Born in Arizona, the son of educators, Lattie F. Coor was the 15th President of ASU. He attended NAU for his undergraduate degree and went on to receive his masters and PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He remained at Washington University as a faculty member, eventually becoming its Vice Chancellor. In 1976, Lattie left to become the 21st President of the University of Vermont. In January of 1990, Lattie returned to Arizona to become the 15th President of ASU, remaining as President until 2002. After his retirement as President of ASU, Lattie stayed as a Professor and Ernest W. McFarland Chair in Leadership and Public Policy in the University's School of Public Affairs. He also co-founded the Center for the Future of Arizona where he continues to serve on the Board of Directors.
In his interview, Lattie recaps his life growing up in Arizona during the war years, providing many stories of his experiences with the various prisoner of war camps located in Arizona. He indicates that originally he thought he would become a lawyer and perhaps enter a political career, but then early on in his post-secondary work, he was greatly influenced by one of his professors at NAU and turned to pursuing a career in academics. From there he unfolds the story of his life as a professor and an academic administrator.
Details
- Coor, Lattie
- Stevenson, Pam (Interviewer)
- Agave Productions (Producer)
- Pam Stevenson, Editor; Manny Garcia, Videographer; June Payne, Chair Video History Project.
1. Introduction @ 00:00:39 2. Early Life in Arizona @ 00:01:00 3. War Years @ 00:05:25 a. Paul Litchfield; Goodyear (company and city) @ 00:06:06 b. Prisoner of War Camps @ 00:08:10 4. Life as a High School Student @ 00:14:00 5. Early Career Aspirations @ 00:15:28 a. Phelps-Dodge Scholarship Winner @ 00:15:48 b. Decision to join Academia - "Burning Bush Moment" @ 00:17:00 6. Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri @ 00:19:35 a. Assistant to Governor of Michigan @ 00:22:20 b. Opportunity to Stay in Political Life @ 00:27:45 c. Assistant to the Chancellor @ 00:28:38 d. Civil Rights Issues @ 00:30:11 e. Faculty and Administrative Duties @ 00:31:16 f. Vietnam War @ 00:32:00 g. Radical Activity on Campus @ 00:32:40 h. Political Career Revisited @ 00:35:00 i. PhD Dissertation "Increasing Vulnerability of Governors" @ 00:38:40 j. Courses Taught; Innovative Teaching Methods @ 00:39:35 k. Goals at the Time @ 00:41:00 7. University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont @ 00:44:00 a. Technology Transfer Group Idea @ 00:53:50 b. Approached by ASU @ 00:55:15 c. "Time to start a new life!" @ 00:59:00 8. Influences to Coming to ASU @ 01:06:40 9. University President, Again @ 01:09:00 a. Impressions of ASU on His Arrival @ 01:10:10 10. His Agenda @ 01:23:00 a. Four Points (Four Pillars) @ 01:25:43 b. Capital Campaign @ 01:27:30 c. Research 1 University @ 01:28:16 d. Campus Expansion @ 01:33:10 11. His Style as a President/Leader @ 01:40:53 a. The University's Role in the Economic Dynamics of the Community @ 01:43:24 b. President's Community Enrichment Program @ 01:46:11 c. "Talk to everybody!" @ 01:47:00 d. Legislature relationship @ 01:49:42 e. ASU vs UofA Perception @ 01:52:24 12. Role of the President as Fund Raiser @ 01:55:40 13. Greatest Challenges @ 02:01:17 a. Time Management @ 02:01:17 b. Reasonable Uniformity and Understanding of what ASU was at that Time @ 02:02:09 c. "Defining Quality in an Entity Defined as Quantity" @ 02:03:08 14. ASU President's House - Last President to Live in the House @ 02:08:50 a. Move to New Home in South Phoenix @ 02:12:00 b. Role of President's House to a University in General @ 02:13:30 15. Surprises During His Term as President @ 02:16:18 16. Athletic Department Issues @ 02:19:29 17. Greatest Accomplishments as President @ 02:25:31 a. Reputation of the University @ 02:25:31 18. Things Not Able to Accomplish during his Term as President @ 02:30:27 a. Undergraduate Educational Experience in Foreign Countries @ 02:30:28 b. Ambitious Goals, but a High Success Rate @ 02:33:10 19. Life After Presidency @ 02:37:00 a. "The Center for the Future of Arizona: @ 02:39:10 b. Teaching @ 02:41:55 c. Honored to have a Building with His Name @ 02:44:00 d. Seminar Course in a Vision for Arizona @ 02:46:54 20. Advice to Young People in Defining Their Career @ 02:52:00
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Coor, Lattie. Interview. 24 Jan. 2006. ASURA Video History Project. © Arizona Board of Regents. https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.35752