Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

DUANE ACKER was K-State president from 1975 to 1986. He had been a K-State associate dean, a South Dakota State dean and a Nebraska vice chancellor. After the presidency he headed international programs in federal agencies and was assistant secretary at USDA. The Ackers now live on their Iowa farm.

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TWO AT A TIME

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Contents

Acknowledgements........................................................xiIntroduction............................................................xiiiChapter I. The Summer of Discovery......................................1Chapter II. Year 1, Expectations and More Questions.....................24Chapter III. The Web....................................................53Chapter IV. Intercollegiate Athletics...................................59Chapter V. Political Theatre............................................79Chapter VI. Leadership and Management...................................119Chapter VII. The Campus Beyond..........................................151Chapter VIII. Building A Tradition......................................173Chapter IX. University Guests...........................................181Chapter X. Faculty and Staff............................................198Chapter XI. Students and Surprises......................................218Chapter XII. Apprehensions and Satisfactions............................249Chapter XIII. After the Presidency......................................272Citations...............................................................280Index...................................................................287

Chapter One

Just a Loan 4 p.m., June 30, 1975

Grace Lindquist, secretary to retiring President James McCain, called mid-afternoon as the movers were yet unloading boxes and furniture in the garage at what would be, after necessary rewiring and some remodeling was completed, our new home on the Kansas State University campus, "The president is going down to a four o'clock meeting with the Foundation executive committee on some athletic department issues and wondered if you would like to go along."

I had learned a sport or two was being dropped because of financial problems. This was an opportunity to learn more. "I would be pleased to," I said.

En route to the First National Bank upstairs meeting room, McCain told me there was a financial shortfall in athletics and that he needed some help from the Foundation "to tide them over." He wanted to get it wrapped up so I would not have to deal with it.

In my years as K-State's associate dean of agriculture a decade earlier I had met a few of those in the meeting room, including Foundation executive director Ken Heywood, Director of Athletics Ernie Barrett, Foundation Chair Al Hostetler, and local abstractor, Robert Wilson. I find no record of others in attendance, but I believe the small group included Dr. Bob Snell, chair of the athletic council, local attorney Richard Rogers and businessman Jack Goldstein. I shook hands with all, and sat down to listen.

McCain told the group he needed some help from the Foundation for athletics and asked Barrett to outline his situation. Barrett's presentation was short; athletics needed enough money to pay the previous fall's yet unpaid charter flights for football, bus trips for other sports, and visiting team guarantees. At this writing I find no record of the dollar amount, but it covered a mass of unpaid bills, back for most of a year!

There followed a moment or two of stunned silence, then banker Al Hostetler spoke up, "But the Foundation already has three loans to the Department, Ernie, that aren't current!"

That opened a flood of questions, "How will you pay off this loan?" "When can you bring current payments on the other loans?" "What caused the problem?"

Barrett offered no answers. He was only optimistic about the coming fall; with a new football coach there would be increased ticket sales, more income. "Let's think positive" was a repeated theme. He just needed some help. Next year will be a good year!

It was a difficult meeting. A long-time and successful president, on the eve of his retirement, was asking for help. He deserved to retire with a feeling he had solved a serious problem. Foundation trustees were dedicated to helping the University. Yet, they had fiduciary responsibility to protect and wisely use the Foundation's private funds.

In the discussion I learned that the executive committee had earlier approved three loans, none current in re-payment, to an operation that now had nearly a year of unpaid bills. And in this meeting they were being given no useful data, no plan, and no schedule for loan repayment. Should they approve the loan?

After much consternation, the loan was approved, but with several conditions, including 1) that the Athletic Council chair co-sign the note and 2) that the Department bring the other three loans current.

I could not imagine any thinking council chair being willing to co-sign a note in such a circumstance. As to bringing the other three loans current, it was obvious from information presented that was impossible. Having those conditions on record, however, would let the assembled trustees feel a bit better about their action. And, McCain could retire feeling content.

I was not impressed. Nor did I believe any problem had been solved. It was apparent that intercollegiate athletics would be occupying much of my time in the immediate days ahead-for a new president, far more than it should.

Why and How Here?

Five months earlier, yet in my first year as vice chancellor for agriculture and natural resources at the University of Nebraska, I was invited to submit my resume for consideration for the presidency of Kansas State University. Should I submit my resume?

To go back to K-State as president would be a thrill and a great opportunity, but it would also carry some risks. I had had a totally positive experience as associate dean of agriculture and director of resident instruction from 1962 to 1966. We had had increases in new students and in student retention, good relationships across campus, and many friends from my travel across the state.

However, I had some concerns. The first was that I had seen too many campus jealousies related to K-State's large agriculture budget and faculty, relative to student enrollment, and agriculture's political clout in obtaining state funds. I wondered, "Would one with an agricultural background be readily accepted campus-wide?"

Of course, most who had exhibited those jealousies likely did not know or had given little thought to the fact that much of the agricultural funding was federal formula allocations or state line items to the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES). The College's instruction budget was, by comparison with other colleges of the University, modest.

Though the Agricultural Engineering curriculum was in the College of Engineering, that department's research and extension programs were parts of the AES and the CES, both of which reported to the dean of agriculture (title changed in 1966 to vice president for agriculture). The same was true for extension and research in Home Economics and Veterinary Medicine. And, in contrast to agricultural experiment stations in many other states, the Kansas AES then was providing most of the research funds for the college of Arts and Sciences, largely in the physical and biological sciences, and for Veterinary Medicine.

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