12th Whittier College President Inaugurated

The 12th president of Whittier College, which has been named among the best private liberal arts colleges in the nation, was inaugurated in a weekend ceremony attended by about 130 officials from colleges and universities nationwide.

James L. Ash Jr., described by colleagues as one of the most creative administrators in higher education, praised the educational achievements of Whittier College in his inaugural address.

But Ash also lambasted a higher education system which he said has seen the emergence of a “class of professional scholars who have little, if any, perceived moral obligation to be educators.”

Ash, 44, was named president last July to succeed Eugene Mills, who retired.