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Wefald shares story about how he saved SMSU

MARSHALL — No history of Southwest Minnesota State University would be complete without telling the tale of former president Jon Wefald.

“Mention the name Jon Wefald around campus and things stop,” SMSU Communications Director Jim Tate was quoted as saying in a book written by Wefald.

“There is a hushed reverence when people talk about the man. Jon Wefald: the guy who saved Southwest Minnesota State University.”

Wefald shared his account of his time as president of SMSU with the Marshall Independent. A special section focusing on the history of SMSO to commemorate the university’s 50th year is inside today’s edition.

Wefald started his account beginning with 1971-77, when he was the Commissioner of Agriculture in Minnesota Gov. Wendall Anderson’s administration.

“There were a number of Minnesota state representatives and senators that wanted to shut down Southwest State University (as it was called during that time),” Wefald said. “The enrollment had begun to slide in the 1974-75 school year.”

He said many legislators believed you cannot support a faculty of 110 on the tuition of only 900 students. They moved to freeze the faculty count to 100 until they could figure out their next move.

The SSU president at the time was Jay Jones, Wefald said. He was replaced by an interim president, Catherine Tisinger. That was when Wefald decided to throw his hat into the ring.

You have to understand the turmoil going on at the college at that time, Wefald said. Even the Marshall Independent wrote stories about the war between the administration and the faculty and legislators didn’t like what they were reading, he said.

“Fellow historian, David Ness, a tenured faculty member, advised me not to take the job as president,” Wefald said.

He said parents were not encouraging their children to attend SSU. They were deeply worried that it was about to close.

Wefald said he was warned that the job could ruin his career if he couldn’t pull the struggling school out of the quagmire it was in. Wefald was a little worried, but he knew he was the only person for the job.

“I got the nod and got there July 1, 1971,” Wefald said. He had beat out 49 other candidates for the position.

Wefald went to work meeting with faculty leaders such as David Simpson, the then-president of the Interfaculty Organization of MEA (IFOMEA). It was a labor union for the college professors.

“They embraced me,” Wefald said. “Then within the first month, they asked if I would rescind (the release of) five of the professors that the chancellor had let go in what was called the Hayes Plan. The partnership between administration and IFOMEA depended on it.”

Wefald said it was a risk, but he sent letters informing those five retrenched (let go with one year left before tenure) professors offering them their jobs back with tenure.

“Dave and IFOMEA were ecstatic,” he said. “Chancellor Garry Hayes wasn’t happy, but he knew if it didn’t work, SSU would close.”

Wefald said he knew he had to carve out that new partnership, and the minute he had done it, things turned around. The partnership lasted the entire time Wefald was at SSU.

“Those faculty members are still some of my best friends today,” he said.

The second hardest thing Wefald had to do as president of SSU was to figure out how to turn things around to increase enrollment.

“I have the superintendent of the Ivanhoe School to thank for that,” he said. “He invited me to a Welcome day to speak to the 9-12 grade students there.”

It led to a plan to talk to 94 schools in a certain radius around Marshall. Wefald made appointments to speak to two to four schools in a day from October through April.

Those schools also called general assemblies for their high school students and faculty to hear what Wefald had to say about the power of education and how SSU could help them succeed.

In addition to the 94 schools, Wefald added 95 civic organizations, cooperatives and farm organizations. He was out four days a week promoting SSU.

“It was unheard of for the president of a university to go out recruiting, but I did,” Wefald said. “I even recruited football players to turn their record around, too.”

The results were phenomenal. That fall, the school’s freshman enrollment was up 30 percent.

“And, SSU hasn’t looked back since,” he said. “Neither has there been anymore talk about closing it.”

From SSU, Wefald went on to become the chancellor of schools much larger than SSU in the area, and then on to become the president of the Kansas State University, which he also transformed.

Wefald has written a book about his time there, called, “The Transformative Years at Kansas State.” Wefald Hall at Kansas State University was named after him, as is Wefald Drive by SMSU.

Wefald said SMSU is in good hands today, with Dr. Connie Gores at the helm.

“The new president is dynamic, enthusiastic and exudes confidence,” Wefald said. “She’s the right fit. She’s doing an excellent job.”

Wefald was sorry to be missing the SMSU 50th Anniversary Reunion, but he has a previous commitment to speak at Minot, North Dakota, to 600 high schoolers out there. However, Wefald will always remember when he was invited to speak at the 2007 SMSU commencement, and the university gave him an honorary doctorate for saving the college from closing.

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