Biography

Fr. Herman J. Hauck, S.J. was President of Santa Clara University from 1951 to 1958. He was the first chief executive in the history of the university to have studied at a secular institution--in his case, Yale. Father Hauck had only four years of college teaching experience and no administrative experience when he assumed office. In his first year of office, he announced that Santa Clara would eliminate the football program. The reason for this change were the three seasons of poor performance that resulted in a sharp drop in spectators. Additionally, many schools against whom the university used to play had dropped their programs, resulting in Santa Clara players having to travel farther and farther distances. He promised the alumni that football would be supported through 1953, but an order from the province, who had discovered that non-athletic funds would have to be diverted to support the football program through 1953, caused the program to stop at the end of the 1952 season. This decision was upheld despite President Hauck’s appeals to Rome. He gave the announcement himself, as he did not want to give the impression that the province held such control over the school. However, this apparent change of plans resulted in school alumni losing confidence in the administration. One of the priorities of Hauck’s presidency was to receive accreditation for the university. The Law school had been approved by the American Bar Association since 1937, and the Engineering Council for Professional Development had accredited College of Engineering. In 1952, the university requested a visit from the Western College Association; the College of Arts and Sciences received accreditation in 1953. The School of Business was approved in the same year by the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. Graduate studies returned to Santa Clara, and the Jesuit Educational Association permitted the creation of Chemistry, English, and History graduate programs. President Hauck was described as a popular public speaker who was, in 1955, elected President of the Western College Association and appointed as a commissioner to the state scholarship program.

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