Ernest Oscar Melby (August 16, 1891 – January 11, 1987) was a professor, dean, and university president.

Background

Ernest Oscar Melby was born in

Lake Park, Minnesota Lake Park is a city in Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 728 at the 2020 census. History The area upon where Lake Park was founded, started to be settled in 1841 by fur traders while a Dakota encampment still existed ...

. He was the son of Ole Hans Melby and Ellen (Stakke) Melby. Melby received his B.A. from St. Olaf College in

Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. History Northfield was platted in 1856 by John W. N ...

, in 1913. He attended graduate school at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

to receive his master's degree and Ph.D. He married Aurora Herbert on December 29, 1914. Aurora and Ernest Melby met in

Alexandria, Minnesota Alexandria is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Minnesota, United States. First settled in 1858, it was named after brothers Alexander and William Kinkead from Maryland. The form of the name alludes to Alexandria, Egypt, a center ...

, when he was a physics teacher. They had one child, Stanley Herbert Melby.

Career

Melby began his career as a high school teacher and principal in Minnesota before serving for nine years as the

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

of schools in Long Prairie, Black Duck and

Brewster, Minnesota Brewster is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 473 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. It is located one-half mile from the ...

. In 1928, he was appointed assistant professor of education at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, where he conducted prolific research on the administration of several Illinois school districts, the results of which were published in 1929 and 1930. As a result, he was rapidly promoted to associate professor and professor. In 1934, he was named dean of the School of Education at Northwestern, a position he held until 1941 when his antagonistic relationship with Northwestern President

Franklyn Bliss Snyder Franklyn Bliss Snyder (July 26, 1884 – May 11, 1958) was the 18th President of Northwestern University (1939–1949) and an American scholar of Scottish literature. Personal life Snyder was the son of a Congregational minister, Peter Miles Snyd ...

deteriorated to the point where Melby resigned. Melby assumed the presidency of Montana State University (later the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

), a post he held from 1941 to 1943 and from 1944 to 1945."Earnest O. Melby - 1941-1945"
University of Montana. In 1943, he became

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

. From 1945 to 1956, Melby served as dean of the School of Education (now

Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development The New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (commonly referred to as Steinhardt) is the secondary liberal arts and education school of New York University. It is one of the only schools in the world of i ...

) at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. Melby joined the faculty of the College of Education at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

in 1956 following his retirement from New York University. Originally intending to stay for just one year, he worked for 19 years before retiring in 1975. In 1975, Melby accepted a distinguished professorship at

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Florida, Dania Beach, Davie, Florida, Davie, Fort Lauderd ...

where he founded and served as consultant to Florida Atlantic University's Center for Community Education. Melby also served as special consultant to the

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is a private foundation founded in 1926 by Charles Stewart Mott of Flint, Michigan. Mott was a leading industrialist in Flint through his association with General Motors. The foundation administers funds thr ...

Selected works

* "American Education Is in Danger". '' ADL Bulletin''. May 1951. * "American Education under Fire: The Story of the 'Phony Three-R Fight. ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...

''. September 23, 1951. *''Administering Community Education''. Prentice-Hall. 1955. *''The Role of the School in Community Education''. Pendell Publishing Company. 1969.

Ernest O. Melby Internship

The Ernest O. Melby Internship at

makes funds available to a student enrolled in the Department of Educational Leadership who is interested in the field of community education/community schools.

Ernest O. and Aurora H. Melby Endowed Fellowship

The Ernest O. and Aurora H. Melby Endowed Fellowship was established through the estates of Ernest and Aurora Melby in 1994 following the death of Aurora Melby at 102. The fellowship is designated for students in the Department of Educational Administration at

Ernest O. Melby Community Education Center

The Ernest O. Melby Community Education Center at

was founded in 1967 with a grant from the

. On February 12, 1988, the center was formally named in honor of Ernest O. Melby.Ernest O. Melby Community Education Center. Florida Atlantic University's Community Education

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melby, Ernest O. 1891 births 1987 deaths St. Olaf College alumni University of Minnesota alumni Michigan State University faculty Northwestern University faculty New York University faculty American people of Norwegian descent Presidents of the University of Montana Education school deans People from Lake Park, Minnesota 20th-century American academics