University Presidents
This exhibit contains brief biographies of university presidents from 1865 to present, with accompanying portraits.
During this time, the university has had multiple names: Christian College, Oregon State Normal School, Oregon College of Education, Western Oregon State College and is currently known as Western Oregon University.
When the institution was named Monmouth University (1856-1865), the chairman of the Board of Trustees held the title of president. The position of president was separated from the Board of Trustees when Monmouth University merged with nearby Bethel College to create Christian College in 1865. The University is on its seventh name in its 160-year history; during six of these periods, it had an independent president.
| Years | School Name |
|---|---|
| 1856 - 1865 | Monmouth University |
| 1865 - 1882 | Christian College (merged with Bethel College 1852-1865) |
| 1882 – 1909 | Oregon State Normal School (OSNS) |
| 1910 | Closed |
| 1911 - 1939 | Oregon Normal School (ONS) |
| 1939 - 1981 | Oregon College of Education (OCE) |
| 1981 - 1997 | Western Oregon State College (WOSC) |
| 1997 - present | Western Oregon University (WOU) |
- University Presidents: Overview
- Levi L. Rowland (1865-1869)
- Thomas Franklin Campbell (1869)
- David Truman Stanley (1882-1889)
- Prince Lucien Campbell (1889-1902)
- Edwin DeVore Ressler (1902-1909)
- John Henry Ackerman (1911-1921)
- Joseph Samuel Landers (1921-1932)
- Julius Alonzo Churchill (1932-1939)
- Charles Abner Howard (1939-1947)
- Henry Martin Gunn (1947-1950)
- Roben John Maaske (1950-1955)
- Roy Elwayne Lieuallen (1955-1961)
- Ellis Arnold Stebbins (1961-1962)
- Leonard William Rice (1962-1977)
- Gerald Leinwand (1977-1982)
- James Beaird (1982-1983)
- Richard S. Meyers (1983-1993)
- Bill Cowart (1994-1995)
- Betty J. Youngblood (1995-2002)
- Philip W. Conn (2002-2005)
- John P. Minahan (2005-2011)
- Mark Weiss (2011-2015)
- Rex Fuller (2015-2021)
- Jay Kenton (2021-2022)
- Jesse Peters (2022-current)