William Robert Parks (October 13, 1915 – July 13, 2003) was the 11th president of

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

, and the first

social scientist Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of socie ...

to become president of the university.

Biography

Parks studied for his BA in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

Berea College Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. Berea College charges no tuition; every adm ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, graduating in 1937. He went on to earn a MA in political science from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

in 1938, and a PhD from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

in 1945. He worked in research and administration with the U.S.

Bureau of Agricultural Economics The Economic Research Service (ERS) is a component of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States. It provides information and research on agriculture and economi ...

from 1940 - 1948, and became a Lieutenant of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was Professor of Government at

from 1948 - 1956, and then Professor of Agricultural Economics at

from 1956 - 1958. He was Dean of Instruction at ISU from 1958 - 1961, and was named Vice President of Academic Affairs (1961 - 1965). He became the 11th president of ISU in 1965, serving in that post until 1986. During his career, Parks was Head of the

National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is a research, policy, and advocacy organization of public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and higher education organizations. It has member ca ...

, Head of the

Association of American Universities The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...

, Head of the

Council of Presidents The Council of Presidents is the executive leadership body of the Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS), the governance organization for public colleges in the U.S. state of Vermont. The council is composed of a chancellor and executive staff of ...

, Head of the Mid-American State Universities Association, and Head of the Association of Iowa College Presidents. He was a member of the board of trustees of the Teachers Insurance and Annuities-College Retirement Equities Fund, and was on the board of directors of Norwestern Bell and Central Life Assurance. He received

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

s from Bear College (1966),

Westmar College Westmar University was a private four-year liberal arts college in Le Mars, Iowa, United States. It permanently closed on November 21, 1997. Westmar University was founded in 1887 as the Northwestern Normal School and Business College by Jaco ...

(1968),

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

(1968), and

(1973). He was named honorary alumnus of ISU in 1969. The ISU university library was named the W. Robert and Ellen Sorge Parks Library in 1984. Parks received the first Christian Petersen Design Award for his leadership in establishing ISU's College of Design.

Personal life

Parks married Ellen Sorge (1914–1999) and had two daughters: Andrea (Van Howeling) and Cynthia (Hamilton). Ellen was the first woman to receive a PhD in political science from the

Biography

Personal life

References

Further reading