menlo Park, California. The trustees of Stanford University established SRI in 1946 as a center of innovation to support economic ...

and served as its chairman. He was named acting President of Stanford in 1948 after his predecessor's sudden death, shortly before assuming the Presidency of SUNY. From 1958 to 1964, Eurich served as Executive Director of the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

's Educational Division and in 1961 he co-founded the

Academy for Educational Development AED, formerly the Academy for Educational Development (1961 to 2011), was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that focused on education, health and economic development for the "least advantaged in the United States and developing countries throu ...

and served as its chairman for many years. He also served as President of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies from 1963 to 1972.

Personal life

He was married to Nell Eurich; they had two children: Juliet Eurich McDonough and Donald Eurich. After his death, his wife married Maurice Lazarus.

References

External links

Alvin Christian Eurich: An Oral History
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program, 1980. {{DEFAULTSORT:Eurich, Alvin C. 1902 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American psychologists Northwestern University faculty People from Bay City, Michigan Presidents of Stanford University Chancellors of the State University of New York University of Maine alumni North Central College alumni University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development alumni University of Minnesota faculty SRI International people 20th-century American academics