John Rood Cunningham (July 3, 1891 – June 15, 1980) was the 12th president of

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

. Born in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, Cunningham came to Davidson after spending several years in the ministry, including serving as president of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. As president, Cunningham was able to expand the endowment to five million dollars, almost double the size of the faculty, and increase the student population from around 160 students to 970 students. Cunningham also spearheaded the construction of several new buildings in order to accommodate the growth in students and faculty. After leaving Davidson, Cunningham was appointed the executive director of the

Southern Presbyterian Foundation Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

References

Presidents of Davidson College 1891 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American academics {{US-academic-administrator-1890s-stub