Samuel Chiles Mitchell served as the President of the University of Delaware from 1914-1920. He earned his M.A. from Georgetown College, Kentucky in 1888 and entered the teaching profession as a Professor of History and Greek at Mississippi College. In 1899, Mitchell received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He was also the recipient of numerous Honorary Degrees, including an LL.D. from Brown University (1910), Baylor University (1913), and the University of Cincinnati (1914).

In 1914, after serving as the President of the University of South Carolina, Mitchell became the sixteenth President of the University of Delaware. His tenure was marked by decisive changes: purchase of the land then known as "The Green" now called "The Mall," construction of Wolf, Harter and Sussex Halls, renovation of Old College, and the opening of the Women’s College. He also spearheaded the planning for the construction of Memorial Library, a monument to Delaware’s World War I dead. The Library, now Memorial Hall, was completed by his successor, Walter Hullihen. In 1928, H. Rodney Sharp donated funds for the construction of Mitchell Hall, the University's first auditorium for the performing arts.

More about President Mitchell:

"History of the Heart of the Campus" article from UpDate

"Professor Makes History Live with Review of Memorial Hall’s Past" article from UpDate

The University of Delaware: A History by Dr. John A. Munroe

Beneath Thy Guiding Hand: A History of Women at the University of Delaware by Carol E. Hoffecker

"Presidential Profiles" an article from The Messenger

Samuel Chiles Mitchell  by Henriette Wyeth Hurd