Twamley
Collins
Teel
Healy
Evans
Blackburn
store. Born in Ireland, he had started a number of business enterprises in New York, Chicago and St. Paul before moving to Grand Forks. William T. Collins and Charles E. Teel were both physicians practicing in Minnesota. Like many doctors today, they may have responded to the challenges of extending primary care into a small, but growing, rural community. These three men were joined by R.M. Evans, a physician from Minto, and the Rev. E.A. Healy of Grafton to form UND’s first Board of Regents. The first President for UND was appointed on April 9, 1884: William Maxwell Blackburn. Having just gone through the recruitment process myself, I was fascinated to read part of the letter Blackburn received from the Board of Regents, and to consider its similarities to my experience. It read, ”You have been recommended to us for the position of President of the University of North Dakota, and I am directed by the Board of Regents to inquire of you your disposition toward this opening, and what salary would command your services.“ Blackburn was a graduate of the Princeton Seminary. He arrived in
Grand Forks after 30 years of ministerial positions. He was a man of great solemnity and dignity, of force and principle. He had a solid reputation for his scholarly work and served UND both as President and as professor of mental, moral and political science. Blackburn’s writings and lectures during 1883 and 1884 suggest to me that the challenges he faced may not have been totally different than those facing us today. Among his several publications are “Things That Accompany Salvation,” “Opportunity Lost,” and “Enduring Hardness.” Blackburn faced multiple challenges in getting UND started, particularly the academic curriculum. He favored a practical curriculum and open admissions — a curriculum which included mechanics and agriculture. He had vigorous, open differences with the two members of the faculty at that time, Professors Webster Merrifield and Henry Montgomery. They favored a classical liberal arts curriculum of mathematics, sciences, history of Greece and Rome, Caesar, English composition, literature, and the like. And Merrifield and Montgomery also favored entrance examinations to show at least some preparation by the students. Blackburn also had
differences with his staff, including a Mrs. Mott who took her complaints directly to the Board of Regents. As Professor Geiger noted, the board ultimately elected to dismiss Blackburn after only one year as President. They promptly installed Professor Montgomery as acting President, after Professor Merrifield declined the honor. Now this history isn’t lost on me, and here are some lessons learned. Listen to your faculty and staff. Respect the core academic values and abilities that are vested in them and their roles in the university. They have a dedication and commitment to learning and to the university that exceeds your authority, and that your ability to continue to lead the University, and to serve the university community effectively, resides in your ability to communicate with them. Also, it is equally clear that to be effective in university leadership, the President must acknowledge the authority of the governing board and maintain clear, open, honest communication with those individuals at all times. These are fundamental characteristics of leadership, prevalent in 1883 and just as relevant to us today and in the future.
continued The Inaugural Address z Page 27