Edgar F. Shannon, Jr. (June 4, 1918 – August 24, 1997) was a professor of English and president of the University of Virginia from 1959 to 1974.
Shannon attended Washington and Lee University as an undergraduate and studied at Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship. He was a veteran of the United States Navy, having served on the U.S.S. Quincy during World War II. He joined the faculty of the University of Virginia in 1956.
Accomplishments dur...
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Edgar F. Shannon, Jr. (June 4, 1918 – August 24, 1997) was a professor of English and president of the University of Virginia from 1959 to 1974.
Shannon attended Washington and Lee University as an undergraduate and studied at Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship. He was a veteran of the United States Navy, having served on the U.S.S. Quincy during World War II. He joined the faculty of the University of Virginia in 1956.
Accomplishments during his administration include the establishment of the University of Virginia Press, the establishment of the Center for Advanced Studies, and the creation of the Echols Scholar program. Shannon also oversaw significant increases in the value of the endowment; in 1962, a survey by the American Association of University Professors ranked the University first in the value of its endowment in proportion to its enrollment.
One of Shannon's most significant legacies to the university was a building program that included the construction of Gilmer...
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