The Office of the President is the top administrative office and is responsible for the management of the entire University structure. The duties of the President included the development, implementation, and monitoring of University activities, the cultivation of outreach programs, and the promotion of University activities to prospective donors and to the general public.

During the years 1951-1965, Acting Chancellor James L. Madden, Chancellor/President Henry T. Heald, President Carroll V. Newsom, and President James M. Hester served as chief administrators of New York University. The title of the position was changed from Chancellor to President in 1956, indicative of the concerns during the 1950s with administrative reorganization.

On January 1, 1951, James L. Madden was appointed Acting Chancellor and served in that position for a little over a year. Henry T. Heald was elected Chancellor effective February 1, 1952, and created two new positions during his few months in office: the Executive Vice Chancellor, who assumed the duties of the discontinued Provost's office and became the chief education officer of New York University, and the Vice Chancellor for University Development, who became responsible for the organization and coordination of University fundraising efforts. At this time, a Public Relations Department was also established, which encompassed three new departments: the Office of Publication and Printing, the Office of Information Services, and the Office of Radio and Television. In 1955 Heald added the positions of Director of the Budget, Dean of Admissions and Registrar to the list of general administrative officers and created the post of Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs later that same year.

On December 16, 1955, the New York State Board of Regents amended the University charter, forcing a number of terminology changes. The supreme governing board of the University, known since the University's founding as the University Council, became the Board of Trustees as of December 16, 1955. The title of the chief executive of the University was changed from Chancellor to President on July 1, 1956. On March 26, 1956, the Board of Trustees adopted a measure providing for an Executive Vice President who would be a general advisor to the President and perform duties in the President's absence. The Executive Vice President was to be assisted by the Director for the University Budget and the Assistant Director of the Budget for Research Service.

On September 26, 1956, Heald resigned, and Executive Vice President Carroll V. Newsom became President on October 1, 1956. Newsom instituted a number of structural changes in the administration of the University in 1957. The Office of Dean of Admissions and Registrar was split to form the Office of Dean of Registration and Financial Aid and the Office of Director of Admissions. Both of these posts were additions to the Office of Executive Vice President. The Office of the Vice President for University Relations was created to disseminate information about University programs and to promote rapport between New York University, its personnel, and the general public. The Vice President would be aided by the Director of University Publications and the Offices of Information Services, Radio and Television, and Photographic Services. On January 25, 1960, an action by the Board of Trustees changed the title of the Executive Vice President to Chancellor/Vice President. No change of duties accompanied this change in name.

President Newsom resigned on September 25, 1961, to be succeeded by James M. Hester on January 1, 1962. The structural order created by previous administrations was preserved by President Hester.

Apart from these changes in administrative structure, the Office of the President was also subject to prominent developments in the content of its executive concern. These developments can be categorized as: 1) educational needs; 2) physical plans; 3) financial needs and resources; and 4) organizational structure.

In the educational area, the ideology of the University as an educational institution came under detailed scrutiny during the the 1950s. A self-study, begun in 1952, and a mission project, initiated a decade later, clearly indicate an ideological concern. One reason may have been that public universities in the metropolitan area were challenging NYU's role as "University of Opportunity."

In the area of physical plans, Chancellor Heald embarked on a ten-year schedule of development in New York University's physical plant and facilities in 1952. President Hester, at the beginning of his tenure in office, announced a second step in the all-University modernization program begun in the previous decade under Chancellor Chase.

Financially, the challenge to the University was both ideological and financial because many students preferred publicly supported colleges to the higher tuition rates of New York University. Also, the program of building development required significant allocation of financial resources, which necessitated requests for grants such as one from the Ford Foundation in 1955 and again, as a result of the mission project, in 1963.

Finally, changes in the organizational structure of the University was of significant and contentious. Before Chancellor Heald's administration, the University was essentially a loose collection of quasi-autonomous schools. A process of centralization began in 1952 and greatly enhanced President Hester's power, especially at the beginning of his term of office. The change stirred discontent among the faculty and university administration.

Sources:

Baldridge, J. Victor. Power and Conflict in the University: Research in the Sociology of Complex Organizations. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1971).Still, Bayrd. "Evolution of Organization of General Administrative Duties." July 11, 1978. New York University Archives.