With music, handshakes and gifts, the NDSU campus said farewell to President Joseph A. and Gale Chapman at a Nov. 18 reception.
The gathering, held in the Memorial Union’s Brostrom Lounge, attracted about 250 faculty, staff, students and friends of the university. A long line of well wishers waited their turns to shake hands and say a few words of thanks to the Chapmans.
President Chapman joined NDSU as its 13th president in June 1999, and a decade of growth ensued, including 10 consecutive years of enrollment records and increases in graduate programs and research expenditures. Chapman will leave campus Nov. 30.
Student body president Amber Altstadt and vice president Andy Schlicksup served as masters of ceremonies for the event’s program, which included several speakers who emphasized the institution’s transformation into a national research university.
Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker listed many of the accomplishments of the Chapman administration and proclaimed Nov. 18 as “President Joe Chapman Day” in the city of Fargo. “Joe has been one of the best presidents that I’ve had anything to do with in my lifetime,” Walaker said.
A Chapman family friend, Judge Myron Bright of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, asked the audience to rise and give the Chapmans an Army-style salute of farewell. “We can never forget what you, Joe, and you, Gale, have done for this university, the city of Fargo and this great state of North Dakota,” Bright said. “You have led this institution to becoming a great university in our land and in our time.
Mark Meister, University Senate president and associate professor of communication, said NDSU’s reputation and stature grew during Chapman’s presidency. “You were a mentor in many ways,” Meister said. “You had a vision that spoke to me.”
Praising Chapman’s leadership, Vance Olson, Staff Senate president, said, “You have left giant footprints at NDSU, Fargo, the area, the region, the nation and in other lands.”
Chapman was presented with a lamp designed by Jon Offutt to represent the Red River and a painting titled “Lives You Have Touched and Paths You Have Created” by senior art student Jessica Wachter. In addition, the BisonArts Singers performed.
Before turning the microphone over to Chapman, Altstadt said, “Thank you so much for your dedication to this university’s students, staff and faculty. You have touched many lives.”
Chapman responded by thanking the campus for its support, calling the past decade a remarkable time in NDSU’s history. He said he is very proud of the university’s progress.
“We’ve made incredible friends here,” Chapman said. “We’ve made a difference; we know that. But, the reason we have is the support, love and affection you have all had for us. It’s mutual.”
Chapman said he does not plan on retiring, but he will take some time to consider his future. “Thank you for all you have done for us. Thank you for the opportunity to serve. We will be seeing all of you in different venues at different times in other opportunities,” he said. “And I’d be wrong if I didn’t say, ‘Go Bison!’ ”
