Dwight B. Waldo

One of Waldo's first moves, creating a rural school department, cemented WMU as a teaching college.

[1] It was the first such department in the nation and prepared teachers to effectively educate students in rural parts of America.

Waldo also firmly believed in diversity on campus, and during his tenure many females and minorities were given the opportunity to attend the college.

[2] In the beginning Western Michigan served as a two-year normal school, but under Waldo's guidance it was soon structured into a four-year teachers college.

Waldo is credited with keeping WMU open when many government officials wanted to shut it during the Great Depression.