Harold Claude Case (1902 – February 20, 1972) was an American academic administrator and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

preacher. He served as president of

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

from 1951 to 1967 and was later named acting president of

Whittier College Whittier College (Whittier Academy (1887–1901)) is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of fall 2022, had approximately 1,300 (undergraduate and graduate) students. It was ...

Biography

Born in

Cottonwood Falls, Kansas Cottonwood Falls is the largest city and county seat of Chase County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 851. It is located south of Strong City along the south side of the Cottonwood River. Histor ...

, Case earned degrees from

Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. The College of Ar ...

and the

Boston University School of Theology Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is the oldest theological seminary of American Methodism and the founding school of Boston University, the largest private research university in New England. It is one of thirteen theological school ...

. He also studied at

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

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. After his ordination, he led congregations in Glencoe, Illinois, Pasadena, California,

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...

, and

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

. Case was named Boston University president on January 16, 1951, and inaugurated on June 3. During his sixteen years in office, dorms were expanded in West Campus. Other construction projects included the building of the

Warren Towers Warren Towers is one of the three Boston University dormitories traditionally intended for underclassmen, the others being The Towers and West Campus. The building is located at central campus, next to the College of Communication (COM) and a ...

, the BU Law Tower, the

George Sherman Union The George Sherman Union (GSU) is the student union building at Boston University and Boston University Academy. The Brutalist-styled building opened in Spring 1963. When it opened, the Union had a 10-lane bowling alley in its basement. The buil ...

, the

Mugar Memorial Library The Mugar Memorial Library is the primary library for study, teaching, and research in the humanities and social sciences for Boston University. It was opened in 1966. Stephen P. Mugar, an Armenian immigrant who was successful in the grocery ...

, and the

Boston Medical Center Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a non-profit 514-bed academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest safety-net hospital and Level I trauma center in New England. BMC employs 1,466 physicians—including 711 residents and f ...

. In total, Case oversaw the construction of 68 buildings. Along with a desire to transform Boston University into a leading research institution, Case further changed campus culture from one that primarily attracted male, commuter students, to one that became more gender-integrated and residential. Boston University established the Harold C. Case Scholarship in his honor upon Case's retirement in 1967.

Case Gym Case Gym is a 1,800-seat multi-purpose arena at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. It opened in 1972 as part of the Harold Case Physical Education Center, which is named after the university's fifth president, Harold C. Case. The gym ...

, constructed in 1972, was named in his honor. In 1970, Case was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from

. After a one-year stint at

, Case traveled to Africa and Asia, giving talks on educational problems facing new schools. He died at his home in Annisquam, Massachusetts on February 20, 1972, aged 69. Case was married to Phyllis Kirk, with whom he had two children, Harold Robert and Rosanna Case.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Case, Harold C. 1902 births 1972 deaths People from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas Presidents of Boston University Whittier College faculty Baker University alumni Boston University School of Theology alumni Northwestern University alumni Harvard University alumni American Methodist clergy People from Gloucester, Massachusetts Presidents of Whittier College 20th-century American clergy 20th-century American academics