Harry A. Brown

Maine to the Midwest

Harry Alvin Brown (1879-1949) was the seventh president of ISNU. Born in Liberty, Maine, Brown received his education from Bates College in Maine and the University of Colorado. Prior to college administration, Brown worked as a teacher and administrator in rural schools in Maine and New Hampshire. He would later work as an instructor and professor at New England normal schools before becoming president at the Teachers College of Oshkosh (now the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh) in 1917. After the death of David Felmley, the Normal School Board of Illinois appointed Brown in 1930 to the presidency of ISNU.

Organizing Divisions

Brown took over the presidency at a precarious time in the university’s history. Though the campus had seen growth in both the student body and academics offered, the university’s administration was unorganized. In danger of losing its accreditation, Brown reorganized the faculty and courses into a system of departments (first called ‘Divisions’). Athletic courses were organized into the Division of Health and Sports Education, labor and skilled courses were organized into the Division of Trade and Industrial Education, and so on.

Turbulent Tenure

Brown’s work saved the university, but his past transgressions caught up to him at ISNU. Actions taken by Brown’s staff prompted a group of ISNU faculty members to look into his tenure at the Teachers College of Oshkosh. Though never formally accused, evidence at Oshkosh was found of transcript tampering and the awarding of credits towards degrees where no courses were taken. Several administrative and faculty members at the Teachers College of Oshkosh eventually lost their jobs and Brown was forced to resign from the ISNU presidency on June 27, 1933. Brown eventually earned his doctorate from Columbia University and served as the superintendent of schools in Needham, Massachusetts before retiring and becoming a full-time writer of educational manuals. Brown died on July 5, 1949 and was buried in Needham Cemetery in Needham, Massachusetts.