Miller Upton: The man and his ideas

R. Miller Upton President of Beloit College 1954-1975

Miller Upton was the sixth president of Beloit College and the architect of the historic Beloit Plan of year-round education. President Upton was a 1938 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Tulane University and former dean of the School of Business and Public Administration at Washington University. He devoted his career to advancing the ideals of the liberal society: political freedom, the rule of law, and the promotion of peace and prosperity through the voluntary exchange of goods, services, and ideas. He felt that transforming the ideals of liberal democracy into real institutions was at the heart of increasing the wealth and well-being of nations and peoples. He was a nationally known educator and a recognized expert in the academic specialties of business administration, finance, and money and banking. In addition, he served as a member of many national committees and governmental commissions in his field, including the chairmanship of the United States National Commission for UNESCO. President Upton’s administration at Beloit was marked by a series of far-reaching curricular changes that define the character of the College to this day.