Indiana State University - Sycamore Yearbook (Terre Haute, IN)

Page 11 text:

Scenes from the past decade 1 Rankin from his first day to the last at indiana State. Chamber of Commerce. and the 1973 president and 1972 campaign chair- man of the United Way of the Wabash Valley. Rankin came to ISU from the Uni- versity of Pittsburgh where he had served since 1956 in positions as ex- ecutive assistant to the chancellor, assistant chancellor for student and general affairs, assistant secretary of the board of trustees, professor of political science, and acting chancel- lor. Rankin was born Dec. 19, 1914, in Hoisington, Kan. His undergraduate study was completed at Fort Hays Kansas State College where he earned the AB. and 8.8. degrees in 1937. His graduate work was at Syracuse University where he received the MA. degree in 1939 and the ,Doctor of Social Science Degree in 1955. Following World War II, he taught at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, first as an instructor in government and then as assistant professor. Rankin is married to the former Frances Margaret Goodnough Atkings. Highlights of the Decade 1964 Indiana State College announces the appointment of Rankin as presi- dent on Dec. 5. 1965 ISO receives university status on Feb. 8 and Rankin begins his presi- dency at ISU on July 1. ISU initiates a doctoral program; the'Schooi of Health, Physical Educa- tion, and Recreation is established; the Evansville campus is found- ed; and Mills and Rhoads residence halls open. 1966 Rankin is inaugurated on April14. Jones and Hines residence halls are completed, Holmstedt Hall is dedicated in June, and the Marathon Building tto be renamed the Alumni Centen is acquired in July. Both Dreiser and Stalker halls are renamed and Condit House is desig- nated as the residency of the president. 1967 iSU grants the first doctor of philosophy degree. The second university bookstore tPlato'sT is opened on Sixth Street. 1968 The School of Technology is established. . The Statesman Towers residence hall complex is completed and the Unit II expansion of the Science Building is finished. The restoration and expansion program is completed at Condit House and Dr. and Mrs. Rankin move in. 1969 The first new structu re at ISU-Evansville is occupied. Lincoln Quadrangles are completed and the first phase of Maehiing Terrace is finished. 1970 An addition to the School of Business Building is completed and the university acquires the former Eik's Club. ISU celebrates its centennial. 1971 The School of Nursing Building is completed, the Student Health and Counseling Center is finished, and the second phase of Maehling Terrace is opened. 1972 A $3 million remodeling and construction program is completed at the Tirey Memorial Union and the Union Center is opened. 1973 The new Cunningham Memorial Library is occupied in January and the grand opening of the Hulman Civic University Center takes place in Decem ber. 1974 In April Rankin requests that he be relieved of the presidency of the university as soon as a successor is found. 1975 Dr. Richard Landini is named as successor to Rankin and assumes duties as president on May 15. Rankin concludes his tenure at ISU and begins a one-year sabbatical. ADMINISTRATION 9

Page 10 text:

'I'IIE RAIIKII YEAR$ Rankin's ten years spanned the greatest growth in the history of Indiana State . . Helping Indiana State emerge ltas an institution and establishing a Huniv versity tradition were two of the chief goals that Dr. Alan C. Rankin set for himself e and when his 10 year term as ISU president drew to a close in 1975, he expressed the hope that those goals had been reached. ttl put 10 years of my life in this university and I'm selfish for it, Rankin remarked near the conclusion of his term. Rankin announced his intention to resign from the presidency on April 16, 1974, and his last day in office was May 14, 1975. 'lLooking back, Rankin noted, Hl am first of all pleased that ISU has emerged - that it has developed a general university tradition - this has kind of been a goal of mine and I think we have reached that in our transfor- mation from a state college to a state university. 'lWe have expanded our academic programs, we have obtained special- ized faculty, and we have greatly im- proved our library facilities - which is essential to a major university, he added. The president also noted, HI am pleased with the impact that ISU grade uates have made. Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear something compli- mentary about an ISU graduate's ac- complishments. Rankin was publicly named presiv dent of ISU on Dec. 5, 1964, but he did not assume office until mid-1965 and his formal inauguration was not con- ducted until April 14, 1966. The new president came to ISU shortly after the institution's name had been changed from Indiana State College to Indiana State University. In a review of the 10 years he served as president, Rankin notes that one of his biggest concerns and problems was the enrollment decline during the early 197015. ttBut this has happened at a lot of campuses, and while we have been worried about the enrollment decline, I believe it is stemmed and we have built it back up, he pointed out. President Alan C. Rankin i one of Indiana State's greatest fans - the end of an era. 8 ADMINISTRATlON Hln the next two decades the situa- tion is likely to get worse because of further declines in enrollments in the high schools. But our problem is to tell our story and let people know what a good institution this is, Rankin has said. Rankin repeatedly stated during his last weeks as president that helping ISU emerge as a respected llinstitu- tion rather than just chat little teach- er's college over at Terre Haute was one of his chief desires. He also noted that the establish- ment of a Huniversity tradition was an important objective. After his last day in office, Rankin moved to new headquarters in the ISU Conference Center and he announced an intention to take a one-year leave of absence. He had stated that he hoped to re- main at ISU and in Terre Haute after his sabbatical was concluded. Rankin was the seventh president in ISU's 110-year history and his tenure spanned the greatest growth tboth physically and academicallyl in Indi- ana State's history. In addition to his career at ISU, Rankin was active in a variety of other activities on a wider scale. He was the 1968-69 president of the Indiana Conference of Higher Educa- tion and he served on the board of directors of the Governmental Affairs Institute and the board of trustees of the Public Administration Office. Other honors have been as chair- man of the Committee of Federal Re- lations of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and on the American Council on Education. He was appointed in 1967 and reap- pointed in 1969 by the speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives to the Indiana Constitutional Revision Commission. Among many community activities, Rankin served as president of the Terre Haute Committee for Area Progress, president of the board of directors of the Community Foundation for the Wabash Valley, Inc., a member of the , board of directors of the Swope Art Gallery and the Terre Haute Area

Page 12 text:

the name that became a household word 10 ADMINISTRATION After a 10-month search and the screening of more than 300 applicants, Dr. Richard G. Lan- dini was named president of ISU on Feb.4, 1975. Landini assumed duties as president on May 15. He had former- ly served as aca- demic vice presi- dent at the Univer- sity of Montana at : Missoula. La'ldim The 45-year-old became the eighth president in the history of the university. HFrankly, Landini noted in February, l'I'm very excited . . . in the months ahead I hope to learn as much about ISU as possible . .. what I know thus far is all good. lllt's a little early to come to anything more than tentative conclusions about ISU and its challenges, but I believe that with the help of the ISU staff, the stu- dents, and the citizens of this state, we can move forward with great enthusiasm, he added. HThe issues facing ISU are probably not unlike those facing comparable institutions today - decreasing enrollments, the new demand for accountability, and others, the new president said after he was named by James T. Morris, president of the ISU board of trustees. Landini received the AB. and MA. degrees at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla. tin 1954 and 1956 respectively; His doc- torate was earned at the Universi- ty of Florida, Gainesville, in 1959. From 1959 to 1970, Landini served as assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor of English at Arizona State University of Tempe. He was also assistant dean of the graduate college from 1965 to 1967. He served as dean of the ex- perimental Litchfield College, a branch of ASU, from 1967 to 1970. Between 1968 and 1970 he was also assistant to the president at Arizona State. He became vice president at the University of Montana in 1970. Landini is married and is the father offive chidren.