6/30/2008:
In 1990 the President of the University of North Dakota, Thomas Clifford, took on the additional task of serving as Interim Chancellor of the newly formed University of North Dakota System. After what must have been a busy eight months Clifford stepped down as Interim Chancellor on this date, June 30, 1991. For many, the work involved in managing both major academic bodies would have been overwhelming. But for Clifford the fast paced work schedule was par for the course.
Born in 1921 in the small town of Langdon, nestled in the north-east corner of North Dakota, Thomas J. Clifford was a go-getter. Attending the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce in 1942 at the age of twenty-one. Following the outbreak of World War II, Clifford joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Enlisting as a private, Clifford worked his way up to the rank of major, earning a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star in the process. After the war Clifford returned to his alma mater to teach in UND’s Accounting Department. By 1948 Clifford had earned another degree, this time in Law, had been promoted to a full professor and was named the head of the Accounting Department. In 1950, at the age of 29, Thomas Clifford was appointed dean of the College of Commerce, in the process becoming the youngest dean in the University’s history. After a brief stint at Stanford, Clifford returned to North Dakota to become UND’s vice president for finance.
. After nearly twenty-five years studying and teaching at Grand Forks, Thomas Clifford began the second half of his career with UND. In 1971, he was named president of the University of North Dakota. From the start, Clifford labored to expand the school he had inherited. New facilities for nursing, law, athletics, housing, and engineering were added. Many departments, such as the School for Aerospace Science, were expanded and developed into successful, internationally known programs. Furthermore, under Clifford’s leadership the student population increased from under 8,400 in 1971 to over 12,000 in 1992, grants and contracts grew six-fold, and the University’s annual budget rose from 24 to 174 million dollars.
Clifford finally retired from UND in 1992. However, North Dakota did not forget the lifetime of dedicated, hard work Clifford provided to the state. Ten years after Clifford’s retirement, Governor John Hoeven awarded UND’s former president with the highest civilian honor granted by the state of North Dakota, the Theodore Roosevelt Roughrider Award. At the award ceremony Hoeven remarked that “Tom has been one of the most effective university presidents in the nation. Because of his entrepreneurial spirit and leadership, the University of North Dakota is regarded today as one of the finest and most comprehensive institutions in the region.” Hoeven continued, “Honoring Tom Clifford with the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award once again proves that you can achieve great success living and working in North Dakota."
Written by Lane Sunwall
Sources:
Johnson, Peter, "More Than 2,000 Graduate from UND During 1999-2000; More Than 1300 Students Eligible for Und Spring Commencement", The University of North Dakota http://www2.und.edu/our/news/story.php?id=429 (accessed June 6, 2008).
________, "UND to Award Honorary Degree May 14 to Former President Thomas J. Clifford", The University of North Dakota http://www2.und.edu/our/news/story.php?id=433 (accessed June 6, 2008).
Office of the Governor of the State of North Dakota, "Hoeven Awards Thomas Clifford State's Highest Honor", The State of North Dakota, http://www.governor.state.nd.us/media/news-releases/2002/11/021123.html (accessed June 6, 2008).
________, "Thomas J. Clifford", The State of North Dakota, http://www.governor.state.nd.us/awards/rr-gallery/clifford.html (accessed June 6, 2008).
University of North Dakota, "Presidents of the University", University of North Dakota http://www.und.edu/dept/our/factbook/html/president.htm (accessed June 6, 2008).