His reputation is safe. (image source: Library of Congress)

For all you Tigers losing sleep over the fading aura of our campus’ favorite U.S. president, fear no more! Woodrow Wilson is back on top.

Well, almost top. Ninth only to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Abraham Lincoln, George W. Bush, FDR, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and — no, I could not make this up — Andrew Johnson (arguably one of the most forgettable presidents in the history of the United States, though Time magazine might disagree). The category? Greatest influence on the nation’s education system.

A recent article published on TeachHUB.com and filed under the heading Grants for Education, William B. C. Roberts (two middle initials perhaps meant to evoke familiar fuzzy memories of alphabet-learning?) ranked the top twelve U.S. presidents, “for better or for worse,” based on their influence on education. Woodrow Wilson, whose influence on the education system was apparently exemplified by his desire to do away with Princeton’s eating clubs (and a successful endeavor that was…), is also remembered for what may be considered the first higher education federal aid package, a move that ended the system of exclusively state- and locally-funded schools in the country.

Other presidential accomplishments of note included, according to Roberts, Nixon’s 1972 Education Amendments, Ford’s Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, FDR’s GI Bill of 1944, and, yes, Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act (Roberts notes that many scholars consider it as yet too soon to judge the effectiveness of this one).

The bottom line? Woodrow Wilson made the cut, so we can all heave a great, big, collective “phew.” And here’s to William, for reminding us all that Woodrow Wilson really is, well, the man.