Records of the President of Harvard University, Abbott Lawrence Lowell

Abbott Lawrence Lowell (1856-1943) succeeded Charles William Eliot as President of Harvard University in 1909. Lowell held this position until 1933.  During Lowell's administration, Harvard's enrollment nearly doubled, and its endowment quintupled.  Lowell's administration reshaped undergraduate education. First, by establishing the tutorial system, and second, by the creation of the "house system." Harvard undergraduates had largely lived in private accommodation, leaving the University very little control over student behavior. Lowell united academic advising (tutorial) with student housing.

The expansion of Harvard's campus under Lowell was also signifcant. This was due both to the purchase and construction of the Harvard student housing known as the "river houses" and to the construction of many other buildings.   In addition, Lowell oversaw the establishment of the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and the Society of Fellows.

While Lowell was an outspoken advocate for academic freedom of speech, his administration was also marked by controversy over efforts to limit the enrollment of Jews and policies to exclude students of color from campus housing.