University Professor and former Provost Sol Gittleman's "An Entrepreneurial University," a book chronicling the history of Tufts University from 1976 to 2002, will be released Dec. 1 by the University Press of New England.
The book is already on sale at the Tufts bookstore.
Part history and part memoir, the book documents Tufts' growth from a small regional school to a national-level university during the three "stylistically different" presidencies of Jean Mayer, John DiBiaggio, and Lawrence Bacow.
The book emphasizes the importance and vision of Jean Mayer, who became president of Tufts in July 1976, five years before Gittleman assumed the role of provost.
"[Mayer] started the transformation of Tufts," Gittleman said. "There are very few transformative presidents in American higher education. And we had one of them."
Mayer was passed over twice before the Board of Trustees finally offered him the position, leading Gittleman to label him an "accidental president."
"He was an entrepreneurial spirit. He wasn't the easiest guy to work with, but he was remarkable," Gittleman said. "In a way, he was accidental because people didn't know what they were getting into when he came here, but we were the lucky ones."
Mayer created the School of Veterinary Medicine, the School of Medicine, and the School of Nutrition Science and Policy, among other accomplishments. He helped acquire a small plot of land in the French village of Talloires, the site of an 11th century Benedictine priory, which would later house the Tufts-in-Talloires program.
His leadership also encouraged the Board of Trustees to adopt a more active role in managing the University by forming a partnership with the University president, Gittleman said.
Secretary to the Trustees Linda Dixon also recalls Mayer as a revolutionary. "Jean Mayer was just an incredible president and one of a kind. He believed that Tufts had the potential to be far greater than it was," she said.
Gittleman's account follows with a focus on DiBiaggio, Mayer's successor, who oversaw Tufts during a time of consolidation after Mayer's era of rapid development.
This consolidation included increasing Tufts' financial security through initiatives like the Tufts Tomorrow capital campaign, which raised $609 million for Tufts' endowment and continued after DiBiaggio had left the University.
DiBiaggio's presidency lasted nine years until 2001, at which point Bacow was appointed to lead Tufts into a new period of national recognition in the 21st century.
Bacow's leadership at Tufts has worked to increase interactions between Tufts' various academic programs so that "all seven schools meld together into a single university," as he said before stepping in as president.
"Tufts underwent a metamorphosis," Gittleman said. "We went from a caterpillar to a butterfly."
Gittleman's book is preceded by two earlier accounts of Tufts history, written by Tufts Archivist and professor Russell Miller. These books span Tufts' establishment in 1852 until 1983, during the early years of Jean Mayer's presidency.
While aware that Miller's histories had already covered some of the Mayer presidency, Gittleman purposefully aimed for some overlap. Tufts' transformation "started with the arrival of Jean Mayer and I wanted to deal with how he came," he said.
And while Miller's books used official documents such as minutes from faculty meetings, "An Entrepreneurial University" draws not only upon Gittleman's historical research, but also his nearly 40 years of personal experience as a professor and administrator.
"I'm going to use my own voice," Gittleman said. "[My book] is different in that it's as much about people as anything."
Dixon said Gittleman's voice adds a dynamic element to the book. "The book is straight-talking and amusing," she said. "Sol is not afraid to tell it like it is. He tells a very compelling tale. It's very autobiographical."
According to Gittleman, a member of the Alumni Association approached him about updating the last two volumes of Tufts history. After extensive research and interviewing, he spent nine months writing his history.
Gittleman collaborated with alumni, the Board of Trustees, and numerous members of the administration to complete his project. He also worked closely with Executive Vice President Steve Manos and former Vice President of Development and Senior Vice President Tom Murnane.
Together, the three men have over 63 years of combined working experience at Tufts. "We had many adventures," Gittleman said.
"There's a lot of wonderful information in this book," said Dixon. "I would love to see the students of Tufts University to get behind this book and read it."
Finished with his history, Gittleman has already begun a new book about the New York Yankees and their five consecutive World Series titles from 1949 to 1953.
