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>>Dr.Eisenhart, the founding president of Adirondack retired in 1978.
In recognition of his role in starting the college,
planning and establishing the new campus
and providing for the enrollment growth along the way,
the college is dedicating and naming the classroom building
as Eisenhart Hall.
Recently we paid a visit to the Eisenhart home on Bay Road.
[music]
In the beautiful, serene environment of Dr. Eisenhart's backyard
we met with some of his fine feathered friends,
many of whom are known on a first-name basis to the former college president.
We talked with Dr. Eisenhart about his experiences in education.
In the conversation he proved to be most responsive
when looking back at his role at ACC.
[pause]
Dr. Eisenhart, how do you feel about the classroom building at ACC being named after you, as
Eisenhart hall?
>>Well, you know Dave, I had the
rather unusual privilege of being the founding president of a thriving, ongoing, effective
institution.
Seventeen and a half years I had the privilege of serving there.
And I do mean "privilege." I'm not saying this just to be funny or just to
show modesty or anything else but there are few people in the world--there are some,
but there are not too many men and women in the world who have the opportunity of
taking the start of an institution and building it into something that's important.
And I am one of the blessed.
And as you have heard me say in the years when we were both up at the college,
the essence of the college is what takes place in the classroom.
The reason why--well, I used to have faculty members who wanted to be hired at the college--
they'd come up and I'd spend time talking with them and so forth,
and they'd say "well, I'm sorry to take up your time."
And I'd say "look, no matter what I do here as far as funding or facilities
or any of the other things is concerned,I can't succeed unless I get good faculty.
And the essence, the basis, the foundation
of the educational enterprise rests with the quality of the faculty you get"
so I never begrudged any time in.
And on that basis it is especially delightful to me
to have the classroom building named after me.
>>Throughout our conversation Dr. Eisenhart continued to emphasize the importance of good
teaching
and therefore the classroom building.
But he was particularly emphatic when it came to expressing his gratitude for the naming
of Eisenhart hall.
>>The classroom building, in my book, is the heart,
the basis, the fundamental fact of the college.
And it is especially delightful to me and I am thrilled,
and happy, and overjoyed--I don't know whatever other words you want to use on this.
It's been a great, and surprising thing to me to have them think me worthy
of being--having my name attached to the classroom building--particularly the classroom building
but I thoroughly enjoyed the years I had. I had a marvelous time
and a great feeling of success and happiness from serving up there, and then this is frosting
on the cake.