Robert P. Foster

Last updated February 18, 2019

Robert Porter Foster (May 24, 1917 – March 10, 2008) was president of Northwest Missouri State University from 1964 to 1977.

Northwest Missouri State University is a public university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, its campus is based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and is the official Missouri State Arboretum. The school is governed by a state-appointed Board of Regents and headed by President Dr. John Jasinski.

Early life

Foster was born in Warrensburg, Missouri and earned a BA from Central Missouri State University in 1939. He was a high school teacher, coach and principal in Carrollton, Missouri High School from 1939 to 1942.

Warrensburg is a city in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 18,838 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County. The Warrensburg Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson County. It is home to the University of Central Missouri.

Carrollton is a city in Carroll County, Missouri, United States. Carrollton won the 2005 All-America City Award, given out annually by the National Civic League. The population was 3,784 at the 2010 census. The population is down 338 residents since 2000. Carrollton is the county seat of Carroll County.

While working on a masters from the University of Missouri, he left to become a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war he would be state commander of the Missouri American Legion.

The University of Missouri is a public, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It was founded in 1839 as the first public institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River. As the state's largest university, it enrolled 30,870 students in 2017, offering over 300 degree programs in 20 academic colleges. It is the flagship campus of the University of Missouri System, which also has campuses in Kansas City, Rolla, and St. Louis. There are more than 300,000 MU alumni living worldwide with over one half residing in Missouri.

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

American Legion U.S. war veterans organization

The American Legion is a U.S. war veterans organization headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of local posts. The legislative body of The American Legion is a national convention, held annually. The organization was founded on March 15, 1919, at the American Club near Place de la Concorde in Paris, France, by members of the American Expeditionary Forces, and it was chartered on September 16, 1919, by the U.S. Congress.

In 1943 he married Virginia Mutz Foster of Maryville, Missouri.

Maryville is a city and county seat of Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,972. Maryville is home to Northwest Missouri State University, Northwest Technical School, and the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing.

Northwest

After the war they moved to Maryville where he purchased E.L Townsend Grocery Co. which he operated until 1948 when he became registrar and later director of admissions at Northwest. He finished his masters in 1951 and a Phd from the University of Missouri in 1960.

He served as dean of administration from 1959 until 1964.

Northwest president

He was the first president to deal with increased competition from Missouri Western State University. His approach was to massively grow the school. Building built under his watch included:^[2]

Missouri Western State University is a public university in Saint Joseph, Missouri. As of September 2016, the school enrolls 5,145 undergraduate students and 243 graduate students.

Garrett-Strong Science Building
Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building;
Four high-rise residence halls
Donald Valk Building
Expansion of the J.W. Jones Student Union
Colden Hall renovations
Martindale Hall renovations
Administration Building renovations
Memorial Bell Tower - the first building funded by the Northwest Foundation
KXCV

The school changed from a four year school to having a master program resulting in its name change from Northwest Missouri State College to Northwest Missouri State University.^[3]

Post presidency

Foster remained active in Maryville after leaving the presidency receiving a Silver Antelope Award for his work in the Boy Scouts.

In 1981 the Robert P. Foster Aquatic Center was named for him.^[4]

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References

Academic offices
Preceded by J.W. Jones	President of the Northwest Missouri State University 1964–1977	Succeeded by B.D. Owens

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[1] Robert P. Foster Obituary - Price Funeral Home - pricefuneralhomemaryville.com - Retrieved September 30, 2009

[2] Dr. Robert P. Foster Former president dies at age 90 - Northwest Family - May 2008 - nwmissuri.edu

[3] Dr. Robert P. Foster Former president dies at age 90 - Northwest Family - May 2008 - nwmissuri.edu

[4] Dr. Robert P. Foster Former president dies at age 90 - Northwest Family - May 2008 - nwmissuri.edu