Francis H. Horn

Post World War II academic career Horn's first post-war academic appointment was as dean of McCoy College (Evening Division) at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore beginning in 1946. He continued on his Ph.D. studies at Yale during this time, completing his degree in 1949. Horn remained on the faculty of Johns Hopkins, becoming chair of the Department of Education in 1951. He remained in that position until 1953, when he assumed the presidency of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. After one year (1957–1958) as a distinguished visiting professor of education at Southern Illinois University, Horn was selected to be the sixth president of the University of Rhode Island on 1 July 1958. During Horn's nine years at the University of Rhode Island the University experience extraordinary growth in both enrollment and physical assets. A new library was constructed and opened in 1965. Two new graduate schools, the Graduate Library School and the Graduate School of Oceanography were established in the early 1960s. The Graduate School of Oceanography, in particular, at the helm of Dean John Knauss became internationally known and continues to be one of the university's most prominent programs. Additionally, a dental hygiene program, the Bureau of Government Research were all established in 1960. Additionally, academic freedom was a major issue on college campuses and Horn firmly supported the concept despite the criticism of those outside the University community, and he championed the formation of the URI Faculty Senate in 1960 as a means for improved academic governance. Those who perceived their power to be diminished by Horn or were offended by his administrative style made their disenchantment public. There resulted six weeks of extensive press coverage and Board of Trustee hearings over the issue before it was resolved generally in Horn's favor.

Two controversial issues which emerged in 1966 and 1967 that pitted Horn against the URI Board of Trustees ultimately leading to his resignation. The first of these was his contention that the state could not adequately support two major institutions of higher education, with a proposal to combine Rhode Island College and the university into one administrative entity based in Kingston. The second and more serious issue was Horn's decision to run for the Democratic nomination for the Congressional seat vacated by the death of Rep. John E. Fogarty. Horn's House of Representatives candidacy was short-lived, but it angered the Board of Trustees which asked for and received his resignation in early 1967. When he did resign in 1967, Horn cited his desire for the Board to consider the university merger proposal on its merits with both the URI and Rhode Island College presidencies vacant, but his proposal was never seriously considered by the Board of Trustees.