9th president (September 1, 1972 – August 31, 1981)
Born: May 24, 1919
Died: July 28, 2006
Born in Villisca, Iowa, Harold Enarson grew up in New Mexico during the Depression and persevered in getting a college education. He graduated from the University of New Mexico, with honors (1940), worked in the Bureau of the Budget in Washington, D.C., and, after Pearl Harbor, enlisted in the army. He finished his master’s degree after World War II at Stanford. After the war, he also served for six years as executive director of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). He received his doctorate in political science and public administration at American University in Washington. His academic career began when he was named Administrative Vice President at the University of New Mexico. There he created a four-year medical school, and developed one of the nation’s largest Peace Corps training programs for Latin America. In 1965, he accepted the presidency of the newly established Cleveland State University.