Olin Clyde Robison (May 12, 1936 – October 22, 2018) served as the thirteenth president of

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...

, 1975–1990. A native of Anacoco, Louisiana, Robison studied at Baylor University and Southwestern Theological Seminary, and received a D.Phil. from

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in 1963. He held various positions in the Johnson administration, namely in the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

and

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. He later served as provost at

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

before being elected president of Middlebury. A personal and professional interest for Robison was the Soviet Union and its political relations with the United States. He participated in numerous trips sponsored by the State Department and non-governmental organizations to Moscow and environs. Robison's tenure at Middlebury saw growth in student enrollment and physical infrastructure, and the conversion of

fraternities A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western conce ...

to less exclusive "social houses." He also reinvigorated Middlebury's international reputation through expansion of language teaching and the recruitment of foreign-national students, particularly from the former Soviet Union and East European countries. During his 15-year tenure, he also promoted faculty tenure opportunities through salary increases for research on campus and external locations. He was well regarded for his fundraising capabilities that resulted in significant facilities renovations including the Arts Center. As part of his national and international outreach, he hosted the Dalai Lama on campus in 1985. Following retirement in 1990, Robison continued to teach before serving as the eighth president of the Salzburg Global Seminar, a non-profit organization based in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

whose mission is to challenge current and future leaders to develop creative ideas for solving global problems. Robison retired from his position as president and chief executive officer of the Seminar in 2005. He was married to the former Sylvia Margaret Potter until their divorce and was the father of three sons. Robison was a Director of American Shared Hospital Services, The Investment Company of America, American Mutual Fund and AMCAP (all of the American Funds Group) and served on the Council (Board) of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London. He was a frequent commentator on

Vermont Public Radio Vermont Public Co. is the public broadcaster serving the U.S. state of Vermont. Its headquarters, newsroom, and radio studios are located in Colchester, with television studios in Winooski. It operates two statewide radio services aligned wit ...

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External links

Middlebury College

Salzburg Global Seminar
1936 births Living people Presidents of Middlebury College Baylor University alumni Alumni of Regent's Park College, Oxford {{US-academic-administrator-1930s-stub