Thomas Alva Bartlett (born August 20, 1930) is an American educator who is most notable for having served as president of several universities and university systems. Bartlett was born in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

, and was youngest of three sons of Cleave Bartlett, an auditor-bookkeeper and real estate broker, and the former Alma Hanson, a housewife. In 1947, he graduated from Salem High School. He attended

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

for two years, where he joined

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...

fraternity, before transferring to

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, where he was elected to the

Phi Beta Kappa Society 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 ar ...

. After graduating in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in political science, he attended

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

as a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, earning a master's degree. In 1959 he was awarded a Ph.D. degree from

. While still in graduate school, he was recruited to join the United States Permanent Mission to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

to work on Arab-Israeli relations. From, there, he became the president of the

American University in Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة, Al-Jāmi‘a al-’Amrīkiyya bi-l-Qāhira) is a private research university in Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs ...

. From 1969 to 1977, he assumed the presidency of

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

as well as the chancellorships of the

University of Alabama System The University of Alabama System is a public university system in Alabama that coordinates and oversees three research universities: University of Alabama (UA), University of Alabama at Birmingham, and University of Alabama in Huntsville. These u ...

and the Oregon State System of Higher Education from the 1970s to the 1980s. He also served as president of the

Association of American Universities The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...

. He was called out of a brief retirement to head the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

System in 1994, but conflicts with

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...

appointees on the university's board of trustees led to his resignation after just 17 months on the job. After SUNY, he became chairman of the board of trustees of the United States-Japan Foundation, leaving after seven years to re-assume the Presidency of the American University in Cairo on an

interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...

basis. The Thomas A. Bartlett Chair of English at Colgate University is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Thomas A. 1930 births American Rhodes Scholars Presidents of Colgate University Living people Presidents of The American University in Cairo People from Salem, Oregon Chancellors of the State University of New York Stanford University alumni University of Alabama System Willamette University alumni North Salem High School (Salem, Oregon) alumni Chancellors of the University of Alabama System American expatriates in Egypt Presidents of the Association of American Universities