Jacques Barzun
Jacques Barzun CC '27 PhD '32 is a cultural historian and was one of the great professors a Columbian could have in the mid-20th century. He is still alive, amazingly. He most recently wrote a mammoth 500 year history of the West entitled From Dawn To Decadence.
When he was an undergraduate, Barzun was president of Philo, drama critic for Spec, and editor of Varsity, a now-defunct literary magazine. He also wrote the 1928 Varsity Show, Zuleika, or the Sultan Insulted. According to classmates, he would type his Spec theatre reviews while still dressed in black tie and opera gloves. He graduated from Columbia College as valedictorian.
Barzun was immediately made an instructor in the history department upon graduation, and worked as the research assistant of Carlton J.H. Hayes, a historian of nationalism. After completing his PhD dissertation in 1932, entitled "The French Race: Theories of Its Origins and Their Social and Political Implications Prior to the Revolution," which countered the myth that the French aristocracy had emerged from "pure, Germanic" blood, he became a full professor in 1945, earned the Seth Low Professor of History chair in 1960, and became a University Professor in 1967.
He was also instrumental in the development of the Core, developing in 1932 a proto-Lit Hum class called the Colloquium on Important Books, which he would co-teach with Lionel Trilling. From 1946 to 1972 he co-taught, also with Trilling, the extremely popular graduate seminar "Historical Bases of English Literature", which was nearly developed into an interactive CBS television course.
He also served in a number of administrative posts, including Dean of Graduate Faculties and Provost.
Columbia's graduation robes were changed from the traditional black to slate blue at Barzun's prompting, the newer color being more comfortable in warm weather, as is typical during Commencement. Barzun called this his "most revolutionary deed".
He retired in 1975 and currently lives in San Antonio, Texas.
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| Preceded by John A. Krout |
Provost 1958-1967 |
Succeeded by David B. Truman |
