Eric Arthur Walker (April 29, 1910 – February 17, 1995) was president of the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

from 1956 to 1970 and a founding member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

Biography

Born in

Long Eaton Long Eaton is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Erewash district of Derbyshire, England, just north of the River Trent, about south-west of Nottingham and south-east of Derby. The town population was 37,760 at the 2011 census. It has been part ...

, England, Dr. Walker earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

, and

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in general science and engineering from Harvard. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Walker was associate director of the Underwater Sound Laboratory, initially located at Harvard, but relocated to the campus of Penn State University. Dr. Walker remained at Penn State, becoming head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, then Dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture in 1951. Next Dr. Walker became vice president for research at Penn State in 1956, and President of the University, also in 1956. Penn State experienced changes and growth during the Presidency of Dr. Walker. The post-war student population at the university increased from 13,000 to 40,000, becoming one of the largest universities in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Dr. Walker also oversaw the creation of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and research expenditures for the university grew from $8,000,000 in 1956-57 to $36,000,000 in 1969-70. Dr. Walker served as Vice-Chair of President Eisenhower's

Committee on Scientists and Engineers The Committee on Scientists and Engineers was created by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower as the result of recommendations of an earlier Special Interdepartmental Committee and was charged with taking action in all appropriate ways to promote a s ...

from 1956-1958.

Legacy

The Eric A. Walker building on Penn State's campus is named in honor of Dr. Walker. It houses the

Meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...

department, one of the larger science departments at the university, as well as the

Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

department.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Eric A. 1910 births 1995 deaths People from Long Eaton Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni Founding members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Harvard Business School alumni Presidents of Pennsylvania State University Fellows of the American Physical Society 20th-century American academics