Woodrow Wilson: A Great Scholar and Educator

Abstract

Woodrow Wilson was one of forty-two Presidents of the United States. More specifically, Wilson was the twenty-eighth President serving the country for two terms between 1913 and 1921. Very few Americans know that almost his entire life before entering political career. Wilson had been engaged in academic pursuits. Wilson's academic career started as a student, then as a professor and writer, finally as a university president of Princeton and educational innovator. Wilson was the only President of the United States who had earned a doctoral degree. Even though Wilson's life was intriguing, the principal purpose of this study aims to capture only some portion of his contributions to higher education. However, his political life can not be ignored. The overview of Wilson's biography will reveal how a great statesman he was. The study will discuss some major academic studies of Woodrow Wilson by focusing on the issues which most scholars in public administration recognize as a turning point of the academic discipline. Finally, the study will also discuss Wilson’s major contributions to higher education during his years as the president of Princeton University.