Spring 2001

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A crowd gathers around an eight-foot-tall cylinder with a sliding door on the dock of Rose-Hulman's big lake. From the back of the crowd walks a man wearing a trench coat, sunglasses and a hat. Silently he wends his way through the gathering of students, faculty and staff to enter the cylinder. Sixty seconds later he emerges, wearing a Superman outfit complete with red cape. Acknowledging the crowd, he jumps in the lake. Rose-Hulman President Samuel F. Hulbert can mark another item off his to-do list, once he climbs out of the lake and towels off.

Jumping in a lake is not on the daily schedule for college presidents, but it demonstrates the philosophy of the man who has led Rose-Hulman for the past 25 years -- we take our work seriously, but we don't take ourselves seriously. The laking incident two years ago was a payoff for an annual fund challenge. The president said he would jump in the lake when alumni giving reached 50 percent. In keeping that promise, he honored the importance of such a high giving rate while having some fun at his expense.

If Hulbert jumped in the lake for every accomplishment during his 25-year tenure at Rose-Hulman, he would need a beachside office. Among the achievements during his watch: transition to coeducation; major construction/renovation of 12 facilities totaling $88 million dollars; curricular innovation, including incorporation of the computer across all disciplines; an increase of the college's image around the country; recruitment of outstanding faculty and staff; and the $222 million raised in philanthropic support.

Another telling statistic is the number of alumni who have received their diplomas during the Hulbert era. Sixty-four percent of Rose-Hulman alumni graduated under the his presidential leadership. There is no question Rose-Hulman's 11^th president has had a major impact, leading Rose-Hulman to stature as a national leader in engineering, science and mathematics undergraduate education.

When asked to assess the accomplishments of his administration, Hulbert said: "I think the thing that will have the most long-term beneficial impact on our school is the transition to coeducation. For me there was always the issue of ethics and the issue of finances associated with coeducation, but the biggest issue was always the educational impact. I feel strongly that it's real important for engineers, scientists and mathematicians to be in an environment of gender diversity during the critical period of their educational development."

In his inaugural address in 1976, Hulbert emphasized the need for Rose-Hulman to change its all-male status to coeducation. One of his first acts was to appoint a 12-person panel to study the issue. "I thought it (coeducation) was going to be a relatively simple task because I thought it was one of the things that would move the institution along," Hulbert said. "Obviously, I was very naïve." Coeducation was an issue that would not be resolved until 1991 when the Board of Managers (now called trustees) voted to make that transition.

The struggle over coeducation led to Hulbert staying at Rose-Hulman longer than he originally anticipated. "I initially thought I would be here a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10. From a selfish point of view, I'm glad the 10 was interrupted. I've had a wonderful life here.

"I became so involved in the debate over coeducation that when the 10-year period ended, we were right in the middle of it. Maybe my ego was too big, but my sensitivity was that my leaving would delay coeducation even longer. Being competitive and stubborn led to the years adding up."

While the coeducation issue was taking place on one front, other changes were under way. They started with the gift for Olin Hall in 1983 that provided new classrooms and labs for civil and chemical engineering. "The Olin Foundation grant had a major impact on us because for the first time, we were able to show what Rose-Hulman could become," the president said. "Talk is one thing, but being able to show it is another."

The Olin Hall gift set in motion a series of facilities construction and renovation that continues to this day. Among the facilities improvements: renovation of Moench Hall and the Hulman Memorial Union, and construction of Hadley Hall, Olin Advanced Learning Center, the New Residence Hall, Cook Stadium, the Sports and Recreation Center, Myers Center for Technological Research With Industry, Oakley Observatory and White Chapel. Work started this spring for Hatfield Hall, an alumni center and theater.

"When I arrived, our facilities were somewhat lacking," Hulbert remembered. "They weren't terrible, but they weren't anywhere near the quality of our people. In those days, if a sidewalk was fixed or a lab was painted, it was noteworthy."

Improvement in facilities led to the ability to enhance the curriculum. Various innovations took place during the Hulbert era, including the incorporation of the computer throughout the curriculum and an increased emphasis on project-based education. "We showed our facilities could be as good as anybody's, and if that's the case, there's no reason you should not have a curriculum that's the best. From there we asked 'Why not shoot for being the best.'"

As he reviews his 25 years, Hulbert is quick to point out Rose-Hulman successes would not be possible without the people who make up the Rose-Hulman community. "Almost everyone at Rose-Hulman understands our mission, subscribes to it, and dedicates themselves to accomplishing it."

"One of the things I believe is having a decision made as closely as possible by the people involved. I like to jump on other people's bandwagons and dreams. You can try to accomplish only your own dreams and visions, but you can stretch resources further if you direct them toward helping others realize their dreams."

Hulbert keeps in touch with the dreams and visions of others by his constant presence throughout campus. He could be the poster boy for the "management by walking around" school of executive leadership as he does not stay cloistered in his Hadley Hall office. He also demonstrates a Rolodex-like knowledge of facts about his college. Hulbert can cite admissions statistics, the latest amount of money raised, the batting average of a softball player or the latest research project of a faculty member. He also shows concern for the personal lives of students, faculty and staff.

Other duties for Hulbert include teaching. He teaches one biomedical engineering class a quarter, and undergoes the same evaluations as other faculty. "President Hulbert is very serious about what he's teaching, but he brings it down to our level," explained Kylee Smidler, a junior mechanical engineering major. "He's enthusiastic and it's contagious to students…we get into it a lot more."

Her comments were echoed by Matt Keuster, a 1996 mechanical engineering alumnus and current biomedical engineering graduate student: "Students leave Dr. Hulbert's classroom having an appreciation for his knowledge and contributions to the field of bioengineering. He is very personable with students and throws a lot of humor into his lectures."

When asked to assess the Hulbert's impact, Board of Trustees Chairman Guille Cox replied: "Because of the increasing complexities in running a top-notch college, no one man can any longer be expected to have all of the qualities of the perfect president. Effective stewardship requires a college's top leadership to include a rousing public speaker, a persistent fund-raiser, a respected scholar, a motivator of people, a patient manager of faculty and staff, a role model to students, a budget balancer, and a visionary strategist. At Rose, we have been led for 25 years by men who have these skills. They are: Sam, Hulbert, Sam Hulbert, Sam Hulbert…."

One person with a historian’s perspective on the Hulbert years actually wrote the book on the era. Professor William Pickett, author of To be the Best: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 1974-1999, speaks of a man of vision. He wrote: "Sam Hulbert’s success stemmed from his innate, almost childlike, humility. A man of intellect, self confidence, physical stamina, almost photographic memory, and a very healthy desire to come out on top, he seemed, nevertheless to be without …ego. His guiding principle was to surround himself with people who were better than he believed he was. Rather than guarding information as a source of control, Hulbert made it…available to everyone and by doing so brought them into a process that moved the Institute gradually but inexorably forward."

As Sam Hulbert moves forward through his silver anniversary at Rose-Hulman he contemplates the future noting that "I’m planning on being back next year, the Lord willing, and the year after, but even I’m realistic enough to realize that can’t go on forever. There’s no diminishing interest or excitement about what I do, but in fairness to the institution I have to be physically and mentally strong enough to continue. The answer really depends upon health. It depends upon whether the Board of Trustees gets sick and tired of me; so it depends upon Rose-Hulman’s health and upon my own health."

Hulbert already is looking ahead as he has posted another alumni giving challenge. Instead of facing the icy waters of the lake, he will bungee jump if he loses the challenge. However, he has raised the stakes. The giving rate has to hit 60 percent.