Considering the behavior of many university presidents over the past year, it’s easy to conclude that the search for strong leadership in higher education is as promising as Diogenes’ quest for an honest man. I recommend directing your lamp toward the example of Gil Blackburn, a longtime senior administrator who passed away last winter at the age of 84. About 20 years ago, while at Gardner-Webb University, Blackburn stood up for the school’s academic integrity and against its president. His example can guide university leaders today.
Blackburn was born and raised on a horse farm near Mount Airy, N.C. (the inspiration for Andy Griffith’s Mayberry), the youngest of six children. In 1960, he earned his associate’s degree from what was then Gardner-Webb Junior College, a small Baptist institution in Boiling Springs, N.C. In 1968, while he was still a graduate student at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, Blackburn returned to Gardner-Webb to begin his long career as a professor and administrator.
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