Burton C. Hallowell papers

Burton C. Hallowell, (1915-2006), was born in Orleans, MA and raised in Danielson, CT. He was Wesleyan class of ’36, received his masters from Wes in ’38, and was on the Wesleyan faculty in 1941-42. He served in the Army during WWII, rising to the rank of Captain in the Transportation Corps. In this role he led a group that used statistical performance measures to improve performance in supplying troops overseas. He returned to Wesleyan as full professor of Economics in 1946 where he eventually became head of the Economics Department. He received his PhD in Economics from Princeton in 1949. That same year, acting upon his belief that real-world experience enhanced teaching and learning, he became a consultant to the president of the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, a role he held for 11 years.

Hollowell was known as a superb teacher, a collegial presence and talented a consensus-builder. He developed Wesleyan’s Economics Department during the early ‘60s, became a vice-president of the University in 1961 and Executive Vice-President a few years later. He played a significant role in the creation of selective doctoral programs at Wesleyan and greatly enhanced the institution’s fundraising capabilities.

Hollowell left Wesleyan in 1967 to become President of Tufts University. During the next 10 turbulent years he put Tufts on a sound financial footing, improved accessibility for women and increased campus diversity. His balanced approach to campus life could serve as a model today. Defending his decision not to ban military recruiting on campus he said: “Just as I am opposed morally to the [Vietnam] war, I also recognize a moral commitment to preserve those freedoms that characterize a university.”

Believing that college presidents should serve no more than 10 years, Hollowell resigned as president in 1976. In succeeding years, he focused on corporate governance in multiple organizations. He eventually retired to Cape Cod, where he was one of the founding members of Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore and a Trustee of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

Hallowell maintained strong ties to Wesleyan and returned often for alumni events and graduations. The Hallowell Prize, established in 1968, is awarded annually to an outstanding senior in the social sciences.