Being Lucky

In his absorbing autobiography, Herman B Wells, the legendary past president of Indiana University, recalls his small town boyhood, the strong influence of his parents, and his pioneering work with Indiana banks during the Great Depression. His contact with IU began as an undergraduate in 1921 when the still provincial school had fewer than 3,000 students. At the end of his 25-year tenure as president in 1962, IU was a university with an international reputation and a student body that would soon exceed 30,000. Wells' reflections on his years as university president are both lighthearted and serious. They describe in welcome detail how he approached the job, his observations on administration, his thoughts on academic freedom and tenure, his approach to student and alumni relations, and his views on the role of the university as a cultural center. And they include his fifty maxims for young college presidents. Finally Wells discusses the national and international service that helped shape his presidency and the university. Being Lucky is a nourishing brew of the memories, advice, wit, and wisdom of a remarkable man. This complete edition restores over a dozen fascinating vignettes and talks by Wells that were cut from the original edition.