upon president cyrus nutt's death in august 1875, lemuel moss was elected president of indiana university. during his first year as president, he made a strong impression upon the students and faculty at the university, viewed as a strong teacher and extremely adept at public speaking. moss was also unyielding in his power and a firm disciplinarian, who was sometimes viewed as arrogant. however, giving his unusual prowess as a platform speaker, moss accumulated several outstanding achievements during his time at indiana university.