New Frontiers: The Evolution of William G. Tight From Geomorphologist to University President

William George Tight (1865-1910) contributed to our knowledge of U.S. Midwestern drainage patterns and the impact of glaciation on fluvial systems, including the Teays River (Pleistocene; now buried under glacial sediment in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois). In 1901 he accepted the Presidency of the University of New Mexico (UNM). Subsequently, most of his attention was devoted to academic administration, although he managed some investigation of the geology and botany of the New Mexico Territory. He had many successes but ran afoul of political situations that led to his dismissal by the UNM Board of Regents in 1909.

Although elements of Tight's geomorphic work in Ohio were published and his administrative endeavors in New Mexico were well covered by campus newspapers, serious gaps in our knowledge of William Tight exist because a campus fire in 1910 destroyed most of his papers and correspondence. Thus, a full account of his life exemplifies the biographer's task, literal in this case, of sifting through ashes. Just as the geologic column contains breaks, the history of science frequently has its lacunae.

Tight's life as a researcher and administrator is partially visible, thanks to his publications and existing, albeit limited, archival resources. His biography helps us understand the early evolution of glacial geomorphology in the Midwest and the development of a major public university in the Southwest.