Charles Wesley Hunt (1880–1973) was an American educator and academic administrator. He served as the 3rd President of the

State University of New York at Oneonta The State University of New York at Oneonta, also known as SUNY Oneonta, is a public university in Oneonta, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History SUNY Oneonta was established in 1889 as the Oneonta N ...

. During his tenure as president, the college transitioned from being known as Oneonta State Normal School to Oneonta State Teachers College. The Hunt Union building on the SUNY Oneonta is named in his honor, as well as some of the school-sponsored comedy events being called "Chuck's Comedy Club". Hunt was born on October 20, 1880, in

Charlestown, New Hampshire Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2020 census, down from 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation A ...

. He attended school in

Saxtons River, Vermont Saxtons River is an incorporated village in the town of Rockingham, Vermont, Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 479 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. For over a hundred years, Saxtons Rive ...

, and went on to attend

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. After graduation, Hunt taught in Saxtons River and Providence. He was the principal of a school in

Briarcliff Manor, New York Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. It is on of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor inc ...

. Hunt served in a variety of academic roles at universities including Columbia University, the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

, and

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

. Hunt became principal of the Oneonta Normal School in 1933. When the institution became a four-year college in 1938, Hunt became the first individual to be named president of the college. During Hunt's tenure as president, he was instrumental in convincing local government leaders to invest in acreage to expand the campus. Under Hunt's leadership, the quality of campus life increased, socially and academically. The faculty to student ratio was reduced, the library was expanded, and salaries were raised for employees. Hunt would leave this role in 1951. Hunt died on September 3, 1973, at the age of 92. On October 13, 1973, the College Union Building was dedicated to Hunt and named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Charles W. 1880 births 1973 deaths Presidents of campuses of the State University of New York Brown University alumni Columbia University alumni 20th-century American academics