Foote served as dean of the law school at Washington University in St. Louis from 1973 to 1980. He was 43 when he succeeded Henry King Stanford, as the fourth University of Miami president, in March 1981. During his tenure, undergraduate admissions and academic standards were raised, top faculty recruited, and major private and government funding secured for research and permanent facilities. The increase in the University's local, national and international profile paralleled the rise of Miami as the so-called "Capital of the Americas." His tenure included: a capital fundraising campaign that was the second-largest in the history of American higher education at the time, raising $517.5 million; purchasing or constructing nearly 50 buildings; and bolstering students' academic quality. In 1982, Foote pared undergraduate enrollment by 2,500 to 8,500, raising the standards of incoming students. Entering freshmen in the fall 2000 had an average SAT score of 1200, about 100 points higher than the class of 1981. Today, Miami's mean SAT score is 1315. He also increased sponsored research conducted by university professors and scientists, with $193.9 million being spent on research in 2000, up from $58.1 million, in 1981. He created three new colleges — the School of Architecture, School of Communication, and the Graduate School of International Studies, increased the number of full-time faculty members by 560 and championed the university's athletic program. Under him, Miami won four national championships in football and three College World Series titles. He also reinstated the men's basketball program.
Foote died at the age of 78, from complications of Parkinson's disease, at East Ridge nursing facility in Cutler Bay, Florida. Former University of Miami president Donna Shalala wrote in an email, "He was a remarkable leader and a real gentleman. The University improved greatly under his tenure." The university's current president, Julio Frenk, said "President Foote’s tenure … was marked by a far-reaching and rigorous pursuit of academic excellence that helped to distinguish our students and faculty among the finest in the nation. Together with his late wife, Roberta "Bosey" Fulbright Foote, they made Miami their home, and we are a far better and stronger institution and community thanks to them."
Personal
Foote was married to Roberta "Bosey" Fulbright Foote, who died in May 2015. She was born Dec. 27, 1938, in Arkansas. She was the daughter of the late U.S. senator, J. William Fulbright, namesake of the Fulbright scholarship. They had three children, Julia, William and Thaddeus and eight grandchildren.
