Andrew David Holt (December 4, 1904 – August 7, 1987) was an American educator who was the 16th president of the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

, filling that position from 1959 to 1970.

Milton M. Klein Milton Martin Klein (15 August 1917 – 10 June 2004) was an American historian. He was born in New York City on 15 August 1917 to Margaret and Edward Klein. Milton Klein earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the City College of New York. ...

Andrew D. Holt, UT's Sixteenth President (1959-1970)
, accessed September 11, 2010 Holt was born in

Milan, Tennessee Milan () is the second largest city after Humboldt in Gibson County, Tennessee and the largest entirely within the county. It is home to the Milan Army Ammunition Plant, the West Tennessee Agricultural Museum and several historical sites listed o ...

in 1904, the son of two schoolteachers. He graduated from Milan High School and

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

. After his college graduation in 1927, he became a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

West Tennessee West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions (Tennessee), Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that roughly comprises the western quarter of the state. The region includes 21 counties between the Tennessee River, Tennessee and Miss ...

, first in Milan, where he taught grades five through eight, and then in Humboldt, where he taught

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

.Teresa Biddle-Douglass
Andrew David Holt
''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'' He also worked as a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, a

school principal A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the teacher, staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school ...

, and a

school superintendent In the American education system, a superintendent or superintendent of schools is an administrator or manager in charge of a number of public schools or a school district, a local government body overseeing public schools. All school principa ...

. After less than 10 years of teaching, he joined the faculty of West Tennessee State Teachers College (now the

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

), where he served successively as principal of the Training School, director of

teacher training Teacher education or teacher training refers to programs, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, approaches, methodologies and skills they require to perform their t ...

, and professor of educational administration. While working in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, he enrolled in a

graduate program Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties and ...

, which awarded him a

Ph.D. degree A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in 1937. His doctoral dissertation at Columbia was about the continuing struggle for public support of education in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. After receiving his Ph.D., Holt started a new job as executive secretary of the Tennessee Education Association (TEA). In 1949 he became president of the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

, after having been elected first vice president in 1948. In 1950 he left the TEA to join the University of Tennessee as executive assistant to university president

Cloide Brehm Cloide Everett Brehm (March 23, 1889 – July 25, 1971) was the 15th president of the University of Tennessee, serving in that position from 1946 until his retirement in 1959. Milton M. KleinAndrew D. Holt, UT's Sixteenth President (1959-1970), acce ...

. In 1953 he became the university's vice president, and after Brehm's retirement in 1959 the university's trustees appointed him to the university presidency. Retired University Historian Milton Klein has described Holt's leadership of the

University of Tennessee system The University of Tennessee system (UT system) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of two public university systems, the other being the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR). It consists of four primary campu ...

as "marked by a burst of energy unsurpassed in the University's history." During Holt's tenure as president, enrollment increased threefold and the faculty and staff doubled in number. Eight new buildings were built on the university's flagship campus in

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

. The university budget and state government funding for its support both increased fourfold. During Holt's presidency, he worked with the Board of Trustees in 1960 to change the university's admissions policy to accept African Americans. The first black underclassmen were enrolled in January 1961. Holt died in

on August 7, 1987. The University of Tennessee administration building, Andy Holt Tower, completed in 1973, and a street on the university's Knoxville

campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

, Andy Holt Avenue (formerly Rose Avenue), are named in his honor.Carroll Van West (1995)
Tennessee's historic landscapes: A traveler's guide
University of Tennessee Press. Page 79. The largest

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

on campus, a 15-

story Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

building that is officially named Apartment Residence Hall, is located on Andy Holt Avenue and is commonly called "Andy Holt Apartments", or just "Andy Holt".Apartment Residence Hall
, University Housing website,

, accessed September 11, 2010. The building is in the process of being demolished.Knoxville News Sentinel
article posted August 5, 2015

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Andrew David School superintendents in Tennessee Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Emory University alumni Presidents of the National Education Association People from Milan, Tennessee University of Memphis faculty Leaders of the University of Tennessee Knoxville 1904 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American academics