Master Builder
Serving from 1962 to 1968, President Glenn A. Richardson can rightfully be called the builder of the modern campus. While several buildings were constructed toward the close of Dr. Long's tenure, it was Dr. Richardson who both planned and executed the buildings. He and his wife, Mary, were also generous financial contributors to the building projects. Under President Richardson the campus building were lighted both for attractiveness and safety at night. Walkways were added, shrubs planted, and the interiors of some buildings refurbished. Dorm rooms in Hogue Hall were converted into individual faculty offices. These changes made Greenville's philosophy of personal teaching and counseling more easily implemented.

Before he became president, Richardson was an outstanding teacher in the business department for four years. Many alumni today credit him and his adept skill as a teacher of modern business practices with their success. Teaching people from the community also assisted Richardson as president to become a widely respected community leader. He helped restore college-community relations to what they had been in the college's earliest years.

Academic progress continued under Richardson, especially in the area of teacher education. The preparation of teachers had always been a key part of the college's mission, but increasing professional standard called for the college to seek approval by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. This was achieved first in 1963.

Such excellent accomplishments as were made during the Richardson tenure are all the more significant when one notes that the president was not enjoying full and robust health. Soon after he took office he had a heart attack, and later on he lost sight in one eye. Days of rest away from campus were needed, particularly near the end of his term. But these did not fully restore his health. Recognizing that the college must move ahead, Richardson left office in 1968. George Ford was named acting president until the election of Orley R. Herron, Jr.