Joseph Swain (academic)

Education

Career

Biography

Joseph Swain was IU’s first Indiana-born president. He was born in Pendleton, Indiana, to Woolston and Mary A. Swain. Swain attended IU as an undergraduate and graduate student. He matriculated in 1879 and graduated with a B.L. degree in 1883. From 1883-1885, he was an instructor of mathematics and biology at IU while he completed his graduate education and graduated with a M.S. degree in 1885. Starting in 1885, Swain was an associate professor of mathematics until 1886, where he then was professor for five years until 1891. He left his professorship at IU in 1891 to follow departing IU president David Starr Jordan to Stanford University, where he taught as a professor of mathematics. In 1893, Swain received the degree LL.D from Wabash College. Swain returned to IU in 1893 to serve as IU's ninth president, succeeding John Coulter who served as IU's eight president. He met Frances M. Morgan, of Knightstown, Indiana, while teaching at IU and they went on to marry on September 22, 1885. Swain accepted the invitation to serve as President for Swarthmore College in 1902 until 1921. He retired from Swarthmore in 1921 as President Emeritus and died six years later. He is buried in his hometown of Pendleton in Friends Cemetery.

IU Administration

Swain served as IU's president from 1893 to 1902. During that time, he established Kirkwood Hall in 1894; a gymnasium for men in 1896, which later was named Assembly Hall; Kirkwood Observatory in 1900; and he began construction for Science Hall in 1901. During his presidency, student enrollment increased from 524 to 1,285.

Associations

Swain was the ex-president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, member of the Section on Higher Education of the National Council on Education, member of the World Peace Foundation and served as president of the N.E.A. from 1913-1914.