Joseph Platt (university president)

Last updated
Joseph B. Platt
Born(1915-08-12)August 12, 1915
DiedJuly 10, 2012(2012-07-10) (aged 96)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of Rochester (A.B.)
Cornell University (Ph.D.)
Known forPresident of Harvey Mudd College (1956-1976)
Claremont Graduate University (1976-1981)
Scientific career
FieldsPhysicist and University President

Joseph B. Platt (1915-2012) was an American physicist and academic administrator who served as founding president of Harvey Mudd College from 1956 to 1976 and as eighth president of Claremont Graduate University from 1976 to 1981. [1] [2]

Biography

Platt was born August 12, 1915, in Portland, Oregon and grew up in Rochester, New York. He attended the University of Rochester and served in United States Merchant Marine in the South Atlantic between his freshman and sophomore years. He graduated with a degree in physics from Rochester in 1937, received a doctorate in physics from Cornell University in 1942 then joined the University of Rochester faculty.

During World War II, he was on leave from the University of Rochester and spent much of his time in the Radiation Laboratory at MIT developing radar devices for the United States Air Force in the European and Pacific theaters. He returned to the University of Rochester in 1946, but from 1949 to 1951 he was loaned to the Atomic Energy Commission as chief of the Physics Branch, Research Division.

When Platt was recruited to lead the newly founded Harvey Mudd College in 1956, he was a highly respected teacher and physicist at the University of Rochester, where he worked on the design and construction of the 240-million-volt synchrocyclotron. When he stepped down from Harvey Mudd in 1976, the school was considered one of the nation's leading science and engineering universities and today it is still recognized nationally as a "producer" of future engineering and science PhD graduates. After serving as eighth president of Claremont Graduate University from 1976 to 1981, Platt returned to Harvey Mudd and continued to teach there well into his 90s.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Mudd College</span> Private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, U.S.

Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, focused on science and engineering. It is part of the Claremont Colleges, which share adjoining campus grounds and resources. The college enrolled 902 undergraduate students as of 2021 and awards the Bachelor of Science degree. Admission to Harvey Mudd is highly competitive, and the college maintains a competitive academic culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claremont Colleges</span> College consortium in Claremont, California

The Claremont Colleges are a consortium of seven private institutions of higher education located in Claremont, California, United States. They comprise five undergraduate colleges —Pomona College, Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College (CMC), Harvey Mudd College, and Pitzer College—and two graduate schools—Claremont Graduate University (CGU) and Keck Graduate Institute (KGI). All the members except KGI have adjoining campuses, together covering roughly 1 sq mi (2.6 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Fletcher</span> American physicist (1884–1981)

Harvey Fletcher was an American physicist. Known as the "father of stereophonic sound", he is credited with the invention of the 2-A audiometer and an early electronic hearing aid. He was an investigator into the nature of speech and hearing, and made contributions in acoustics, electrical engineering, speech, medicine, music, atomic physics, sound pictures, and education. Following his death, he was credited with collaborating with his doctoral advisor, Robert Millikan, on the Nobel-prize winning oil drop experiment which first determined the charge of the electron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference</span> College athletic conference that operates in the NCAAs Division III

The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) is a college athletic conference that operates in the NCAA's Division III. The conference was founded in 1915 and it consists of twelve small private schools that are located in southern California and organized into nine athletic programs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer are combined teams for sports purposes.

Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) is a private graduate school in Claremont, California. Founded by Henry Riggs and David Galas in 1997, it is the seventh and newest member of the Claremont Colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Alvin DuBridge</span> American physicist (1901–1994)

Lee Alvin DuBridge was an American educator and physicist, best known as president of the California Institute of Technology from 1946–1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claremont McKenna College</span> Private liberal arts college in Claremont, California

Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and international relations. CMC is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science</span> School of Columbia University in New York

The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science is the engineering and applied science school of Columbia University. It was founded as the School of Mines in 1863 and then the School of Mines, Engineering and Chemistry before becoming the School of Engineering and Applied Science. On October 1, 1997, the school was renamed in honor of Chinese businessman Z.Y. Fu, who had donated $26 million to the school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claremont Graduate University</span> Private graduate university in Claremont, California, United States

The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium which includes five undergraduate and two graduate institutions of higher education.

Nathaniel Davis was a career diplomat who served in the United States Foreign Service for 36 years. His final years were spent teaching at Harvey Mudd College, one of the Claremont Colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Seeley Mudd</span> American mining engineer and entrepreneur (1888–1955)

Harvey Seeley Mudd was a mining engineer and founder, investor, and president of Cyprus Mines Corporation, a Los Angeles–based international enterprise that operated copper mines on the island of Cyprus.

Albert Vinicio Báez was a Mexican-American physicist and the father of singers Joan Baez and Mimi Fariña, and an uncle of John C. Baez. He made important contributions to the early development of X-ray microscopes, X-ray optics, and later X-ray telescopes.

Seeley Wintersmith Mudd (1861–1926) was an American mining engineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Rojansky</span>

Vladimir Borisovich Rojansky was an American physicist, author and educator. He was born in Bologoye, Russian Empire. His father was a railroad construction engineer and one of his grandfathers was a general.

Henry Thomas Mudd was an American heir, businessman and philanthropist. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of the Cyprus Mines Corporation. He also co-founded Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry E. Riggs</span>

Henry E. ("Hank") Riggs was an early Silicon Valley entrepreneur, a professor of engineering and vice president at Stanford University, president of Harvey Mudd College, and founding president of Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) of Applied Life Sciences at the Claremont Colleges. His areas of specialization included financial analysis and control, management technology, technical strategy, and new venture management. Riggs was a popular professor who taught for over 45 years and published multiple books. He started the large-scale academic fund-raising efforts that are now widely used by major institutions, launched a graduate school focused solely on training leaders in biosciences (KGI), and served on numerous boards.

Janice A. Hudgings is an American physicist and educator whose research interests include optics and semiconductor devices. She is the Seeley W. Mudd Professor of Physics at Pomona College in Claremont, California.

Jeffrey Joseph Folkins is an American physicist.

Robert Clarke James was an American mathematician who worked in functional analysis.

References

  1. "HMC Mourns Passing of Founding President Joseph Platt".
  2. "Los Angeles Times July 13, 2013 Local News on Joseph B. Platt". Los Angeles Times . 13 July 2012.