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LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING FORWARD
Thirty years is a drop in the bucket when you consider the 179 years that Monmouth College has been in operation, but I have had the good fortune to serve the College during what have arguably been its three most transformative decades. As editor of Monmouth College Magazine, I have had a front-row seat, watching Monmouth’s mind-numbing growth from a tiny regional college in 1992 to this nationally recognized liberal arts institution in 2022.
Now it is finally time to exchange the editor’s chair for a rocking chair engraved with the Monmouth seal, as I put the finishing touches on this, my last magazine before retirement. In many ways, 30 years has flown by, but viewing those years through the lens of my other role as College historian makes me appreciate the remarkable number of milestones this magazine has chronicled since I took over the reins in August 1992.
One that was not earth-shattering but was nonetheless siginifcant occurred in the fall of 1998, when what had been a quarterly tabloid newspaper called Scots Newse was finally converted to the current magazine format. A vast improvement certainly, but we forget that four-color printing was then in its infancy, and it would still be several years before it was financially feasible to print anything but the cover in color.
This was, of course, prior to the introduction of the World Wide Web, so the magazine was our primary tool for keeping alumni abreast of important news, and it was a challenge to convey the excitement we were experiencing on campus in black-and-white.
That excitement began in earnest shortly after the dawn of the new millennium, when we began to understand that the long-held conviction that Monmouth’s campus was land-locked was actually a fallacy. The construction of the $22 million Huff Athletic Center in 2002 opened our eyes to the possibility that new land could gradually be acquired and impressive modern facilities could eventually grace the growing acreage. What we had long admired as a beautiful campus of 50 acres was suddenly a stunning campus of 112 acres.
No longer were the weeks following Commencement a quiet time. The roar of heavy machinery became our summer soundtrack, as new construction and renovation of iconic buildings continued non-stop. $120 million was invested in new facilities—from Peacock Memorial Athletic Park to April Zorn Memorial Stadium; from Bowers Hall to Gracie Peterson Hall; from a completely renovated Hewes Library to the spectacular Center for Science and Business.
Paying for such improvements, while continuing to build the endowment, required formidable fundraising, and many of my memories of those years are marked by increasingly ambitious campaigns. Forward to the 21st Century (1991-96) raised $25 million, Toward a New Horizon (1998-2005) raised $48 million, Fulfilling the Promise (2006-2014) raised $75 million, and our current campaign, Light This Candle, has already exceeded its $75 million goal by more than $3 million.
Like my late father, longtime admissions and alumni relations director Glen Rankin ’43, I have worked under five presidents—each of whom strengthened the institution by providing a unique vision suited to the time and circumstances. He and I shared working under the Bruce Haywood administration (1980-1994), and it’s remarkable to think that together our careers spanned nine presidencies—a total of 65 years!
It was humbling last year to receive the Distinguished Service Award—the same honor that my father was accorded in 1977—and even more wonderful when my entire family, including my wife, Terri Rankin ’00; daughter, Amanda Cox ’02; brother, Doug Rankin ’79; and sister-in-law Tamy Rankin ’82; was honored as 2015 Family of the Year.
Most rewarding of all has been working aside faculty and staff—many of them legendary—who have devoted their careers to educating and serving students, and conversing with equally legendary alumni. Some who immediately come to mind are no longer with us, among them Gracie Peterson ’22, Bobby Woll ’34, Mary Crow ’41, Richard “Doc” Kieft, Gary Willhardt ’59, Dave Fleming ’46, Helen Wagner Willey ’38 and Jim Stockdale ’46.
To you, the devoted reader of this magazine, I hope we have kept you interested and entertained these many years. I now look forward to joining your ranks as a consumer of what I know will continue to be an excellent and informative publication.
THE ROAR OF HEAVY MACHINERY BECAME OUR SUMMER SOUNDTRACK, AS NEW CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION OF ICONIC BUILDINGS CONTINUED NON-STOP.”
BY JEFF RANKIN, EDITOR
Jeff Rankin will retire in January, after having worked at Monmouth College since 1992—first as director of communications and more recently as editor and historian.
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Your college years were influential in ways you may not have appreciated at the time. You may have met lifelong friends or a lifelong partner. You may have discovered a hidden talent or passion, thanks to an inspirational professor. These were memorable times you wouldn’t trade for the world. Wouldn’t it be great if you could introduce a young person to the same Monmouth experience? Take the first step by sharing the name of a child, grandchild, niece or nephew—or any talented student who you believe could benefit from a Monmouth education.
