Samuel Schuman served as Chancellor of UMN Morris from 1998 to 2006. Hired in 1995 to serve as Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Dean, he was named Interim Chancellor in 1998, a position that became permanent in 2000. A professor of English literature, Schuman specialized in the works of Shakespeare and Vladimir Nabokov. During the Schuman administration, the campus solidified its position as a top ranking liberal arts college, successfully navigated the transition from a quarter- to a semester-system, witnessed the completion of the new Science Building, and launched new efforts to increase international enrollment. Schuman is remembered for his staunch advocacy of the liberal arts and his commitment to public partnerships in advancing the University of Minnesota Morris mission.
Chronology
born in Chicago, Illinois
married Nancy Game
received B.A in English literature from Grinnell College
received M.A. from San Francisco State University
received Ph.D. from Northwestern University
started at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa
began working as director of the honors program at the University of Maine
moved to Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, to serve as academic dean and vice president of academic affairs
started at the University of North Carolina, Asheville as chancellor
started at UMN Morris as vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean
appointed as UMN Morris chancellor
retired from UMN Morris
died in Morris, Minnesota on November 11
Personal Life
Schuman, the grandson of an illiterate Jewish immigrant, was highly regarded for his modesty and his quiet, effective leadership style.[1] Born in Chicago, he attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. He graduated from Grinnell College in 1964 and then earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from San Francisco State University and Northwestern, respectively. Schuman's first teaching position was at St. Mary's College in California, but in 1970 he accepted a position at Cornell College in Iowa and then moved to the University of Maine in 1977. While at Maine he both taught English literature and directed the Honors Program. He then moved to Guilford College in North Carolina to serve as the vice president for academic affairs and in 1991 moved to the University of North Carolina at Asheville to act as chancellor and professor of literature.[2] Before coming to UMN Morris, he was also the past president of the National Collegiate Honors Council and the International Vladimir Nabokov Society.[3]
Schuman was also a dedicated runner and during his running career completed 20 marathons. A 2:59 marathon time allowed him to qualify for the 1979 Boston Marathon. Schuman for a time authored a column in Runner's World magazine which he called "Running Around."[4]
At the time of his death in 2014, Schuman and his wife, Nancy had been married for 52 years. Both of their two children have pursued careers in academia.
Research
Schuman wrote seven books and over 50 articles on British Renaissance drama and modern American Literature.[5] Much of his teaching and scholarship focused on the works of Shakespeare and Vladimir Nabokov, and his books ranged from a biography of Cyril Tourneur, a late 16th and early 17th century English dramatist and government official, to an analysis of how Nabokov brought Shakespearean motifs to his novels and finally two finely-grained meditations on the state of liberal arts colleges in the nation in the early part of the 21st century.[6] Schuman also authored two handbooks, “Honors Programs in Smaller Colleges” and “Beginning in Honors.”[7]
Schuman played an important and influential role in the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC). In 1986 in partnership with Anne Ponder he helped establish “Beginning in Honors” a session that became an annual event for the NCHC yearly meeting. Members of the national honors community considered Schuman one of their most important contributors. He authored 12 articles for Honors programs journals and consulted with honors programs for almost three dozen institutions.[8] Beginning in 2015 the NCHC has recognized outstanding contributors to Honors programs across the nation with the annual Sam Schuman Award for Excellence at a Four-Year Institution.
Community Involvement
Schuman was an active member of the West Central community and sought to model the public role played by the liberally educated system. At the same time, he was interested in public engagement as a way of enhancing UMN Morris' profile within the larger community. To that end, he forged a strategic partnership with Minnesota Public Radio to increase the visibility of the campus.[9] An excellent athlete and devotee of distance running, he also served on the board of the Regional Fitness Center. He was also an active board member of the Morris Area Red Cross, Prairie Public Television, Minnesota Public Radio and the Minnesota Campus Compact.[10] A champion of the city of Morris and of the West Central region, Schuman was a tireless worker for improved town-gown relations and was a fixture at community events.
Campus Contributions
Schuman first came to UMN Morris to serve as vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean. As vice chancellor, he led the semester conversion process and managed UMN Morris’ re-accreditation. After David Johnson’s retirement in 1998, Schuman served as the interim chancellor before becoming chancellor in 2000.
During his time as chancellor, he led the effort to complete the Science Project [11], oversaw the transition in NCAA status to Division III and spearheaded the movement to list the historical campus on the National Register of Historic Sites.[12] In addition, planning for the renovation of the Social Science Building (now Imholte Hall) was begun. Schuman led a multi-million dollar capital campaign that easily outdistanced the goal established by the Minnesota Foundation and opened the door to a student exchange program with China. He encouraged community partnerships--including the All-American City program and the collaborative effort with the West Central Research and Outreach Center to construct the pair of wind turbines that now overlook campus.[13] Under his watch the campus took significant strides toward energy independence.
Schuman was an especially dedicated proponent of liberal learning in a public college setting.[14] During his tenure, UMN Morris was named one of the top five public liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.[15]
After UMN Morris
Immediately after his retirement from UMN Morris, Schuman and his wife moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to serve as the University of New Mexico’s Garrey Carruthers Chair in Honors Distinguished Professor for one year.[16] He then moved to North Carolina to act as Interim Dean of the Faculty at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.[17] In retirement Schuman authored two books, one an examination of small public liberal arts colleges and the other a reflection on the role played by small religious colleges in promoting liberal learning.[18]
Schuman died in his home on November 11, 2014 after a battle with lung cancer.[19] Sam was honored posthumously with a Festschrift in March 2016 held on the Morris campus.[20]
Footnotes
[1] University of Minnesota, Morris, Re-collections celebrates: The University of Minnesota’s 150th birthday; The West Central School of Agriculture’s 90th birthday; The University of Minnesota, Morris’ 40th birthday, 2000.
[2] University Relations, “New book on small colleges is not a conventional study,” 2005.
[3] University Relations, “Profile: 40 1960 UMM 90 1910 WCSA,” Profile (Morris, MN), 2000.
[4] Dee Ann Rexroat, “Samuel Schuman,” Cornell College News Center, March 18, 2015.
[5] University Relations, “New book on small colleges is not a conventional study,” 2005.
[6] Samuel Schuman, Nabokov’s Shakespeare (New York, Bloomsbury, 2014); Samuel Schuman, Old Main: Small Colleges in Twenty-First-Century America (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2008); Samuel Schuman, Seeing the Light: Religious Colleges in Twenty-First-Century America (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2010); Samuel Schuman, John Webster: A Reference Guide (Boston: G.K. Hall, 1985); Samuel Schuman, Cyril Tourneur (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1977); Samuel Schuman, ‘The Theatre of Fine Devices’: The Visual Drama of John Webster (Salzburg: Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik, Universität Salzburg, 1982)
[7] University Relations, “New book on small colleges is not a conventional study,” 2005.
[8] Ada Long, Anne Ponder, Ted L. Estess, Bernice Braid, and John Knox, “Remembering Sam Schuman, September 16, 1942-November 11, 2014,” Honors in Practice 11 (2015).
[9] University of Minnesota, Morris, Re-collections celebrates: The University of Minnesota’s 150th birthday; The West Central School of Agriculture’s 90th birthday; The University of Minnesota, Morris’ 40th birthday, 2000.
[10] University Relations, “New book on small colleges is not a conventional study,” 2005.
[11] University of Minnesota, Morris, Re-collections celebrates: The University of Minnesota’s 150th birthday; The West Central School of Agriculture’s 90th birthday; The University of Minnesota, Morris’ 40th birthday, 2000.
[12] University Relations, “University of Minnesota, Morris Chancellor Sam Schuman to retire in June 2006,” 2005.
[13] University Relations, “Profile: Legacy graduates share UMM experiences,” Profile (Morris, MN), 2006.
[14] University Relations, “’O Brave New World…’: Chancellor Sam Schuman’s presentation to University of Minnesota Board of Regents, October 10, 2003,” 2003.
[15] University Relations, “Profile: Legacy graduates share UMM experiences,” Profile (Morris, MN), 2006.
[16] University Relations, “Profile: Legacy graduates share UMM experiences,” Profile (Morris, MN), 2006.
[17] University of Minnesota, Morris Retirees’ Association, “UMMRA Info: Volume IX, Number 3,” UMMRA Info (Morris, MN), 2007.
[18] University of Minnesota, Morris Retirees’ Association, “UMMRA Info: Volume XII, Number 2,” UMMRA Info (Morris, MN), 2009.
[19] Harlow, Tim, “Samuel Schuman, Chancellor, University of Minnesota, Morris,” Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), 2014.
[20]Jacqueline Johnson, et.al., Celebrating the Legacy of Samuel Schuman, Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Minnesota: A Festschrift Volume, Regents of the University of Minnesota, 2020. Earlier in 2015 the National Collegiate Honors Council dedicated an issue of their journal, Honors in Practice, to Schuman's legacy.