1931 - 1959 Forrest R. Polk

Forrest R. Polk was the longest serving leader in UW Oshkosh history. College President from 1931-1959, Polk guided the school through the Great Depression, World War II and a major post-war expansion of curriculum. Polk’s career at Oshkosh began, however, as a teacher of industrial education.  

Born in Tobinsport, Indiana, Polk received two bachelor’s degrees at Valparaiso and Purdue Universities. Arriving in Oshkosh in 1915, he taught in the newly built industrial arts buildings (today’s Harrington Hall.) During WWI, he served as an artillery officer overseas in the Army. After the war, he worked as an engineer before returning to teaching in Oshkosh in 1921. In time , like many faculty members on campus, Polk began graduate work at the Universities of Chicago and Wisconsin but was forced to abandon it when, ten years later, he was named President of the Oshkosh State Teachers College.  

As a leader, Polk was of the traditional Normal school mold.  He was committed to the fundamentals of teacher education and supported a consistent course of study that emphasized a common pedagogical and subject classes for all students. He was hostile to electives.  Polk asked his faculty to do little administrative work and required his few administrators to teach a class once a year.  Polk, himself, continued to teach a class from time to time.   

Observing changes and expansion of professional education around him, Polk was covetous of perspective students. He was openly disdainful of county normal school’s claims on area students pursuing rural education,. Later in his Presidency, after establishing a liberal arts degree and pre-professional programs, Polk feared the growing permeance of UW extension centers, like the one in Menasha, would siphon off students who would otherwise attend his college.  The adoption of liberal arts degrees was many years in development and despite the enrollment it brought, Polk strongly believed that teacher training should always be paramount at the school. .  

As a patriotic veteran, Polk fully embraced the U.S. Army Air Corps proposal to train air cadets in American colleges and looked upon the 96th Detachment’s stationing in Swart Hall in 1943-44 with immense pride.  Before he died, Polk was able to attend the dedication of the Forrest R. Polk Library.  A fitting tribute to the man who did so much for the University.