'Southern Winter 2019

Distinguished Alumnus
Dr. Robert G. Bottoms ’66
As the longest-serving president of DePauw University and a graduate of
Birmingham-Southern, Dr. Robert Bottoms spent his life observing the importance
of a liberal arts education.
“It prepares people to think creatively, communicate, and to write well, which are all
traits so important in any job,” says Bottoms.
It all started with the relationship Bottoms developed with BSC’s 10 president,
Ralph Tanner. His encouragement and advice helped Bottoms as he began his journey
in the world of higher education.
After working as BSC chaplain from 1973 to 1976, in addition to serving as
assistant to the president from 1974 to 1976, Bottoms moved to Nashville, where he
was assistant dean and assistant professor of church and ministry at the Vanderbilt
Divinity School until 1978. He left Vanderbilt to accept the position of vice president
for university relations at DePauw University. Bottoms was named president of the
university in 1986. During his 22 years as president, Bottoms was able to make major
impacts on the forward progression of the school.
His efforts to improve diversity on campus stand out, as he strove to make
the community more reflective of the world around it. The number of minority
faculty members increased from just three percent to over 17 percent through his
leadership. He also saw a need for a change in student diversity, increasing
the number of students with culturally diverse backgrounds from 3.5
percent to 16 percent.
Bottoms was able to guide DePauw in raising more than
$500 million in funds, tripling annual giving from the time of
his arrival. The investments he made in campus infrastructure
led to the development of more than six major additions,
including the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics and the
Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media.
The dedication Bottoms has to making his community a
better place did not stop when he retired from the presidency
in 2008. He later began serving as director of the Janet
Prindle Institute for Ethics, which allowed him to focus time
on his family and serve his community.
Serving on boards of Seabury-Western Theological
Seminary in Chicago, the Posse Foundation, the Center for
Leadership Development, and, most recently, Episcopal
Divinity School at Union Seminary in New York, Bottoms
has dedicated his time to causes close to his heart.
For the years of care that Bottoms put into DePauw, the
university has named the alumni building the Robert G.
Bottoms Alumni and Development Building, honoring
the positive changes he implemented across campus.
“Take a wide variety of courses.
Don’t decide too early what you want
to do and what you want to major
in, as exposure to new subjects can
change your direction.”
advice
38 / ’southern
SPRING/SUMMER 2018 / 40