[5] Fairchild was hired in order to help rectify accreditation issues and implement his proposed practices from his dissertation.

[5] Some of the practices include raising admissions standards, encouraging faculty to obtain advanced degrees, and forging closer ties between the university and the public schools.

[7] Some modern scholars believe that Fairchild was ultimately unsuccessful in carrying out Normal's mission to satisfy the social and economic aspirations of the American people.

[8] Fairchild equated professionalism with conformity to middle-class values and conduct which led to, in 1935, the establishment of a campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

[5] Also, in 1951, the same rigidity led to the creation of the University Council which was the first time the faculty obtained a formal say in the governance of the ISNU.

[1] Educational changes during his tenure included the university dropping two-year curricula and adding graduate work.

In 1943, the Board approved the creation of the Division of Special Education at the university - the first such program in the state.

[10] Modern scholars suggest that Fairchild deserves credit for raising the professional credentials of ISNU faculty and encouraging them to engage in research.