William Elgein Wickenden (December 24, 1882 – September 1, 1947) was the third president of Case School of Applied Science, now Case Western Reserve University. Wickenden was born in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

on December 24, 1882. He graduated from

Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...

in 1904 and married Marion Lamb, also a Denison graduate, in Toledo on Sept 2, 1908. He began his teaching career in higher education, first at Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute in 1904, then at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

from 1905 to 1909, and finally at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

from 1909 to 1918. From 1918 to 1921 he was Personnel Director of the

Western Electric Company The Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company officially founded in 1869. A wholly owned subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph for most of its lifespan, it served as the primary equipment m ...

, was appointed Assistant Vice President of the

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(AT&T) in 1921. Through his connections from

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

and producing technical survey work at

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...

, Wickenden was recruited by the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education (SPEE), now known as

American Society for Engineering Education The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is a non-profit member association, founded in 1893, dedicated to promoting and improving engineering and engineering technology education. The purpose of ASEE is the advancement of education ...

(ASEE), to be the Director of the Investigation of Engineering Education. Primarily, he was tasked to conduct the most thorough survey to date, outlining American technical manpower needs and educational means to achieve them. In conjunction with the

Carnegie Corporation The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

United States Bureau of Education The Office of Education, at times known as the Department of Education and the Bureau of Education, was a small unit in the Federal Government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972. It is now separated ...

Eta Kappa Nu Eta Kappa Nu () or IEEE-HKN is the international honor society of the Computer Science and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). "The organization promotes excellence in the profession and in education through an emphasi ...

, and national engineering societies, the study lasted six years and 150 schools. The Wickenden Report, ''Report of the Investigation of Engineering Education 1923-1929'' was released in two segments–volume 1 in 1930 and volume 2 in 1934. Wickenden later served as the national president of the

Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is a non-profit member association, founded in 1893, dedicated to promoting and improving engineering and engineering technology education. The purpose of ASEE is the advancement of education ...

(SPEE) from 1933-1934. In 1929, Wickenden became the third president of Case School of Applied Science. Immediately, he had to deal with the onset of the Great Depression, working hard to keep the university solvent during the 1930s. Previously, Case had only offered undergraduate degree. Wickenden added multiple graduate degree programs where the school's first master's and doctoral degrees were earned under his watch. In 1947, Wickenden oversaw the name change transition of Case School of Applied Science to Case Institute of Technology. He was also a member of

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

, and

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. Additionally, he was president of the

American Institute of Electrical Engineers The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was a United States-based organization of electrical engineers that existed from 1884 through 1962. On January 1, 1963, it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) to form the Insti ...

(AIEE) from 1945-46. Honorary degrees bestowed upon him are:

Doctor of Engineering The Doctor of Engineering, or Engineering Doctorate, (abbreviated DEng, EngD, or Dr-Ing) is a degree awarded on the basis of advanced study and a practical project in the engineering and applied science for solving problems in the industry. In th ...

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

, 1926,

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a Private university, private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities and now has 14 ac ...

, 1927,

Case School of Applied Science The Case School of Engineering is the engineering school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. It traces its roots to the 1880 founding of the Case School of Applied Science. It became the Case Institute of Technology in 1947 ...

, 1929, and

Rose Polytechnic Institute A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

, 1932;

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

, 1928, and

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering ...

, 1930;

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

, Oberlin College, 1930; and

Doctor of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

Otterbein College Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio. It offers 74 majors and 44 minors as well as eight graduate programs. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Bre ...

, 1933. Wickenden died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

at Monadnock Community Hospital on September 1, 1947 while on vacation at

Peterborough, New Hampshire Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 census. The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is defined as the Peterborough census-designated place (CDP) and ...

Writings

He was the author of: * ''Illumination and Photometry'' (1910) * ''Report of the Investigation of Engineering Education 1923-1929.'' Volume 1 (1930) with Chas. F. Scott. * ''Report of the Investigation of Engineering Education 1923-1929.'' Volume 2 (1934) with Chas. F. Scott. * ''Engineering Education Needs a "Second Mile."'' Electrical Engineering. Volume: 54 Issue: 5 (May 1935)

References

External links

Case Western Reserve University bio
* https://case.edu/its/archives/presidents/AddressToCaseAlumni_1947-05-24_speech.pdf * http://ethw.org/Archives:Papers_of_William_E._Wickenden {{DEFAULTSORT:Wickenden, William W. Case Western Reserve University faculty Denison University alumni Rochester Institute of Technology faculty Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty 1882 births 1947 deaths Writers from Toledo, Ohio Presidents of Case Western Reserve University 20th-century American academics