ABSTRACT
This chapter details how building a major university from the ground up involved a series of strategic decisions that Abram L. Sachar successfully navigated despite overwhelming challenges. Although he was criticized for his authoritarian management style, Sachar's approach was comparable to that of other academic "giants" who transformed their institutions. Sachar's founding presidency at Brandeis University encompassed transformative years for United States higher education. The chapter summarizes events that led to the founding of Brandeis University in 1948—the same year that the state of Israel was born. Good fortune then led to the establishment of Brandeis just thirteen miles west of Boston in a state where tradition supported private colleges and universities. Brandeis would allow American Jews to take their place as an educational "host" along with other religious denominations. He later explained, "I raised millions of dollars on just four words: a host at last.".
