Louis T. Benezet

Who is Louis T. Benezet?

Louis Tomlinson Benezet was an American educator, education administrator and multiple U.S. university president.

He was the son of Louis P. Bénézet, a professor at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. He received his BA at Dartmouth College; his MA in psychology at Reed College, Portland, Oregon; and his Ph.D in College and Educational Administration at Teachers College, Columbia University in 1929.

From 1948 to 1955 he was President of Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania, and, from 1955 to 1963, President of Colorado College. He transformed Colorado College into a nationally recognized training center. When he left in 1955 he had become a recognized national figure in the field of higher education. The annual "Benezet Prize" was named after him.

From 1963-1970 he was president of Claremont Graduate School and University Center in Claremont, California. As president of the Claremont Graduate University, he left a nationally important legacy, since he organized a change in the "College Rating System", introducing a system which reflected the actual performance of alumni in later life, by following-up on former students with greater efficiency. From 1970 to 1976 he was President of the State University of New York, Albany.