James W. Cleary

James William Cleary (April 16, 1927 – April 28, 2007) was an American university administrator and editor. He was the co-editor of multiple editions of Robert's Rules of Order and served as the second president of California State University, Northridge from 1969 to 1992. Cleary received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Marquette University and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He taught speech at the University of Wisconsin and later rose to the administrative ranks, ending his tenure at Wisconsin as the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Cleary became President of California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in 1969 and served until his retirement in 1992. and the acting president along with his staff had been held against their will by protesters in the administration building amid racial turmoil. Early in Cleary's tenure as president, a case was brought against twenty-one students, "the first mass prosecution of student protesters on felony charges and the first attempt at conspiracy convictions." Cleary brought campus disciplinary charges (including expulsion) against all of the students after many of them were convicted in Los Angeles County Superior Court on a variety of felonies, including kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and false imprisonment.

In 1991, after anti-gay flyers were found on the campus, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley wrote Cleary a letter condemning gay intolerance at CSUN: "Bigotry and hatred clearly have no place in any community, especially a college campus." Cleary also condemned the message of the flyers, but expressed dismay that Bradley made the letter public before Cleary received it.

Cleary encouraged campus interaction with Chinese universities in the early 1980s. The newly appointed Chinese ambassador to the United States, Han Xu, gave his first speech in the United States at CSUN.

Cleary oversaw the transition from San Fernando Valley State College to California State University, Northridge in 1972. and raised funding to build dozens of buildings on campus. scandals, and budget crises to last 23 years at CSUN. In 1986 he was chosen by the Exxon Education Foundation as "one of the 100 most effective college presidents in the nation." They had three children together. Cleary died on April 28, 2007, in Boise, Idaho.

Publications Cleary published several books during his career.

A Bibliography of Parliamentary Procedure (Lehigh University Press, 1962) Rhetoric and Public Address : a Bibliography; 1947-1961 (University of Wisconsin Press, 1964) John Bulwer's Chirologia: The Natural Language of the Hand, and Chironomia: or, The Art of Manual Rhetoric (Southern Illinois University Press, 1974) Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised (Scott, Foresman, 1970)