Harry K. Newburn

Harry Kenneth Newburn (January 1, 1906 – August 25, 1974) was an American educator. He served as the president of various universities during the mid-20th century.

Life Newburn was born on January 1, 1906, in the town of Cuba, Illinois. He attended Western Illinois State Teachers College, earning his bachelor's degree in education there and later earning his master's and Ph.D from the University of Iowa. After earning his Ph.D, he remained at Iowa as an assistant professor, rising to the position of dean of its College of Liberal Arts.

In 1945, he became President of the University of Oregon. At Oregon, Newburn confronted a growing university on an understaffed and underbuilt campus. To attract new faculty to replace the many retiring longtime members, Newburn convinced the state legislature to allow salary increases and thus be more competitive in seeking highly qualified professors. To address the inadequate physical plant, temporary buildings were erected, including quonset huts used as classrooms, and other, more permanent structures, such as Emerald Hall, Erb Memorial Union, Carson Hall and Allen Hall. Under Newburn, the university also increased its library holdings and its production of graduate degrees. In 1959, he arrived at the University of Montana. During his four-year tenure in Missoula, Newburn orchestrated several projects, including a reorganization of staff, the demolition of older buildings, and increasing pay for faculty and allotments for research. In 1963, he left Montana when he was asked to reorganize Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Higher Education.

While remaining on ASU's faculty, Newbury served as the interim president of Cleveland State University from 1965–66, In 1971, John W. Schwada became ASU's 13th president,