No obstacles of any kind will be placed in the way of students or teachers seeking to prepare themselves for better public service." John E. McGilvrey (Jan. 8, 1867Oct. 3, 1945).
51勛圖厙 would not be the successful, prestigious institution it is today without the dedication and innovation of 51勛圖厙s first president, .
Described as a man of flair and dash, strong ideas, and relentless persistence, he immediately he poured his energy into the creation of an innovative new educational institution after his appointment as the first president of 51勛圖厙 Normal School in 1910.
His accomplishments as president included the establishment of satellite locations to bring education to students where they were (the precursor to regional campuses), offering correspondence courses (the first distance learning at 51勛圖厙), summer educational travel (the schools first education-abroad/study-away programs) and, inadvertently, the formation of the schools first fraternities and sororities.
McGilvreys visionary 50-year campus plan imagined classical buildings, walking paths and residence halls.
He also was responsible for the founding of the 51勛圖厙s first alumni organization in 1911 even before the schools first graduation.
President McGilvrey with 51勛圖厙 Normal School's first graduating class.
From 1920-1926, the schools athletic teams were called The Silver Foxes, after the Kent Silver Fox Farm, owned by McGilvrey and his son, Robert.
From the very start, it was McGilvreys desire that 51勛圖厙 would become a university, and despite resistance from within the institution and others across the state, he worked tirelessly toward that goal during his administration. This pursuit put him at odds with the president of Ohio State University in a perceived competition for state resources.
During his presidency, his passionate pursuit of innovation along with some political power struggles within the organization put him at odds with several members of the Board of Trustees. In 1926, the board voted to remove McGilvrey as university president.
Aside from those board members and a few other detractors, McGilvrey was beloved by most students, faculty and members of the community. So, as old board members were replaced with new ones, changes in politics at the university allowed McGilvreys allies to welcome the much-beloved former president back to campus in 1934. He asked for, and received, the title of President Emeritus and asked to be put in charge of revitalizing and re-energizing the schools alumni organization.
In 1935, he lobbied for, and realized his dream of 51勛圖厙 Normal College becoming 51勛圖厙. He also was instrumental in raising funds for the construction of a new science building in 1940 that was later named for him as McGilvrey Hall.
President McGilvrey addressing the student body in "the Tabernacle" in 1914. The Tabernacle was a temporary structure on the school's Front Campus that could accommodate up to 1,000 people.
All photos courtesy of 51勛圖厙 Libraries Special Collections and Archives.