CoE mourns passing of longtime chair

Getschman was college's first doctoral graduate

by Mark McGowan

Keith Getschman was the superintendent of schools in Stillman Valley when he earned a place in the NIU history books.

In the spring of 1965, Getschman became the first person to earn a doctoral degree from the NIU College of Education. That fall, Ed.D. in educational administration in hand, he fulfilled a longtime ambition to become a professor by joining the faculty in his alma mater.

Only five years later, he was named chairman of the department of educational administration and services.

Retired since 1984, by which time the department had become Leadership and Educational Policy Studies, Getschman died Feb. 14 in DeKalb. He was 79.

“He treasured his time at NIU. He was proud of his contributions to the Leadership and Educational Policy Studies area,” said his wife, Mary Lou Getschman. “He was just very devoted to the university, and very proud of being a Huskies fan. We had season tickets to football and men’s and women’s basketball for years and years.”

“Keith was a wonderful department chair,” said Wilma Miranda, chair of the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations.

Miranda joined NIU when Getschman chaired the then-Department of Leadership and Educational Policy Studies.

“One of the things that made him so effective was that he had a strong commitment to the university, to higher education and to the academy. He was also a bridging person between the public school sector we serve and the academy,” she added. “He was very fair and a very honorable person with a high sense of integrity that no one questioned, even when they disagreed with him. We were young and naïve, and spouted our own opinions, but he never reacted to that in a negative way. You got the feeling there was space for that.”

“He was very fair and believed in participatory governance,” agreed Bob Rosemier, who retired 14 years ago from teaching graduate courses in statistics. “He was always upfront, and you knew where he stood.”

Jim Lockard, director of the College of Education’s Learning Center, is another Getschman hire.

“He was a kindly, fatherly figure, and always pleasant to visit with,” Lockard said. “He took a personal interest in his staff, and people were quite loyal to him.”

Born May 2, 1927, in Milwaukee, Getschman began his teaching career in Stillman Valley and kicked off the high school’s football program.

During his time at NIU, he was active in the Illinois Association of School Business Officials and held leadership positions.

He also served in 1973 as chairman of the Admissions Policies and Academic Standards Committee, which recommended to the University Council to place a greater emphasis on high school class rank and less on test scores. That change took effect with the freshman class of 1974.

In the late 1970s, he and two NIU colleagues consulted for the Rockford School District on a three- to five-year plan for facility utilization.

Getschman, James Heald and Nicholas DeLuca drafted a controversial plan that recommended the closure of 11 school buildings. School board members followed that advice in 1981.

Despite Getschman’s record of active and strong leadership, Miranda said her boss was a quiet and thoughtful man.

“Even if things weren’t going his way, he was always unfailingly courteous,” she said. “He had a wonderful sense of humor and this slow smile.”

The College of Education now honors outstanding alumni from its educational leadership program with an annual award named for Getschman. Faculty in educational administration from the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations inaugurated the award.

“He was just floored by that. He was so honored. It just gave him a warm feeling,” Mary Lou Getschman said. “He was just a great guy – so many people remember his smile – and he enjoyed working with people. His faculty were like his family in many respects, and he was proud of what they could do and what they did do to enhance the whole program.”

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