Remembering Frank Newman (1927-2004)

The world of education lost a tremendous friend and advocate on Saturday, May 29, when Frank Newman died of melanoma in Providence, R.I. He was 77.

A pioneer of service-learning and educational reform, Newman was a co-founder of Campus Compact in the early 1980s, bringing service-learning to the world of higher education. The organization is currently active on more 900 college campuses. During the late 1990s into the early part of this decade, Newman was also a member of the National Commission on Service-Learning, chaired by Senator John Glenn.

An influential author, his 1971 "Report on Higher Education" (often referred to as the "Newman Report") and "The Second Newman Report: National Policy and Higher Education" (1974) helped lay the groundwork for the educational reform movement. As president of the University of Rhode Island from 1974 to 1983, Newman was widely credited for reversing its trend in declining enrollment and bolstering its academic standing. And as president of the Education Commission of States from 1985 through 1999, he led the organization as it drew attention to emerging issues, including at-risk children, minority teacher quality and recruitment, school restructuring, service-learning, and the link between brain research and learning.

"Frank’s contributions to both K-12 and higher education were countless and will continue to influence other educators and policy-makers for years to come," said ECS President Ted Sanders. "He had a passion for life and for education that will be greatly missed."

After retiring from ECS, Newman went on to join Brown University's Center for Public Policy and American Institutions, where he was visiting professor of public policy and director of the Futures Project, a higher education think tank funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. He also was visiting professor at Teachers College, Columbia University.

"Frank was a good friend and a trusted elder," says NYLC President and CEO Jim Kielsmeier. "His wit and wisdom were always welcome and will be deeply missed."