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- Thomas Arthur Spragens (/ˈspreɪ.ɡɪnz/ SPRAY-ginz; April 25, 1917 – February 11, 2006) was an American administrator and a figure in higher education. He served as the 17th president of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, from 1957 to 1981. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Spragens worked for the state and federal government early in his career, before joining the staff at Stanford University as a presidential advisor. He served a five-year term as the president of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and left Stephens to come to Centre. The first Centre president who was not a part of the clergy, Spragens worked to lessen the ties between the college and the Presbyterian Church, which led to a significant rise in students reporting that they were non-denominational and which led to chapel becoming optional for students. Spragens was also an effective fundraiser for the school, as he made it one of his top priorities upon taking office, and his Fund for the Future Campaign ultimately raised $34 million for the college. He was instrumental in the integration of the school, and admitted Centre's first black student in 1962. The same year, he led an effort to consolidate the school's women's department, formerly the , onto Centre's campus. During his time at Centre, Spragens was also involved in several other organizations and pursuits, many of which pertained to higher education. He was selected by two governors to serve on commissions which studied higher education within the commonwealth, and was a part of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the American Council on Education at different times. He was active in Democratic Party politics, and was a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in support of Senator Eugene McCarthy. Additionally, he was a part of an effort which culminated in the 1962 founding of what is now the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, of which Centre remained a charter member until 2011. (en)
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- Thomas Arthur Spragens (/ˈspreɪ.ɡɪnz/ SPRAY-ginz; April 25, 1917 – February 11, 2006) was an American administrator and a figure in higher education. He served as the 17th president of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, from 1957 to 1981. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Spragens worked for the state and federal government early in his career, before joining the staff at Stanford University as a presidential advisor. He served a five-year term as the president of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and left Stephens to come to Centre. (en)
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