Biological Sciences
Biological Sciences Department history
1908-2003: A Brief History of the Biology Department at Western Michigan University prepared by Dr. Alexander Enyedi & Ms. Emily Freeman
The first regular school year for the Western State Normal School (WSNS) commenced on September 26, 1904. Two faculty members, Dr. Leslie H. Wood and Ms. Charlotte Waite were hired by President Waldo to provide courses in the natural sciences (Dr. Wood) and domestic sciences (Ms. Waite). During the next four years, all of the biology classes at Western State would be taught in the Administration Building under the direction of the Department of Science.
In 1908, the Department of Biology was formally established and Dr. LeRoy H. Harvey was hired and appointed chair of the new department. According to the 1908-1909 WSNS Bulletin, the Biology Department was accumulating “good working” equipment for this branch of science. In addition to Dr. LeRoy Harvey, Ms. Catharine Koch (B.S.) was hired to serve as the assistant to the rural school courses. Between these two individuals, a total of nine courses were offered in the areas of botany, zoology, nature study, bacteriology, physiology and the elements of agriculture. In 1909, a request by WSNS for $100,000 to build a new science building was made to the Michigan legislature but was turned down.
In 1913, a bill granting $75,000 for a new science building was passed by the Michigan legislature. In that same year, the WSNS Bulletin described the biology department as having “rapidly developed” and that “working equipment was accumulating”. However, LeRoy Harvey and Catharine Koch were still the only faculty members in the Biology department. During 1914, ground was broken for the new science building and it was completed during the spring of 1915. The building was formally dedicated and named West Hall during spring commencement. The Department of Biology was housed on the second floor of West Hall. The science building contained laboratories and classrooms for several fields of science, including education, psychology, geography, chemistry, and physics.
On November 22, 1922, Dr. LeRoy Harvey suffered a fatal heart attack. The leadership of the Biology Department was passed to Dr. Leslie A. Kenoyer, a new biology faculty member at WSNS. Dr. Kenoyer would continue to serve as the chair of the Biology Department until 1953. In addition to Dr. Kenoyer, Mr. Place and Ms. Theodosia H. Hadley also joined the Biology department faculty. The number of course offerings stood at eighteen. By 1933 the Department of Biology had grown to five faculty members and was composed of Leslie A. Kenoyer (chair), LaVerne Argabright, Harold B. Cook, Henry N. Goddard, and Theodosia H. Hadley. According to the 1933-1935 Western State Teachers College (WSTC) Bulletin, the Biology Department possessed laboratories for special work in physiology, hygiene, general biology, botany, zoology, nature study and agriculture. The department was described as being very thoroughly equipped with the instruments and apparatus necessary for high-grade work in the various phases of biological study.
By 1943, the number of faculty members had doubled
to ten and included Leslie Kenoyer (chair) LaVerne Argabright, Wallace
Borgman, Julian Greenlee, Theodosia H. Hadley, Frank J. Hinds, Roy
E. Joyce, Edwin B. Steen, Leonard P. Wienier, and Merrill R. Wiseman.
A total of thirty-one biology courses were offered during 1943 and
a greenhouse had been built three years earlier (in 1940) which housed
over two hundred plant species.
In 1953, after 30 years of service, Dr. Kenoyer stepped down as chair
and Dr. William C. VanDeventer became the third chair of the Biology
Department. Other faculty at this time were Harriette V. Bartoo, A.
Verne Fuller, Julian Greenlee, Frank J. Joyce, George Mallinson, Myrtle
M. Powers, Edward E. Reynolds, Caroline H. Sleep, Edwin B. Steen,
and Merril R. Wiseman. Thirty-three classes were now offered along
with special field courses in the following areas: conservation, botany,
ornithology, and mammalogy.
In 1963, Dr. VanDeventer vacated the chair position
and was followed by Dr. Edwin B. Steen who served as a 1-year interim
replacement. In 1964, Dr. Clarence J. Goodnight was appointed chair
of the Biology Department. At this time the faculty numbered 20 and
consisted of Harriette V. Bartoo, Richard Brewer, W. Jackson Davis,
Joseph G. Engemann, A. Verne Fuller, Frank J. Hinds, Imy Vincent Holt,
Elaine Hurst, Dee LaBatt, Jean M. Lawrence, Wendell L. Minckley, Myrtle
M. Powers, Richard Pippen, Thane S. Robinson, Beth Schultz, Donna
Schumann, Edwin B. Steen, Leo C. Vander Beek, and Merrill R. Wiseman.
Fifty-two courses were now offered.
In 1973, the department was composed of the following twenty-four
faculty members; Clarence J. Goodnight (chair), Leonard J. Beuving,
Richard D. Brewer, Darwin A. Buthala, Raymond C. Deur, Robert C. Eisenberg,
Joseph G. Engemann, Gyula Ficsor, Donna J. Fowler, Stephen B. Friedman,
Imy V. Holt, Edgar Inselberg, Walter Johnson, Jean M. Lawrence, Ronald
W. Olsen, Richard W. Pippen, Phoebe Rutherford, Beth Schultz, Donna
N. Schumann, Marjory A. Spradling, Gian C. Sud, Leo C. Vander Beek,
William C. VanDeventer, and Jack S. Wood. The department offered eighty-one
courses and some new technologies. The Clarence R. Hanes Herbarium
contained thousands of vascular plant specimens which were available
for research. Also, the department had a laboratory equipped with
radioactive tracers and X-ray technology for teaching and research.
By this time the Biology Department had moved into Wood Hall.
In 1975, Dr. Richard W. Pippen was appointed chair of the Biology
department– a position he held until 1991.
In 1977, the WMU administration split Biology into two separate departments – Biology (Richard Pippen, chair) in Wood Hall and Biomedical Sciences (Darwin A. Buthala, chair) in McCracken Hall. In 1983, the Department of Biology was composed of Richard W. Pippen, Richard D. Brewer, David P. Cowan, Elwood B. Ehrle, Joseph G. Engemann, Dona J. Fowler, Clarence J. Goodnight, Imy V. Holt, Edgar Inselberg, Donna N. Schumann, and Leo C. Vander Beek. The Biomedical Department was composed of Darwin A. Buthala, Leonard J. Beuving, Robert C. Eisenberg, Gyula Ficsor, Stephen B. Friedman, Leonard C. Ginsberg, Cecil McIntire, and Jack S. Wood. There were fifty-one courses in Biology and thirty-six courses in Biomedical Sciences offered in 1983. In 1985, the Departments of Biology and Biomedical Sciences were recombined to form the new Biology and Biomedical Sciences Department (Pippen, chair). In 1987, the department name changed to the Department of Biological Sciences.
By 1993, Dr. Leonard Ginsberg was now chair of the Department of Biological Sciences and the department contained the following members: Leonard J. Beuving, Richard D. Brewer, David P. Cowan, Elwood B. Ehrle, Robert C. Eisenberg, Joseph G. Engemann, Alexander J. Enyedi, Karim Essani, Gyula Ficsor, Stephen B. Friedman, Cindy Hoorn, Edgar Inselberg, William F. Jackson, Stephen B. Malcolm, Cecil McIntire, and Richard W. Pippen. In 1996, Leonard Ginsberg was appointed Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences. As a result of this, Dr. Leonard Beuving became the eighth chair of the Department of Biological Sciences– a position he held until 2001. In 1997, ground was broken for a new $42 million science building adjacent to Wood Hall. The building was formally dedicated in April of 1999 and named Haenicke Hall in honor of former WMU president Diether H. Haenicke.
In 2005, the Department of Biological Sciences is presently composed of David Cowan (Interim Chair), Alexander Enyedi, Todd Barkman, Bruce Bejcek, Christine Byrd, Bill Cobern, Karim Essani, Rob Eversole, John Geiser, Pamela Hoppe, John Jellies, Donald Kane, David Karowe, Cindy Linn, Steve Malcolm, Kathy Onderlinde, Wendy Ransom-Hodgkins, Silvia Rossbach, David Rudge, Renee Schwartz, Maria Scott, John Spitsbergen, Brian Tripp, and Maarten Vonfoh. Today, the department offers three major undergraduate programs of study (Biology, Biomedical Science and Secondary Education), a masters degree program and a doctoral degree program. The department serves approximately 800 undergraduate majors, 300 minors, and 54 graduate students.