Former University of Massachusetts president Dr. David C. Knapp died on Tuesday at the age of 82. Knapp forged the direction of the University for more than 12 years, serving as president from 1978 to 1990 – a critical time of growth for the UMass system.

In a statement yesterday, current UMass president Jack Wilson paid tribute to Knapp as one of the great presidents in the history of UMass, and attributed the expansion of the UMass system (from its then-borders of Boston, Worcester and Amherst into the cities of Dartmouth and Lowell) to his vision.

“It was David Knapp’s vision to create an outstanding University of Massachusetts system that would serve students from across the Commonwealth and strive to bring economic prosperity and vitality to every region of the state,” said Wilson.

Born in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1927, Knapp received his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University in 1947. At that point he entered the University of Chicago, going on to earn his master’s degree in 1948 and his PhD in 1953. In 1953, Knapp joined the faculty of the University of New Hampshire as an assistant professor of government.  From 1955 to 1961, he assumed the duties of assistant to the president in addition to that of associate professor. Knapp served as University of New Hampshire’s dean of the College of Liberal Arts from 1961 to 1962. 

In 1963, Knapp became associate director of the Study of American Colleges of Agriculture. The study was financed by the Carnegie Corp., and was centered at the University of Maryland. While still working on the study, Knapp became director of the Institute of College & University Administrators of the American Council on Education.  He left both posts in 1968 to accept an appointment as dean of the New York State College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, a position he held until being appointed provost of Cornell in 1974. Four years later, in 1978, Knapp was elected president by the UMass Board of Trustees.

Nick Bush can be reached at [email protected].