William Pearson Tolley (September 13, 1900 – January 26, 1996) was an American academic.

Biography

Born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, he grew up in

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

. He was valedictorian of his high school class. He graduated from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in 1922. Intending to enter the ministry, he enrolled in Drew University while also taking graduate courses at

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 ...

. He received a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Drew in 1925, a master's degree from

Simmons University Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established in 1899 by clothing manufacturer John Simmons. In 2018, it reorganized its structure and changed its name to a university. Its ...

in 1924, and another Master's from Columbia in 1927, followed by a PhD from Columbia in 1930. While at Drew he was alumni secretary for two years; he also taught philosophy and served as assistant to the president. In 1928 he became acting dean of the new undergraduate college for men at Drew, Brothers College, and full dean in 1929. He assumed the presidency of Allegheny College on July 1, 1931, and became Syracuse University Chancellor in September 1942. Tolley led Syracuse through the war crisis and through major expansion until his retirement in 1969. University assets grew from $15 million to $200 million; undergraduate enrollment expanded from 3,800 to 24,000, and graduate enrollment from 400 to 8,000. Tolley received a Doctor of Laws from Allegheny in 1943. In retirement he chaired the board of

Mohawk Airlines Mohawk Airlines was a regional passenger airline operating in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, mainly in New York and Pennsylvania, from the mid-1940s until its acquisition by Allegheny Airlines in 1972. At its height, it employe ...

. He died on January 26, 1996, in Syracuse, New York.

Legacy

As the end of World War II approached, Syracuse University Chancellor William Tolley was asked by President Roosevelt to serve as a member of a small group of college and university leaders, tasked with creating what would ultimately become the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (the GI Bill). Today most historians assert that the GI Bill is among the most important legislative acts in the history of this country, as the legislation played a key role in positioning the U.S. as a technological superpower throughout the 21st century.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolley, William Presidents of Syracuse University 1900 births Syracuse University alumni Drew University alumni 1996 deaths 20th-century American academics Syracuse University Press