Luther Pfahler Eisenhart (1876-1965) served as Princeton’s fifth dean of the faculty from 1925 to 1933. Eisenhart was a leading figure on campus as a mathematician, professor, administrator and creator of the four-course plan that established the senior thesis as a signature of a Princeton education.

A native of York, Pennsylvania, Eisenhart joined the Princeton faculty in 1900 after receiving his Bachelor of Arts from Gettysburg College and his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. He soon earned a reputation as an exceptional professor, leading to his 1905 selection as one of the original preceptors by University President Woodrow Wilson. Eisenhart was one of a group of promising young mathematicians nurtured by Dean of the Faculty Henry Fine, and he rose to the rank of full professor in 1909.

Eisenhart's continuation of Fine's work brought Princeton to preeminence among the world's centers for mathematical study. His impact paved the way for the scientific contribution the University provided to the national effort in World War II, including its contributions to the Manhattan Project.

In 1925, after early work on the groundbreaking four-course plan, President John Grier Hibben named Eisenhart dean of the faculty.

Eisenhart continued to develop the four-course plan during his tenure as dean. Undergraduates were called on to develop expertise in a specific subject area and create a senior thesis on this subject, akin to the model of graduate education at research universities around the world. The creation of the four-course plan and its adoption into the Princeton curriculum was groundbreaking in higher education.

At the end of Eisenhart’s term as dean of the faculty, a Board of Trustees resolution commended him for his accomplishments during his tenure. Above all, the trustees commended Eisenhart’s establishment of “the four-course plan of study,” which they called “one of the greatest educational steps that Princeton has ever taken, and full credit for the advance belongs to Dean Eisenhart.”

Following his tenure as dean of the faculty, newly seated President Harold Dodds named Eisenhart dean of the Graduate School. He held this position from 1933 until his retirement in 1945.

Written by Shane B. Black for the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, and Benjamin Bernard, who earned a Ph.D. in history from Princeton in 2022.