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Frank James Newman, Jr. (February 24, 1927 – May 29, 2004) was a US
education reform Education reform is the name given to the goal of changing public education. The meaning and education methods have changed through debates over what content or experiences result in an educated individual or an educated society. Historically, t ...
er and administrator who produced the Newman Reports, two ground-breaking reports on
higher education in the United States Higher education in the United States is an optional stage of formal learning following secondary education. Higher education is also referred as post-secondary education, third-stage, third-level, or tertiary education. It covers stages 5 to 8 ...
that were published in 1971 and 1974. He served as the eighth President of the
University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Island ...
(1974–1983). After a period as a fellow for the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most nota ...
, he co-founded Campus Compact in 1985. Newman was president for 14 years from 1985 to 1999 of the
Education Commission of the States The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is a United States interstate agency that tracks educational policy, translates research, provides advice and "creates opportunities for state policymakers to learn from one another".fsu.digital.flvc.or ...
. He then founded the Futures Project at
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
and taught there and at
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 ...
. Following his death aged 77, education awards and fellowships were named in his honour.


Early life and career

Frank J. Newman was born on February 24, 1927, in
Flushing, New York Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...
, and grew up in
Mamaroneck Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of M ...
, New York. He was one of three children of Frank and Dorothy (Lawlor) Newman. His undergraduate (BA) degree at
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
was in Naval Science and Economics and he graduated in 1946. This was followed by a degree in
electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
, awarded from Brown in 1949. After a period as an economics student at
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in the UK, he returned to the US and began work with the Honeywell Regulator Company that dealt in
thermostat A thermostat is a regulating device component which senses the temperature of a physical system and performs actions so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint. Thermostats are used in any device or system tha ...
technology. During this period, he studied for and obtained a Master of Science in Business Administration from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. Newman married Lucile Fanning in 1951 and they had three sons: Kenneth, James, and Michael. His wife would become a professor at
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
. From 1955 to 1965, Newman worked for
Beckman Instruments Beckman Coulter Inc. is a Danaher Corporation company that develops, manufactures, and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical testing. It operates in two industries: Diagnostics and Life Sciences. For more than ...
. Newman ran as a Republican on an antiwar platform in the 1966 United States House of Representatives elections, standing in
California's 14th congressional district California's 14th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2023. Currently, the 14th district is in Alameda County and includes th ...
. He stood first in the special election held on 7 June 1966 following the death of Republican Representative John F. Baldwin, Jr., coming second to Democratic candidate Jerome R. Waldie. Newman stood again in the general election held on 8 November 1966, and again came second to Waldie. Following his failure to secure election, Newman spent seven years as the Director of University Relations at
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
(1967–1974).


Education reform and administration

Newman's best-known works on education reform were the 'Newman Reports' of 1971 and 1974, formally the 'Report on Higher Education' and 'The Second Newman Report: National Policy and Higher Education'. For nine years he served as the eighth President of the
University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Island ...
(1974–1983). He resigned his position at the University of Rhode Island to take up a Presidential Fellowship at the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most nota ...
. In 1985, his Carnegie Foundation Report, titled ''Higher Education and the American Resurgence'', stated:
The enduring and honorable American tradition of opportunity through education must function for the whole of the population. This requires higher education to do a better job of drawing people from all segments of society into those programs that lead to positions of leadership in the life of the country.Quoted from
In 1985, Newman was a co-founder with the presidents of Stanford University, Brown University, and Georgetown University, of the organisation Campus Compact. For 14 years from 1985 to 1999, Newman was President of the
Education Commission of the States The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is a United States interstate agency that tracks educational policy, translates research, provides advice and "creates opportunities for state policymakers to learn from one another".fsu.digital.flvc.or ...
. In 1999 he was the founder and director of 'The Futures Project: Policy for Higher Education in a Changing World'. At the time of its founding, the Futures Project was based at Brown University's Center for Public Policy and American Institutions and was funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Newman was appointed the Julius and Rosa Sachs Lecturer for the 1999–2000 academic year by
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 ...
, where he was a Visiting Professor. Also in 1999, he was elected an alumni trustee of Brown University's Brown Corporation. He was also a Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Sociology at
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
. On 13 May 2003, Newman testified before the
United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia. Hi ...
.


Honours and tributes

In March 1977, Newman was made a "High Officer" of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator, with the award being presented by the Portuguese Secretary of State for Emigration. Newman was made an honorary University of Rhode Island alumnus in 1979, followed by a University of Rhode Island honorary degree in 1989. Newman received the William Rogers Award from the Alumni Association of Brown University in 1994. The 1999 announcement of his election as alumni trustee at Brown University stated that he held 40 honorary degrees. Also in 1999, he received the
James Bryant Conant Award {{use mdy dates, date=October 2021 The James Bryant Conant Award is a US education award. The most prestigious award made by the Education Commission of the States (ECS), it has been awarded annually since 1977. It was established and named in honou ...
from the Education Commission of the States. In 2002, the admissions building at the University of Rhode Island was renamed the Frank Newman Hall. This name change was formally recognised by the Rhode Island State Assembly: Frank Newman Hall: "The facility located at 14 Upper College Road on the Kingston Campus of the University of Rhode Island shall be named the Frank Newman Hall - Rhode Island General Laws 22-7.4-79.


Death and legacy

Newman died aged 77 on May 29, 2004, in
Miriam Hospital The Miriam Hospital is a private, not-for-profit hospital at 164 Summit Avenue in Providence, in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is a major teaching affiliate of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. History In 1902, a handful ...
, Providence, Rhode Island. The cause was
melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...
. He had been living in Jamestown at the time of his death, and was survived by his wife and three children. A memorial service was held at Brown University in June 2004. The then-President of the University of Rhode Island, Robert L. Carothers, paid tribute to Newman, calling him "one of the great thinkers in higher education". In 2005, the Education Commission of the States renamed its State Innovation Award in his honour. Also bearing his name are the Newman Civic Fellows Awards, administered by Campus Compact and originally called the Frank Newman Leadership Awards.


Selected works

Newman authored a number of books on education reform. *1971
Report on Higher Education: Frank Newman
*1974
The Second Newman Report: National Policy and Higher Education
*1985
Higher Education and the American Resurgence
(The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching) *2004

(co-author with Lara Couturier and Jamie Scurry)


References


External links



(University of Rhode Island, Library Special Collections exhibit)
The Technology Revolution: An Interview with Frank Newman
by James L. Morrison, ''The Technology Source'', January/February 2003
Education papers published by Frank Newman
(ERIC database search)
The Legacy of Frank Newman
by Russell Edgerton and Kay McClenney, ''Change'', Vol. 37, No. 1, 2005, pp. 44–51
For Frank Newman Anything Was Possible
by Arthur Levine, ''The Chronicle Review'' (18 June 2004)
reprinted
by Brown University Alumni Magazine
Guide to the Frank Newman Papers 1948-1987
(University of Rhode Island Library, Special Collections and Archives)
Guide to the Records of the President's Office Frank Newman 1970-1985
(University of Rhode Island Library, Special Collections and Archives) ;Newman Reports
Summary of the Newman Report (1971)
in ''American Higher Education Transformed, 1940-2005'' (2008) by Wilson Smith and Thomas Bender (JHU Press)
The Newman Report: Four Comments
Greeley, Astin, Katz and Epperson, ''The Journal of Higher Education'', Vol. 42, No. 7 (Oct., 1971), pp. 610–623
A Preview of the Second Newman Report
by Frank Newman, ''Change'', Vol. 4, No. 4, 1972, pp. 28–34 {{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Frank J. 1927 births 2004 deaths Grand Officers of the Order of Prince Henry University of Rhode Island faculty Teachers College, Columbia University faculty People from Flushing, Queens Presidents of the University of Rhode Island People from Mamaroneck, New York 20th-century American academics