Lawrence M. "Larry" Schall is the president of the
New England Commission of Higher Education and the former and sixteenth president of
Oglethorpe University, a private
liberal arts college
A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...
in
Atlanta,
Georgia.
Early life and education
Schall was born in
Manhattan and grew up in
Wilmington, Delaware.
[ He received his undergraduate degree from ]Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...
in 1975 and his Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1978.[
]
Career
After receiving his J.D., Schall practiced law in Philadelphia before returning to Swarthmore College, where he worked for fifteen years.[ Prior to becoming president of Oglethorpe University, he was the vice president for administration at Swarthmore.][ In March 2005, he was elected president of Oglethorpe University; he assumed the position of president on June 23, 2005.][ As president, Schall faced financial challenges as the university was spending $4 million more than it received in revenue when he assumed the presidency.][ Under his presidency, as of 2009, annual applications to Oglethorpe have more than quadrupled, revenue has increased by 40 percent, and annual fund-raising has doubled. Schall was inducted into ]Omicron Delta Kappa
Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in ...
as a faculty/staff initiate in 2017 at Oglethorp.
Advocacy
Schall is a signatory of the Amethyst Initiative
The Amethyst Initiative is an organization made up of U.S. college presidents and chancellors that, in July 2008, launched a movement calling for the reconsideration of U.S. legal drinking age, particularly the minimum age of 21.
The National Mi ...
, which calls for "informed and unimpeded debate" regarding the United States' legal drinking age of 21. In 2013, he joined with Elizabeth Kiss
Elizabeth Kiss (born 1961) is an American philosopher and academic administrator, specialising in moral and political philosophy. Since 2018, she has been the Warden of Rhodes House, Oxford University, and CEO of the Rhodes Trust. She is responsib ...
, the president of Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a private women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the ...
, to start a letter urging reform of gun safety laws. Schall has said he had the idea to start this letter, which more than 300 college presidents have signed, in "a fit of sleeplessness" after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Personal life
Schall began working as an Uber driver in the summer of 2015.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schall, Lawrence
Living people
Swarthmore College alumni
University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni
Presidents of Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University faculty
American gun control activists
People from Manhattan
Activists from New York (state)
Year of birth missing (living people)