Education: Part-Time President

Bucknell University (Lewisburg, Pa.), is a small, co-educational college, until recently distinguished chiefly for its football teams. Two years ago Bucknell, which, like every other college, craves a money raiser as its president, made a remarkable capture. As acting president it acquired slim, square-jawed Arnaud Cartwright Marts, a graduate of Oberlin College. Arnaud Marts had raised $1,000,000 for Bucknell in his spare time. All told he had pried from philanthropists no less than $200,000,000 for colleges, hospitals, religious institutions.

The devout son of a Congregationalist minister, Arnaud Marts does not smoke or drink. He soon had 700 Bucknell students attending chapel. He also boosted the university’s enrollment to 1,235, largest in its history, restored faculty salary cuts and in two years raised $800,000 for college buildings.

But last fall Arnaud Marts told the college he could no longer spare the time to be its president because he had to attend to his business as president of Marts & Lundy, Inc. of Manhattan, financial counselors for philanthropic organizations. Bucknell was appalled. Its students and faculty quickly signed a petition and the trustees unanimously begged him to stay. “We would rather have you as our leader at Bucknell only one day a week,” wrote the trustees, “than anyone else we know for seven days a week.”

Last week Arnaud Marts consented to be Bucknell’s president—for weekends. He will spend half the week in his Manhattan offices, each Wednesday night will entrain for Lewisburg to lead Bucknell for the rest of the week.