David Felmley (April 24, 1857 – January 24, 1930) was an American educator best known for his thirty-year-long tenure as the sixth president of
Illinois State University
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...
, then known as Illinois State Normal University.
Personal life and early career
David Felmley was born on April 24, 1857, near
Somerville, New Jersey
Somerville is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in and the county seat of Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 1868, his family moved to
Perry, Illinois
Perry is a village in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 397 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Perry is located at (39.782493, -90.744990).
According to the 2010 census, Perry has a total area of , all land.
History
Perry wa ...
Carlinville, Illinois
Carlinville is a city in and the county seat of Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,710.
It is the home of Blackburn College, a small college affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The city ...
. Later, at the age of nineteen, he began at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, graduating in 1881. He then became the superintendent of schools in
Carrollton, Illinois
Carrollton is a city in and the county seat of Greene County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,485 as of the 2020 census.
Geography
Carrollton is located in south-central Greene County at (39.296662, -90.408059). U.S. Route 67 pa ...
, following his graduation. In 1887, Felmley married Auta Stout, although she died in July 1921.
In 1890, when
John W. Cook
John Williston Cook (April 20, 1844 – July 15, 1922) was an educator during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the United States, specifically in Illinois. His work in education, specifically in association with the Herbartian ...
became the president of
Illinois State Normal University
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching ...
, Felmley took over his position as the professor of mathematics. When
Arnold Tompkins
Arnold Tompkins (1849–1905) was an American educator and university president in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, most known for his work at Illinois State Normal University and Chicago Normal School.
Early life
Tompkins ...
departed ISNU in 1900, Felmley was chosen as the next president of the university. He was a charter member of the
Rotary Club
Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...
and the College Alumni Club in Bloomington, and was also a member of
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
,
Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834, at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek-letter organization founded in North America ...
, and
Pi Kappa Delta
Pi Kappa Delta () is an American honor society and organization for intercollegiate debaters, public speakers, and instructors teaching speech, debate, and oral communication. Established in 1913, the organization is the oldest debating society i ...
. He was elected the first president of the National Council of Normal School Presidents. He was remarried in March 1928 to Jennie Green. He had three children, Mildred, John, and Mrs. A. B. Meek, who was married. Felmley was a member of the National Society for the Scientific Study of Education during his time at ISNU. He was also a member of the State Teachers' Association and was elected its president in 1901.
Presidency at Illinois State Normal University
Felmley served as the president of ISNU for thirty years and was the one who set its course as a teachers college until the 1960s. Felmley believed that everyone deserved a high school education, even those who did not plan to attend college or university. Felmley wanted the school to focus on
pedagogy
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
and professional teacher preparation, and was thus unconcerned with faculty credentials.
Fight for normal schools
One of Felmley's main concerns, as well as his main point of conflict with the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
, was the position and existence of normal schools in Illinois. They suffered from persistent underfunding and were at risk of being relegated due to other state universities and private colleges offering teaching degrees. Felmley argued that the teachers colleges and normal schools, which often recruited and educated students from less privileged backgrounds, were the best institutions for training secondary school teachers. Felmley led the charge to turn normal schools in Illinois into four year baccalaureate institutions.
Political influence
Felmley's political affiliation and influence defined his time at ISNU. He was the first Democrat to hold the office of president at the university and supported the right of the faculty to hold and express their individual political beliefs. It was also suspected by former president John W. Cook that Felmley's vocal support of
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...
in 1896 led to the delay in his presidency after Cook's resignation.
His political beliefs also influenced his hiring of faculty. In 1927, Felmley hired John A. Kinneman to join the university faculty despite the controversy that surrounded Kinneman's outspoken support of the West Chester State Normal School's Liberal Club and his defense of their meetings that led to him being fired.
Changes implemented
In 1907, ISNU was converted into a four-year baccalaureate institution, issuing bachelors of education degrees to its graduates. The university also began to offer more specialized curriculums for teachers in agriculture, manual arts, domestic science, and commerce, along with adding new programs to home economics and industrial arts. New buildings were also constructed on the campus, known today as Edwards Hall, Fell Hall, McCormick Hall, and Moulton Hall.
Felmley supported the adoption of the metric system, reform of the university calendar, and the use of simplified spelling in all university publications.
Faculty
Felmley oversaw the beginnings of a more diverse faculty, hiring several Latino instructors to teach Spanish and potentially the first Jewish faculty member as well. He also fought for increasing the salaries of faculty at the university after
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
due to post-war inflation and the disparity in salary between ISNU and the University of Illinois.
Students
One of the main issues Felmley confronted was enrollment. The enrollment rate of the university was a consistent issue, especially after more normal schools opened in DeKalb, Macomb, and Charleston. Enrollment was also strongly affected by World War I, which saw low numbers of men in the normal department and extracurricular activities replaced by civilian war service, such as volunteering with the
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
.
After ISNU became a four-year institution, Felmley only intended four year programs to have men enrolled in them. Felmley did not see the point of offering elementary school teachers more than two years of education at ISNU, as the vast majority of them were younger women who he believed would “not remain in the work longer than five years."
Death
Shortly before his death, Felmley submitted his resignation as president of ISNU to the Normal School Board due to his physical health. Felmley had been dealing with prolonged illness for about fourteen months prior to his death. His condition had been considered critical in the week before his death, and in the hours before his death he was unconscious.
Felmley died on January 24, 1930, in his home in Normal. After his death, ISNU students volunteered to guard his body as it lay in repose on campus prior to burial. He was buried in Carrollton City Cemetery in Carrollton, Illinois.
Legacy
To this day, Felmley is the longest-serving president of Illinois State University. There is a building named after him on campus, the Felmley Hall of Science.