Robert Bruce, president emeritus of Widener University for 20 years, who also served as a former history teacher, mentor and volunteer, died April 19 at White Horse Village retirement community at age 86, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Robert J. Bruce joined Widener in 1975 as vice president of development.

When he became president in 1981, he oversaw the school’s transition from a struggling small college in Chester to an expanding regional university.

Widener had three campuses by the time he retired in 2001.

Widener officials said he was largely responsible for the school’s expansion and financial stability in the 1980s and 1990s.

The school added master’s and doctorate degrees in nursing, business, hospitality, engineering, education, social work, and psychology.

President Bruce told The Inquirer in 2001 that the university “had to establish a niche within the Greater Philadelphia area as a quality institution.”

President Bruce also was a one-time chairman of the Crozer-Chester Medical Center and helped establish the Foundation for Delaware County in 2016, earning several awards for service.

He was the author of the well-reviewed book, “Acting on Promise, Reflections of a University President.”

Read more about the life of Robert Bruce in The Philadelphia Inquirer.