Registrar's History Home
1972-1975: Nicholas Mitchell
|
|
A Spring 1973 registration packet.
|
|
A native of Seymour, Texas, Mitchell received his Bachelors and Masters in political science from the University of Texas, and a Ph.D. from Duke (1934) at the age of
23. After teaching at Louisiana State University and the University of Richmond, he went to Furman in 1936 to establish the Political Science Department.
From 1942-1945, he was graduate department
head at Furman, University press director, and a field class teacher
at the University of South Carolina. At the same time, he did radio
news commentary and was a columnist and correspondent for the
Greenville News.
From 1949 to 1955, he was Editor of the Greenville News and published a weekly in Marathon Florida (Florida Keys Keynoter) which was later sold to the Miami Herald. Mitchell became involved in adult education and in 1956 USC President Donald Russell appointed Mitchell Information Services Director. He then headed the extension division while USC established the regional campus system.
He was distinguished in the extension and adult education field, serving as President of the National University Extension Association and the South East Adult Education Association, Chairman of the South Carolina Council on Adult Education, and Editor in Chief of Adult Leadership from 1957-1975. Mitchell also received prestigious awards in adult education.
From 1965 to 1972, Mitchell was Dean of
General Studies (later Applied Professional Studies, now Hotel, Restaurant and Sport Management) and director of the Evening School. From 1972 until 1976, he was associate provost and registrar before retiring as Vice President for Administrative Services (in charge of admissions, alumni, development, information services, placement, and records and registration).
On the occasion of his retirement
in 1976, Mitchell said in a Columbia Record
article, "My chief complaint is that South Carolinians
don't appreciate what an excellent University they do have. If the
trend of growth and improvement continues, within 10 years we'll
have the same ranking we once did in the early and mid-1800's when
this was one of the schools in the country."
Mitchell's leadership went beyond the office and the university. He is remembered as a man of small stature, but of abundant energy and action, who was supportive of innovation and change, and trusted his staff.
|
