Arleigh Brantley Templeton (April 18, 1916 – October 28, 2006) was an American academic administrator. He was president of Alvin Junior College,

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

and the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

; he was also the first president of the

University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the largest university in San Antonio and the eighth-largest by ...

. Templeton served as president of the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

Biography

Templeton was born in

New Waverly, Texas New Waverly is a city in Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 914 at the 2020 census. Geography New Waverly is located at (30.539226, –95.479862). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area o ...

. He received an undergraduate degree from Sam Houston State Teachers College in 1936 and master's and doctoral degrees from the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

. He was 19 when he became a principal and English, Spanish and algebra teacher at Willow Hole High School in Texas. Between 1937 and 1940, he was principal and taught biology, physics and math at League City High School. After serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and working for an oil company, he became an assistant superintendent and superintendent for several school districts in the Greater Houston area. After a stint as president of Alvin Junior College between 1954 and 1964, Templeton became president of Sam Houston State Teachers College. He succeeded Harmon Lowman, who had governed with a more informal style. Templeton made more demands on the Sam Houston faculty than his predecessor, placing an importance on student and faculty research and on increasing the percentage of doctorally-prepared professors. The school's name changed twice during his tenure, first to Sam Houston State College, then to Sam Houston State University in 1969. Sam Houston State's criminal justice programs were created during Templeton's time as president. Sam Houston State's criminal justice program offered the school's first doctoral degree. He was installed as the first president of the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1970, where he served for two years. He was then the president of the University of Texas at El Paso for several years. Templeton's 1972 appointment as UTEP's president has been cited as an example of the power struggles that can occur in multicampus university systems. At a time when the university was facing several significant issues, including widespread protests by the Hispanic student population on campus, Templeton and other UTEP executives were appointed by the University of Texas System without the consultation of UTEP faculty. Templeton retired from UTEP in 1980. He and his wife moved to San Antonio, where he ran a job training center until his 1999 retirement.

Honors

Templeton was named a Distinguished Alumnus by Sam Houston State University in 1977. He was elected president of the

in 1967, was appointed to Texas governor

John B. Connally John Bowden Connally Jr. (February 27, 1917June 15, 1993) was an American politician. He served as the 39th governor of Texas and as the 61st United States secretary of the Treasury. He began his career as a Democrat and later became a Republican ...

's Committee on Education Beyond the High School, and spent 30 years on the

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is an agency of the U.S. state of Texas's government that oversees all public post-secondary education in the state. It is headquartered at 1801 North Congress Avenue in Austin. THECB det ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Templeton, Arleigh B. 1916 births 2006 deaths Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Sam Houston State University alumni University of Houston alumni People from New Waverly, Texas 20th-century American academics