A Great Leap Forward
Bryan’s replacement was the young dean of the IU business school, Herman B Wells, an economist by training and a specialist in institutional finance. A native Hoosier and an IU alumnus, he was formally inaugurated on Dec. 1, 1938. Shrewd, charming, and energetic, Wells was prepared to use the impressive achievements of the Bryan era as a springboard for a great leap forward.
Wells had high expectations for all of those concerned with the welfare of IU, including himself. Relentless in his quest to make the university better, he was remarkably successful at enlisting supporters to the cause. His vision of Indiana as a great university was pragmatic rather than utopian. He knew that academic quality depended on creating conditions where individuals could learn and grow and thereby fulfill their potential. People were his passion, and he cultivated contacts with all members of the university community. Exuding a comfortable charisma, he was able to count naive freshman, nostalgic alumni, unsung secretaries, wealthy benefactors, skeptical legislators, local citizens, harried faculty, and many others as his friends and colleagues.
Wells possessed the instincts of a natural executive. When federal aid to higher education expanded because of World War II, he took advantage of the largesse to strengthen the university’s programs in foreign languages and international affairs. Likewise, government funds for scientific research helped to bolster initiatives in nuclear physics, genetics, psychology, and other areas. Wells was a master at leveraging limited resources by selecting certain subjects for strategic investment. Instead of supporting every conceivable program across the board, he emphasized certain fields of study where IU could achieve a competitive advantage, such as linguistics, folklore, area studies, and history and philosophy of science.
Although Wells maintained the university’s focus on research and advanced training, he made an extraordinary effort to cultivate the arts as well. A firm believer in the arts as an integral part of liberal education, he sought to increase students’ exposure to the visual and performing arts. Offerings in music, fine arts, and theater and drama expanded greatly as IU became more than a training ground for arts educators. With the help of a faculty drawn from the nonacademic world of art, talented students could develop their artistic creativity and performance skills.
The G.I. Bill helped to fuel burgeoning enrollments. Between 1946 and 1947 the student population doubled to 10,000, and growth continued for the next two decades. To accommodate this growth, the university committed itself to a major building program. In addition to the expansion of classroom, library, and laboratory facilities, several new dormitories were built, including a residence hall for graduate students. A notable legacy of the Wells era was the Fine Arts Plaza, with the Auditorium, the School of Fine Arts, and the Lilly Library surrounding the Showalter Fountain.
The momentum generated during his administration continued after Wells stepped down in 1962 after 25 years as president. Enrollment on the Bloomington campus finally reached a plateau of 30,000 students around 1970, while the other IU campuses continued their growth.
Next: Beyond Bloomington
