Fourth President of Ripon College, 1901-1909

Dr. Richard Cecil Hughes, a Presbyterian clergyman and teacher of psychology, was instrumental in designing and implementing a college curriculum at Ripon for the twentieth century, and he completed the modernization process begun by Dr. Flagg. Under his leadership, preparatory classes were greatly reduced and the educational program was expanded to include most of the subjects comprising a modern liberal arts curriculum. In 1906, Hughes obtained a $20,000 matching gift from Andrew Carnegie which resulted in a total gain to the College of $40,000.