George Edgar Vincent (March 21, 1864 – February 2, 1941) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
sociologist and university president.
Biography
He was born at
Rockford,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, the son of
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
John H. Vincent
John Heyl Vincent (February 23, 1832 – May 9, 1920) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He was born at Tuscaloosa, Ala., and was educated at Lewisburg (Pa.) Academy and at Wesleyan Institute, Newark, N. J. He ent ...
. He studied at
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
, where he was a member of
Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and served on the thirteenth editorial board of ''
The Yale Record''. After graduating in 1885, he engaged in
journalistic and literary work.
In 1888 he became associated with the
Chautauqua system as vice principal, and after 1907 was president of the
Chautauqua Institution (of the
Chautauqua movement).
From 1892 to 1894 he was a fellow at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
, in the first Department of
Sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. He was appointed to the Chicago faculty in 1894 and became a
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
in 1904. From 1900 to 1907 he was
dean of the junior colleges, and from 1907 to 1911 he was dean of the faculties of arts, literature, and science.
In 1911 he became the third president of the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
/
Saint Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. Drawing on his experience with the
Chautauqua Institute, he helped found the General Extension Division (the predecessor of the College of Continuing Education) to provide working adults with access to the University's courses.
While at the U of MN, Vincent put in place innovative programming including 'University Weeks' with plays, lectures, concerts and debates similar to the Chautauqua Institute, in the spirit of increasing educational and cultural opportunities for the general public.
Vincent Hall on the
University of Minnesota's East Bank campus is named in his honor. Vincent Hall is home to the School of Mathematics.
In 1917 he took the position of president of the
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...
.
References
*
Works
* ''An Introduction to the Study of Society'' (1894) with
Albion W. Small
Albion Woodbury Small (May 11, 1854 – March 24, 1926) founded the first independent Department of Sociology in the United States at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois in 1892. He was influential in the establishment of sociology as ...
, the first sociology textbook
* ''The Social Mind and Education'' (1896)
* ''The National Memory'' (1913)
Further reading
*
External links
*
Works by George Edgar Vincent at
JSTOR
JSTOR (; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library founded in 1995 in New York City. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary sources as well as current issues of j ...
Obituary, American Sociological Review, 1941*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vincent, George Edgar
1864 births
1941 deaths
American sociologists
American textbook writers
American male non-fiction writers
Sociology educators
People from Rockford, Illinois
Yale University alumni
Presidents of the University of Minnesota
University of Chicago faculty
Presidents of the American Sociological Association
Presidents of the Rockefeller Foundation