A. Kenneth Pye | |
---|---|
9th President of Southern Methodist University | |
In office 1987–1994 | |
Preceded by | L. Donald Shields |
Succeeded by | R. Gerald Turner |
Personal details | |
Born | New York City, New York | August 21, 1931
Died | July 11, 1994 Lake City, Colorado | (aged 62)
Education | University of Buffalo (BA) Georgetown University (JD, LLM) |
August Kenneth Pye (August 21, 1931 – July 11, 1994)[1] was an American legal scholar who served as the 9th President of Southern Methodist University (1987-1994) and Dean of the Duke University School of Law (1968-1970, 1973-1976).
August Kenneth Pye was born in New York City in 1931.[2] He graduated from the University at Buffalo with a B.A., and later received J.D. and LL.M. degrees from Georgetown University.[2] While a student at Buffalo, he became a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.[3]
He served as Dean of Duke Law School from 1968 to 1970 and from 1973 to 1976.[4][5]
In 1987, Pye accepted the offer to become the 9th President of Southern Methodist University. The university was in disarray in the wake of the football scandal and struggled with a budget deficit, uneven quality in its colleges, and a national reputation for mediocre academics.[6] Pye put together a taskforce, which developed a proposal, Toward the 21st Century: Excellence and Responsibility, that would, among other things, all students have a liberal arts major or minor.[6]
Pye proved capable of standing up to the school's powerful alumni and boosters.[7] He was active on the NCAA Presidents Commission.[8] In 1994, he resigned at SMU for health issues.[2] Pye died of cancer in 1994 in Lake City, Colorado.[2] D Magazine would remember that his death "left a gaping hole" at the university.[9]