Northwest Missouri State’s longest-serving president dies: ‘He was extraordinary’
The longest-serving president of Northwest Missouri State University has died, leaving many to mourn and celebrate the life and legacy of someone they describe as “extraordinary.”
Dean Hubbard served as university president from 1984 to 2009. In that time, he oversaw the school’s growth, success and received recognition for the institution, according to a news release from Northwest Missouri State University.
He passed away the evening of Sunday, March 23, at the age of 85 in his Kansas City home surrounded by family.
“I will miss him terribly,” said his wife, Aleta Hubbard.
Current Northwest President Dr. Lance Tatum ordered both the U.S. and Missouri flags be flown at half-staff on campus until Friday evening.
“Dr. Hubbard’s influence is woven into the very fabric of Northwest. His dedication, innovation and passion for education will always be remembered,” he said in a statement. “Today, we mourn his loss, but we also celebrate a life devoted to making Northwest better for all who pass through its doors.”
‘He was extraordinary’
As a first-generation college graduate, Hubbard was dedicated to making Northwest more affordable for prospective students by creating a grant that provided lower-income students with funds for tuition, room and board, as well as books and computers during their first two years, according to the release.
Clarence Green, a student at Northwest while he was president and later a co-worker and mentee, said that Hubbard really meant what he said when he focused on lifting people up.
“I think that was just extraordinary, because he was always thinking about those who perhaps didn’t have the same economic advantages as others but could also have that same impact on society, much like him,” he said.
Green remembers Hubbard as someone who could relate easily to others. He was known to tailor his management style to each employee. For a period of time on Saturdays, Green would go to Hubbard’s house to learn etiquette and how to conduct himself professionally to help advance his career.
“His legacy will carry on of what he’s done throughout the state and the nation,” he said. “Always about chasing excellence and creating a true service environment so that all can prosper.”
Ray Courter, who worked with Hubbard, said he displayed characteristics of a servant leader, who was also a bit of an entrepreneur, a bit of an innovator and someone who had ideas to share and who wanted to hear the ideas and feedback of others.
“He let everybody have a voice. And that I thought was the most important thing maybe about his career here,” he said.
During Hubbard’s tenure, the university received national recognition for its continuous improvement, becoming the only educational institution to receive the Missouri Quality Award four times, according to the release.
In 1987, Hubbard installed networked computers in each residence hall room and faculty office, making Northwest the first public institution in the country to install an “electronic campus.”
He also supported the expansion of the school’s alternative fuels program, which converted recycled cardboard, paper and agricultural waste into energy used to heat and cool the campus.
“He was extraordinary,” Green said.
Before his time at Northwest, Hubbard was president of Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.
‘We just had a wonderful life’
Dean Hubbard’s wife, Aleta Hubbard, thought of him fondly as a lifelong learner. He was a theology major and obtained a masters degree at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and a doctorate from Stanford University as well as an additional masters degree. He also obtained a Korean language degree from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, in order to become fluent when the family lived there for five years.
In retirement, Hubbard continued to pursue his passion for higher education by helping to write an article about the demographic downturn of high school graduates and what that means for colleges. He also took up hobbies like woodworking and baking.
During his final months, his daughter, Melody Messner, said he and the family decided to focus on his quality of life over chemotherapy. He went out to eat a lot last fall when he was still feeling good.
“In the afternoon I would, announce a tea party, and we would have tea and cookies,” Messner said. “...we would just sit and chat.”
During the winter storms in January and Febuary, Messner brought wood to keep the fire in their homes running. On his final day, family members filled the house. They cooked, told stories and held his hand as he passed on.
“I feel very privileged,” Aleta Hubbard said. “ We just had a wonderful life.”
Dean Hubbard and Aleta Hubbard got engaged three months after their first date, and would have been married 66 years this July. Messner recalled their marriage as one filled with love.
“He would look at her and then he’d look at me and he’d say, ‘Your mother is more beautiful every day,’” she said.
Messner lived in South Korea from ages five to ten, and fondly remembers getting up at 5:30 a.m. with her dad while the rest of the family slept. He would sit at the table with her and teach her how to tell time and to love writing.
“He always told people, ‘you can be anything,’ he absolutely truly believed that you could do anything,” she said.
That care and mentorship was visible when he worked on campus too. Messner said she had heard from several former students and mentees since her father’s passing, talking about how he impacted them.
After he retired from Northwest, he was the president of St. Luke’s College of Health Sciences in Kansas City, and helped transform their nursing school, according to his daughter Melody Messner.
“We just feel so honored that anybody would even care. We absolutely loved him. We will always love him,” she said.
Northwest Missouri State University will hold a celebration of life on Friday, April 4, to honor Hubbard. The celebration, which is open to the public, will start at 10:30 a.m. in the Mary Linn Auditorium at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts.
