Interview with Lewis W. Cochran, September 10, 1985

Interview Summary

In this interview, Lewis W. "Bud" Cochran discusses his plans to retire from his position as Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Kentucky. He recalls he made this decision three or four years prior to his actual retirement, and wrote a note to then-President Otis A. Singletary. He recalls it was not his intention to retire from the faculty, and felt that upper administrative positions should change regularly. He remembers that Art Gallaher was selected as his replacement in June, 1980, a full year before Cochran retired, and that gave Gallaher time to adjust to the new position. He notes that their styles were "considerably different." He discusses the differences in the personalities of the academic disciplines and how they affect their organizational approaches. He mentions several other choices for his replacement, including Charles Barnhart and Wimberley Royster. Cochran emphasizes that academic administrative positions should be filled from within, but that "it's very desirable to go outside for a president." He talks about his meeting with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), perhaps the largest ever, over reassigning the teaching loads. He recalls his retirement dinner. Cochran discusses the reorganization of the university, which began about two years before he retired. He emphasizes that a "center of excellence" is a productive, scholarly faculty. He discusses the importance of a careful faculty selection procedure, a good evaluation process, and recruiting. He notes that the reorganization has worked better than it should because it is multi-campus model applied to a single institution, and that most problems are due to limitation on resources rather than organization. Cochran talks about the plans to sell Coldstream Farm and sees this as a poor idea, since the land is a big income item and funding appropriations may be reduced as a result. He recommends that the profit be placed in an endowment. Cochran talks about the impact on a university when the presidency changes, and two important concerns for an incoming university president: the need to work with the Kentucky constituency to strengthen statewide institutional support for the University, and the development of higher quality academics within the institution. He briefly discusses the history of the Tobacco Research Program, now the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center (KTRDC), and mentions individuals involved in its inception, including Albert Clay, William Natcher, and Earle Clements. He talks about early research done by the university as well as the tobacco industries.

Interview Keyword

Bud Cochran University of Kentucky Tobacco research Bureaucracy University administration College presidents

Interview LC Subject

Cochran, Lewis W. "Bud," 1915-1996 Cochran, Lewis W. "Bud," 1915-1996--Interviews University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History University of Kentucky--Faculty Tobacco College administrators College administrators--Selection and appointment College department heads Education, Higher--Kentucky Universities and colleges--Administration Universities and colleges--Faculty Universities and colleges--Research

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.