Building the region’s intellectual capital
Retired professor chronicles rise of higher education in area
When Richard Ognibene came to Siena College in 1969 as a professor he knew quite a bit about the history of education, but he didn’t know how influential the Capital Region was to the early development of our nation’s higher educational institutions.
“I knew about the Emma Willard School when I first came here,” he said, “and, of course, I knew Union and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute had been established years earlier, but I was surprised to discover how important the area was in the early days of higher education.”
The region’s influence is highlighted in Ognibene’s new book, “Change in Early Nineteenth-century Higher Education in New York’s Capital District” (Peter Lang Publishing).
“There is no other book about one region’s influence on higher-level education,” he said.
In his research, Ognibene was impressed to discovered how past community leaders got behind the new schools as they were founded. Union College was founded in Schenectady in 1795. Albany’s Academy and Female Academy came along in 1813 and 1814. Emma Willard School relocated to Troy in 1821 and nearby R.P.I. opened in 1824.
He notes that by 1810 Albany was one of the nation’s largest cities. It flourished because wealth from river-based trade supported new businesses and settlers. This was where the Erie Canal began. It was a center for state government and for business.
“Powerful community leaders at the time saw the need for particular kinds of schools, engineering, law and medicine, and they went out and made it happen,” said Ognibene. “Many of these leaders served on the same boards. They saw the need to educate their own children, but they also saw the importance these schools had in terms of the economics of the community. These schools also were important as a way to bring in the arts and make life worth living.”
Back then many schools of higher learning were founded by religious leaders as a way to foster their beliefs but, according to Ognibene, “In our area most of these schools were founded by the community to work for a common goal. In fact, Union was founded by a religious leader, but it served no denomination.”
Some of the early leaders of these schools became nationally known, such as Union President Eliphalet Nott who began serving in 1804 and stayed at Union till after the Civil War. He inspired his students, and many of them went on to remarkable success, including a U.S. president (Chester Arthur), six cabinet secretaries, 13 U.S. senators, 91 members of the House of Representatives, 12 governors and 86 college presidents.
“Emma Willard was also important,” said Ognibene, “because she was outspoken for the need to educate women and encourage them to become teachers in the public school system. She saw the need for strong teachers both men and
“Powerful community leaders at the time saw the need for particular kinds of schools, engineering, law and medicine, and they went out and made it happen.” Richard Ognibene
women who had the right kind of nurturing temperament along with a strong knowledge of the subject.”
According to Ognibene, Willard was very progressive in her style of teaching. “Most teaching at the time was lecture oriented, but she was very creative and wanted her students to learn how to think.”
Ognibene said we are still feeling the impact today of what they did more than 100 years ago. “Recently the CEO of Globalfoundries made a tour of the area and declared one of the main reasons they decided to settle here was because of our area’s rich educational heritage. Many of our area colleges now have nanotech programs where Globalfoundries will be able to recruit their future workers.”
After all his years of being busy as a professor and college administrator, the now-retired Ognibene has enjoyed taking the time to work on an extended project like this. His book can be found online and in area bookstores.
Jack Rightmyer is a regular contributor to the Times Union.