The former president of John Hopkins University, Steven Muller, passed away on Jan.19, at the age of 85 from respiratory failure.

He was president of the university from 1972 to 1990.

He joined John Hopkins University in 1971 as a senior administrative officer for 10 months and later served as the head of the University from the following year for 18 years.

President Ronald J Daniels praised Muller's vision and determination for enhancing the institution's image on a global level.

Muller's lifetime encompassed a variety of activities, - a refu­gee from Nazi Germany, a child actor in Hollywood, a Rhodes Scholar, president of John Hopkins University and a member on board of trustees and chairman of St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Along with leading this top research institution, he also took charge of the John Hopkins Hospital, a prestigious medical facility in the country.

Muller is known to have launched development projects to collect funds and save the university from crumbling down in 1972 due to budget shortfalls. Altogether, the projects brought approximately $709 million.

His leadership saw the expansion of physics, astronomy, engineering and nursing programs. He also supervised the growth of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Due to Muller's immense contribution to various departments, John Hopkins University was chosen as the site of the Space Telescope Science Institute to run the science program for the Hubble Space Telescope.

According to the University, other important projects undertaken by Muller include the establishments of Krieger Mind-Brain Institute and academic centers for part-time students and Applied Physics Laboratory; the university's tie up with Peabody music conservatory and creation of satellite campuses in China and Italy.

During the 1980s, John Hopkins University was plunged into a financial crisis. Among the departments, the School of Arts and Sciences had a huge debt valued at $8 million in 1989.

It was then that Muller decided to step down.

"From my point of view, it is better to pick an appropriate time to leave and move on to something else than to sit around and fade into some kind of twilight," Muller told Washington Post.

Stefan Mueller was born Nov. 22, 1927, in Hamburg and moved to U.S. in 1940. He completed his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles, in the year 1948 and studied politics at Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar from 1949 to 1951.

"My role as Johns Hopkins president was the biggest and best 'part' I had ever played." Muller said.

Muller is survived by his wife of 13 years, Jill E. McGovern, two daughters from his first marriage, a brother and five grandchildren.