Livingston Farrand came to CU with a distinguished academic background, serving as chair of anthropology at Columbia University before his election as CU’s fourth president. He was personable and outgoing, but his presidency was fairly uneventful, due to his extended absences.

Farrand is credited with elevating the standards of the School of Medicine in Denver, which gained recognition as one of the leading institutions in the West. He believed one of the university’s main roles was in research.