[4][5][6][7] A native of Markleville, Indiana,[1][2] Cummins attended the University of Michigan, receiving his BA in 1916.

[5] While attending the University of Michigan, he was inducted into two academic honor societies: Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa.

[11] Cummins worked at Vanderbilt University as a Histology instructor (1916-1917)[12] and as an assistant professor of Microscopic Anatomy from 1917 through 1919.

[13][14] In 1919, Cummins joined the faculty at Tulane University where he remained for the rest of his educational career, nearly five decades, serving in a variety of positions.

[11] His positions at Tulane University included: Cummins also held positions at a number of journals and associated organizations including: In 1926, Cummins coined the term dermatoglyphics.