In 1950, White left the Institute of Technology for Western Reserve University, where he was offered the position of vice president.
He left his job as vice president in 1955 to move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and to become the general manager of WQED.
During his tenure as president, there were a few unsuccessful attempts to bring educational television to the New York City area.
White helped form Educational Television for the Metropolitan Area Inc. in 1961 and served as its secretary and as a board member to further this goal.
After eleven years in public broadcasting, White returned to education in 1969 to serve as President of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
During this time the faculty formed a union affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, which completed its first contract with the school in 1979.
He served as Trustee of St. John the Divine in New York City from 1978 to 1988 and as a Vestryman of St. Mary's Church in Tuxedo Park from 1979 to 1986.