J. Wayne Reitz

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J. Wayne Reitz
University of Florida President
J. Wayne Reitz, circa 1955.
5th President of the University of Florida
In office
1955–1967
Preceded byJohn S. Allen (acting)
Succeeded byStephen C. O'Connell
Personal details
Born(1908-12-31)December 31, 1908
University President

Julius Wayne Reitz (December 31, 1908 – December 24, 1993) was an American

doctorate degrees in his chosen field. After working as an agricultural economist, university professor and U.S. government agricultural administrator, Reitz was selected to be the fifth president of the University of Florida, serving from 1955 until 1967.[1]

Early life and education

Wayne Reitz was born on New Year's Eve, 1908, in

Canon City, Colorado, where he graduated from high school in 1926, and was admitted to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. While he was a university student, he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity (Beta Tau Chapter), the editor of the Silver Spruce yearbook
, freshman class president, student body president, and the winner of the Rocky Mountain Oratory Award. Reitz received his bachelor's degree in 1930.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, Reitz started work as an

University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his Master of Science degree in 1935. That same year, after accepting an assistant professorship in agricultural economics at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, Reitz married Frances Huston Millikan. After being promoted to full professor, Reitz returned to his formal studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy
degree in 1941.

Reitz left academic life in 1944 to work as an economic consultant for the United Growers and Shippers Association. Four years later, he became Chief of the

Escuela Agrícola Panamericana in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and the Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias Agrícolas de la OEA in Turrialba, Costa Rica
.

University president

Selection as president

A Florida Blue Key event - with Stephen C. O'Connell, John F. Kennedy, George Smathers, and J. Wayne Reitz Florida Blue Key banquet in 1957.

University of Florida president

faculty
member to be elevated to the position.

Growth and expansion

During Reitz's term, more than 300 new campus buildings were erected at an approximate cost of $50 million. The buildings constructed and expanded during his term included a new health center, a nuclear training

graduate school
through the addition of new programs and centers (especially the Latin American Language and Area Center) and created the Division of Sponsored Research to increase funding opportunities for research. His wife, a gracious hostess to countless dignitaries and students, also took an active role in advancing the university's music program. The facilities expansion coincided with a doubling of the student population from 9,000 to 18,000 during his tenure.

In 1960, Reitz was initiated as an honorary member of the Alpha Phi chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi.[4]

Controversy, the Johns Committee, and integration

The Reitz years were not without controversy. Strict behavior guidelines, dress codes, and a faculty disciplinary committee to enforce these rules all received Reitz's strong endorsement. In the early 1960s, the

]

Reitz has been criticized for not opposing or even welcoming Johns' investigation; Johns was a friend who at one point parked his car in Reitz's driveway, with Reitz's permission.[6] "Reitz happily allowed Johns on campus."[5]: 20  This differs from the reactions of the Florida State University and University of South Florida's presidents.[6]

The campus did not witness significant integration-era disruption. The University of Florida was the first state university to

College of Law
in September 1958. Reitz's close relationship with the student body was instrumental in curbing attempts to resist the court order to integrate.

Reitz, however, had more trouble with state governors. He opposed

Florida Supreme Court Justice Stephen C. O'Connell
was sworn in as the university's new president.

Post-presidency

After resigning as university president, Reitz served as the director of graduate programs in the U.S. Office of Education, and eventually returned to his international activities. In addition to his

Latin American work, Reitz was named to the Rockefeller Foundation's Board of Agricultural Consultants and, in 1964, he accepted an appointment to the Public Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations. These responsibilities carried him to several nations as a teacher and adviser. His most extensive overseas assignment was to Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, where he served as a consultant to the university rector
.

Reitz was said to have led one of the largest expansions of the campus physical plant and the new

See also

References

  1. ^ University of Florida, Past Presidents, J. Wayne Reitz (1955–1967) Archived 2014-02-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  2. ^ University of Florida, J. Wayne Reitz Union, J. Wayne Reitz Union History Archived 2008-06-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Associated Press, "Control Board Will Not Meet Until January," Ocala Star-Banner, p. 3 (December 23, 1954). Retrieved March 9, 2010.
  4. ^ Alpha Phi Chapter Member Roll
  5. ^ a b Lilly, Christiana (March 6, 2019). "The Johns Committee". South Florida Gay News. pp. 18–20.
  6. ^ .
  7. ^ University of Florida Foundation, UF Named Facilities, J. Wayne Reitz Union. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  8. ^ University of Florida, Student Affairs, Reitz Scholars Program. Retrieved February 16, 2010.

Further reading

External links