who served for at least 10 years were Miner Lee Bates, Kenneth I. Brown, Paul H. Fall, Elmer Jagow, and G. Benjamin Oliver. In 1931, shortly before Hiram celebrated the 100th anniversary of Garfield's birth, there was a debate in the community about changing the name of the school to Garfield College. There were strong advocates on both sides of the issue. Among the 2,000 guests at the centennial celebration were three generations of Garfield's family, including two of his sons. The idea of changing the college's name was not mentioned at the event and the idea was abandoned. Principals and presidents The following is a list of the school's leaders since its founding in 1850. Principals (Western Reserve Eclectic Institute) 1850–1856 – Amos Sutton Hayden 1857–1861 – James A. Garfield 1861–1864 – Harvey W. Everest (Pro Tem) 1864–1865 – C. W. Heywood (acting) 1865–1866 – Adoniram J. Thomson (managing) 1866–1867 – John M. Atwater Presidents (Hiram College) 1867–1868 – Silas E. Shepard (acting) 1868–1870 – John M. Atwater (acting) 1870–1882 – Burke A. Hinsdale 1883–1887 – George M. Laughlin 1887–1888 – Colman Bancroft (acting) 1888–1902 – Ely V. Zollars 1902–1903 – James A. Beattie 1903–1905 – Edmund B. Wakefield (acting) 1905–1907 – Carlos C. Rowlison 1907–1930 – Miner Lee Bates 1930–1940 – Kenneth I. Brown 1940–1957 – Paul H. Fall 1957–1965 – Paul F. Sharp 1965–1965 – James N. Primm 1966–1966 – Wendell G. Johnson (acting) 1966–1985 – Elmer Jagow 1986–1989 – Russell Aiuto 1989–1989 – James Norton (interim) 1990–2000 – G. Benjamin Oliver 2000–2002 – Richard J. Scaldini 2003–2014 – Thomas V. Chema 2014–2020 – Lori E. Varlotta 2020–present - David P. Haney Academics As of the 2019–20 academic year, Hiram's student body consists of 1,116 undergraduates from 27 states and 11 foreign countries. Of the 81 full–time faculty, 95% hold a Ph.D. or other terminal degree in their field. Hiram specializes in the education of undergraduate students, though the college does have a small graduate program. Hiram confers the BA, BSN, and MA degrees. The college offers 33 majors and 40 minors for traditional undergraduates, in addition to pre-professional programs for specific fields. Interdisciplinary studies have also been a part of Hiram's curriculum for decades. Hiram's curriculum requires all students to complete one course in each of nine academic areas: creative methods, interpretive methods, modeling methods, experimental scientific methods, social and cultural analysis, experiencing the world, understanding